What is ITEN?

The Irish Tree Explorers Network is bringing together living tree collections across Ireland to form a nationwide network. These tree collections include arboreta, forest parks, urban parks, and historic sites, which will encourage members of the public to explore science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and culture through trees. ITEN will be partnering with Coillte, The OPW and the Tree Council of Ireland to ensure that a broad range of sites will be included.It is hoped that this project will make trees more accessible to everybody and will encourage people to reconnect with tree collections.

The Irish Tree Explorers Network website is accessible across all participating tree collections through QR codes, seamlessly connecting visitors, educators, tour leaders, and parents to engagement materials. The Irish Tree Explorers Network will help explain about the vital roles of trees by creating accessible digital resources that intertwines plant science, horticulture, and environmental humanities.

Through this project, it is hoped that Ireland's communities will adopt a deeper understanding and appreciation for trees.

History of the Project

When UCC or Queens College Cork as it was previously known was founded in 1845, along with all Universities at that time, a botanic garden & tree collection were quite central to the university set up as was a museum and herbarium. Although few records remain, most of the important tree specimens were planted around 1880. The botanic garden was one of the earliest teaching, research & outreach tools in the University. This was thanks to Prof. Hinks who was Professor of Natural History in Cork at that time. However, due to changing teaching methods in the fields of botany and plant science & to facilitate the development of new buildings the botanic garden was removed

Disappointing as this was, the trees survived & the collection was supplemented to what it is today. The tree collection at UCC has now joined some of the leading arboreta in the world after being accredited by Arbnet in 2020. There are approx. 2,500 trees across the campuses 42 acres. There are approx. 120 different species in the collection with some significant and old specimens among them. One of the most recent additions being the extremely rare Wollemia nobilis. There is also an Irish champion wingnut

The Tree Register project was carried out by the Tree Council of Ireland in collaboration with The Irish Tree Society and has now recorded over 11,000 Champion Trees throughout the country.

A champion tree is defined as the tallest or oldest or most massive example of its species or kind in a given region. For further information visit here

In 2019, supported by the Green Campus funding, the Open Arboretum Project was established. Its main aim was to reimagine the teaching, research and outreach potential of this 170 year old collection. It also sought to understand the history & development of this teaching space, to re-establish a connection with it for all users of UCC, those who work study and visit it, and to make connections with global challenges. 

Following the success of the Open Arb project, came the Tree Explorers project. Funded by Science Foundation Ireland, it ran successfully for 2 years. The main focus of the project was to use the tree collection at UCC to engage schools & members of the public with STEM topics. Year 1 of the project focused on engaging with schools in the Cork City Area with a particular focus on schools in disadvantaged areas where STEM may not feature so highly. The school approach involved in-class engagement as well as visits to the Arboretum. Year 2 expanded into 2nd level targeting both primary & secondary schools as well as extending countywide. The city centre location made it ideal for both urban & rural schools in terms of accessibility. In terms of public engagement, a UCC tree tour was designed for a general audience. With adaptations for specific events & STEM activities including – Culture Nights, National Tree Week, Science Week, Community Week and Bioeconomy Week. 

Building on the success of the Tree Explorers project which has had significant positive impacts on the public perception of science, trees & the natural world, a 3rd round of funding from SFI has been received. This will take the project to a national level.

Our Partners

Throughout this project we are partnering with Coillte, The OPW and the Tree Council of Ireland. It is hoped that this collaboration will ensure that ITEN reaches as many sites and people as possible. 

The Tree Council of Ireland

The Tree Council of Ireland is a non-profit organisation. It was formed in 1985 as an umbrella body for organisations involved in the establishment, care and conservation of trees in Ireland, through the promotion of a tree culture in Ireland. The Tree Council of Ireland organise National Tree Week every year in March and Tree Day in October. For more information on the Tree Council of Ireland please visit https://www.treecouncil.ie/

Coillte

Coillte, Ireland’s semi-state forestry company, is responsible for managing 440,000 hectares of primarily forested lands. It is the nation’s largest forester and producer of certified wood, a natural, renewable and sustainable resource. Coillte is also the largest provider of outdoor recreation space in Ireland, with 260 recreational forests nationwide, including 3,000km of way marked walking trails, 12 forest parks and six mountain bike centres. Coillte delivers the multiple benefits of forestry, including forests for climate, for nature, for wood and for people. Coillte have an open forest policy which means all walkers are free to visit any of our forests according to the Leave No Trace principles. For further information on Coillte please visit https://www.coillte.ie/

OPW

The Office of Public Works are a service organisation of the Irish government. They manage and take care of many of Ireland’s most important historic places. These places range from archaeological monuments to historic houses and include the plants, trees, art, artefacts, furniture and other folklife relics that give them their unique life and colour. For further information on the OPW please visit https://heritageireland.ie/