This year, as part of National Tree Day, schools around the country can claim one of 2,000 free Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris; Irish: An Giúis) saplings to plant with pupils. The initiative is encouraging primary school children to get outside, plant a tree and discover the important role trees and forests play in our everyday lives.
The news comes after the launch of the Tree Council of Ireland initiative at Ballybrown National School, Co. Limerick. Here, Niall Collins TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, joined pupils to plant a Scots Pine ahead of Glennon Brothers National Tree Day 2026, taking place on 1st October.
This year’s theme is ‘Planting for the Planet’, and will help children explore how trees support wildlife and biodiversity, capture and store carbon, and provide a renewable natural resource that can be transformed into timber products used to build our homes and communities.
“By planting and caring for a Scots Pine, pupils can see first-hand how trees support biodiversity, capture carbon and provide a renewable natural resource,” Minister Niall Collins said at the launch.
‘It is also an opportunity to build understanding of sustainable forestry and how home-grown timber can continue to store carbon when it is used in timber products and buildings. I commend the Tree Council of Ireland and Glennon Brothers for helping schools across the country turn that learning into action.’
APPRECIATING TREES
Pat Glennon, Glennon Brothers, said that National Tree Day gives children ‘the opportunity to do something practical and positive for the environment’.
“Planting and caring for a tree helps bring to life the importance of trees and forests and the role they can play for generations to come,” he said. “As a family business with a long connection to timber and forestry, we are proud to support an initiative that encourages children to get outdoors, learn and develop an appreciation of trees from an early age.”
Schools can claim one of 2,000 free Scots Pine saplings at treeday.ie, where teachers will also find ready-to-use classroom resources, nature activities and information about the Scots Pine to bring National Tree Day to life in the classroom and outdoors.
