Thousands of Irish schoolchildren had the day off school yesterday to take part in Tree Day. This is the first time that a day has been set aside by the Department of Education for the study of a specific subject. It is to become an annual event.
More than 3,000 national schools took part yesterday with the help of a special Tree Day pack provided by the Tree Council of Ireland.
In schools all over the Republic the regular curriculum was set aside so children could learn about trees and, in many cases, visit forests.
The Tree Council, working with the Forest Service of the Department of the Marine, and the EU, arranged that 114 forests and parks listed in the pack would be available to students. Professional guides or foresters were available for the children and their teachers when they arrived to view the trees.
Ms Patricia Flanagan of the Tree Council of Ireland said there had been a tremendous response to the special day and thousands of schoolchildren and their teachers took part. She said the main aim of the Tree Council of Ireland was to instil an appreciation and awareness of the value of trees and the environment which they supported.
The need for such education was growing on a daily basis because 43 per cent of children in the Republic now grew up in an urban environment, she said.
The special pack sent to schools, which was also made available on computer disk, contained information on trees in Ireland and worksheets geared for each day in primary schools so that children can build their knowledge from year to year.
The Tree Council of Ireland, which is an umbrella body representing 40 organisations connected by their appreciation of trees, intends to work with the Northern Ireland Department of Education to make Tree Day a 32-county event next year.