Dublin

‘Mini woodland’ planned for Dodder Valley Park after dozens of trees destroyed

Council, in conjunction with various other community groups, will begin the process of planting the woodland at the end of the month

Residents were left shocked and bemused last month when more than €30,000 worth of damage was caused to the park. Photograph: Tom Honan

Fiachra Gallagher
Wed May 8 2024 - 18:42

South Dublin County Council will plant a “mini woodland” at Dodder Valley Park, the local authority announced, after vandals destroyed about 75 trees and saplings in the park last month.

The council, in conjunction with various other community groups, sports clubs and park users, will begin the process of planting the woodland at the end of the month, by adding cardboard and mulch to prepare the ground for the saplings. The council then plans to plant more than 3,000 trees in the park in the autumn time.

Mini woodlands are “small, dense, rapid-growing plantations of entirely native species in an urban setting”, according to the council.

“For every one tree vandalised in the recent attack in Dodder Valley Park, 40 mini trees will be planted as part of this mini woodland,” the council said in a statement.

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The new woodland will be close to the M50, and will assist in combating climate change and dust particles from the motorway.

Residents were left shocked and bemused last month when more than €30,000 worth of damage was caused to the park, with 25 mainly mature cherry blossom trees cut down. Fifty saplings of different varieties were also targeted in the attack.

The vandalism took place in a single night along a stretch of the Dodder Greenway from the Cherryfield car park entrance. The incident was reported to gardaí.

It was the second such attack, following an incident in April 2023 where about eight trees were cut down at the other end of the park.

Fiachra Gallagher

Fiachra Gallagher

Fiachra Gallagher is an Irish Times journalist

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