merrion street

Shane McEntee, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for forestry, today marked ‘Tree Day 2011’ with a tree planting ceremony at Castletown National School, Co. Meath.

Noting that the theme of Tree Day 2011 is ‘Celebrating our Friend the Tree’ to mark this UN International Year of Forests, the Minister of State commented, "Trees are an integral part of our landscape and forest products are a feature of our everyday surroundings so it is helpful for children to have this opportunity on National Tree Day to learn about trees and forests in a practical way." The Minister went on to say "When you plant a tree you don’t do it for today. You do it for tomorrow – for your children and their children in turn".

Organised by the Tree Council of Ireland with the support of the Department of Education and Skills, Tree Day is an annual event, the purpose of which is to increase children’s awareness of the importance and benefits of trees. Minister of State McEntee added, "I understand that this year’s Tree Day campaign has been overhauled and redeveloped by the Tree Council, with the help of their sponsor Tetra Pak. I also note that the campaign is also supported by a number of Tree Council membership organizations which host walks at a number of locations throughout the country".

The Minister of State concluded by thanking the staff and pupils at the School for hosting the tree planting ceremony.