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Save the date! The Irish Tree Explorers Network free end-of-project symposium

We are delighted to invite you to the Irish Tree Explorers Network (ITEN) free end-of-project symposium which will be held at the Fota Education, Conservation and Research Centre, County Cork on March 19th 2025 from 10am-4pm. Focusing on the theme, 'From Root to Branch: Rethinking Our Relationship With Trees', the symposium will feature talks by speakers from a range of different disciplines.
It is widely recognised that trees are critical for the survival and development of humanity, not only through their role in the provision of clean air, food, shelter, medicine, wellbeing and climate resilience, but also in the way they influence cultural heritage and identity. Despite these many benefits, tree extinction is accelerating at an alarming rate, with far-reaching consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Whilst there are many underlying reasons for this current crisis, it has been identified that plant blindness, or what we term Human Imperception of Plants (HIP) - the inability to notice, recognize, or appreciate plants in everyday life - contributes significantly to inadequate plant conservation.
Addressing the challenge of HIP, this symposium will feature papers from key speakers who will help us to rethink our relationship with trees from multiple perspectives. Drawing on insights from both STEM and culture, the symposium aims to consider ways in which we can foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of trees so that we may better protect them. The symposium is open to a wide variety of approaches and will be of interest across disciplines and sectors.
ITEN, a Research Ireland-funded project based at University College Cork, and conducted in partnership with Coillte, Tree Council of Ireland and the Office of Public Works, aims to protect and celebrate trees by engaging the public with educational resources that explore the link between tree collections, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and culture.
To register for this event, visit: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/from-root-to-branch-rethinking-our-relationship-with-trees-tickets-1224849370439?aff=oddtdtcreator
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The ITEN team
Based at UCC, the team includes Dr Eoin Lettice, Dr Barbara Doyle Prestwich, Gabriella Chisholm from the School of BEES and Prof. Claire Connolly and Dr. Claire Nolan from the School of English and Digital Humanities.
To keep up with project news and updates, follow Irish Tree Explorers Network on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.