Trees are good to look at. Trees are good to sit under. Some people, as did Bismarck, lean against a tree and claim to feel its energy pass into their bodies. A tree felled is, to the sentimental, a loss, but then so much of our life depends on trees - for the wood in our house, building for furniture, for log fires, for fence-building to keep stock. But at any stage in its life up to then, a trees is, to so many, a living, breathing thing, a friend: to many birds a necessity and to animals, and squirrels, a source of food. A reminder that we are heading into our National Tree Week from March 5th to 12th - Sunday to Sunday. This year the theme is, writes John McLoughlin, President of the Tree Council of Ireland, "Trees - the spirit of a New Age". We have come far in our efforts to make up for the depredations of the centuries, moving well in the right direction. (How many trees have you planted or helped to plant?) And we will get there. The Tree Council is highlighting one of its new projects, The Tree Register of Ireland, to find out how old is the oldest tree in the country and which is the tallest, and the most historic. The project is still young, but it is already clear that those from Western North America are winning on height. (What do you bet that a yew turns out to be the oldest?).
Augustine Henry was a great man (read Sheila Pim's biography The Wood and The Trees and the annual memorial lecture in his honour is organised by The Society of Irish Foresters in association with the RDS. On Wednesday March 8th Dr Fraser Mitchell will speak on "The development of our tree cover over the millennia" at 8 p.m. in the Minerva Suite at the RDS. And from Sunday 5th there will take place, all over the country, tree-fests and jubilation and some hard work planting. It is all opened earlier, on Friday 3rd by Eanna Ni Lamhna at Knockbridge, Dundalk at 1.30pm. Largesse from local authorities who will give out thousands of trees to schools and community groups - free of charge. Crann is there, too, of course. On this Saturday at 2.30 p.m. there is a woodland walk at Glenstal Abbey, Moroe, Limerick with Brother Anthony Keane and at 4 p.m. On the same day a woodland walk at Barna Woods, Barna Road, Galway. For details of all occasions contact the Tree Council at 01 284 9211.