Tetra Pak Tree Day 2020

The Scots Pine or An Giúis one of Ireland’s few evergreen trees.

The scientific name for the Scots Pine is Pinus sylvestris.

The Scots Pine is actually a native Irish tree. Scotia was an ancient name given to Ireland by the Romans and the name really means Irish pine. Alba was the ancient Irish name for Scotland.

Traditionally, it was a very important tree as it burned well, giving off heat and light, and the resin
from the tree was also collected and was used in boat making.

The seeds from the Scots Pine cones are one of the red squirrels’ favourite foods and honey bees use the tree’s resinous sap to make propolis or bee glue; a sealant for their hive that also protects them from bacteria and viruses.

How to take care of your sapling tree before planting.

Open the bag as soon as it arrives to let in some air.

The important thing is that the roots do not dry out. Therefore, remove the sapling from the bag and
dip the roots in water to moisten, but do not leave it sitting in water. Keep checking the roots daily.

Put the sapling back into the bag until you are ready to plant.

If it going to be any longer than a couple of days till planting, trench it into spare ground or put it into a pot until you have found it's permanent home.

Then watch your sapling grow!

Happy Planting!

On Tetra Pak Tree Day many schools take the opportunity to participate in guided woodland walks
at various locations throughout the country, enabling children to connect directly
with nature in an enjoyable way.

The walks are organised in co-operation with our member organisations which include Coillte,
the Heritage Service of the OPW, the Dublin local authorities, the County Councils and the
National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Unfortunately this year due to Covid-19, organised events involving large numbers of people have been restricted
in line with HSE Guidelines until further notice.

Tetra Pak Tree Day 2020

Thursday 1st October
Lá na gCrann – 1d Deireadh Fómhair 2020

The theme for this year’s campaign is

Be a Force for Nature!

“Bí i do fórsa don nádúir!”

I have 1,500 saplings to give away!

Sammy Squirrel is delighted that lots of Scots Pine will be planted as part of Tree Day this year
as the seeds from the pine cones are one of his favourite foods!

To find out more about this year’s Tetra Pak Tree Day and claim a FREE sapling for your school
click below to take the Pledge and register!

Sammy Squirrel Pledge

Due to high demand the closing date has been further extended to
Friday 2nd October!

(subject to availability)

Éanna Ní Lamhna,
President Tree Council of Ireland
“The pandemic has allowed us all to re-evaluate the things that really matter to us, and many of us are now treasuring the natural world and experiences with the environment more than ever. For this year’s Tetra Pak Tree Day, we are inviting schools to spend the day outside learning about trees and the natural environment. To help schools get on board, we’ve got over 1,500 FREE Scots Pine saplings for schools to plant – which is also one of the requirements to achieve the Green-School’s Green Flag for Biodiversity.”

Lyndsey LoydenEdwards,
Key Account Director Tetra Pak UK & Ireland
“For this year’s Tetra Pak Tree Day campaign, we want to encourage children, and those around them, to “be a force for nature”. More and more children are becoming anxious about climate change and, through the on-pack messages, this campaign gives them simple tools to directly connect with nature and really make a difference to the world around them.”