9 March 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
To celebrate National Tree Week 2025, which runs from Sunday 9 March to Sunday 16 March, Cork City Council will be giving away 3,000 trees next week across two locations. Tramore Valley Park and The Glen River Park will host giveaways from 10:30am until all the trees have found homes.
The giveaway will include native whips or saplings including, alder, blackthorn, hazel. oak, pine and rowan.
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dan Boyle said: “I am delighted to see this initiative continue in 2025 after the huge success of last year. Now totalling at 5,500 thousand trees distributed this is significant number and certainly a worthwhile exercise. The benefits will be seen not only now but for generations to come.”
Tree Officer with Cork City Council, Thomas Kane, said: “Last year’s event was such a huge success it showed us the appetite is there. The balance of land ownership across the city is obviously weighted toward private ownership with 80% of available land in this category. Giving away trees to the public is one way of promoting planting and increasing canopy cover in these areas.
Not only do trees contribute to combatting biodiversity loss and serve important ecosystem and climate functions, but there is also an inherent value for people’s health and well-bring attached to trees. The benefits are many and we are happy to help people in this way”.
The city council owns and manages about 17% of the city’s total tree canopy and has since 2021 planted 15,000 trees. A further 5,000 are projected to be planted this year.
The Tree Planting initiative doesn’t end with the giveaway as over 20 community groups across the city will also be undertaking tree planting with Cork City Council during Tree Week.
The tree giveaway is in partnership with Coillte and the Tree Council of Ireland