Volunteers sought to help plant Ireland's first micro-forest in Limerick

IRELAND'S first micro-forest will be planted in County Limerick later this month, it has been announced.

Eco-Sikh Ireland in partnership with Reforest Nation will plant 1,150 trees at Templeglantine National School as part of a
nationwide initiative to plant over one million trees, in a bid to help reforest Ireland and combat climate change, global warming and bio-diversity loss.

The new micro-forest, the first of its kind in Ireland, will be named the Guru Nanak Sacred Forest - after the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

The planting will take place on Saturday, February 19 at Templeglantine National School where renowned Sikh scholar and historian Michael (Max) Arthur McAuliffe studied.

Students from the school will work alongside a team of dedicated volunteers from Reforest Nation, as well as the local Sikh community, plant saplings throughout the day.

When planted, the Guru Nanak Sacred Forest will cover an area of approximately 250 square meters, with over 1,150 trees of 11 different Irish native species.

Commenting ahead of the planting, Gearóid McEvoy, Founder of Reforest Nation said: "With the creation of Ireland’s first micro-forest at Templeglantine National School, I hope it will encourage more schools around Ireland and beyond to utilise their green spaces to help combat biodiversity loss and fight climate change."

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Dr Jagdeep Singh, a founding member of Eco-Sikh Ireland, added: "As Sikhs, our connection to the environment is an integral part of our faith and identity. We hope this project inspires all communities in Ireland to lead on environmental stewardship
and learn more about the endeavours of the Irish Sikh community.

"The forest will be the first of its kind in Ireland, and the 367th Guru Nanak Sacred Forest planted globally to date. I would like to thank Reforest Nation and the Templeglantine National School for their support throughout the planning process and look forward to the tree planting day".

Tadhg Mulcahy of Templeglantine Community Development and local historian say the planting of the new forest in Templeglantine will be a wonderful way to commemorate the special relationship and heritage between the Sikh community and the place of Max McAuliffe’s childhood.

"It will also contribute to the enhancement of local biodiversity and provide a beautiful natural amenity for locals and visitors alike in the area to enjoy," he said.

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The Guru Nanak Sacred Forest Limerick will be grown using a method of afforestation, where plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual.  It will involve planting dozens of native species in the same area, without the use of chemicals or synthetic fertilizers, which will become self-sustaining after the first three years.

See ecosikhireland.wixsite.com/home for more.