A serious environment improvement initiative led by Fr James Cullen was carried out in record time in January just gone by. Sixteen 40-year old leylandii trees were felled and replaced with 32 broadleaf trees in the back garden of the Presbytary in Wexford town.The garden is bordering the Presentation Secondary School. The trees were felled because of fears about health and safedy. The new 10-foot tall trees that were planted will also dramatically improve the carbon capture and the biodiversity in this beautiful garden.
The environmental benefits of this action will be felt not only in the garden but also in the town. The garden will become a haven for bees, birds and insects, together with capturing carbon over the coming years.
We kept soil disruption to a minimum and any soil that was disrupted will now be invigourated by sowing it with a grass seed mixture that contains lots of white clover to attract bees in particular. The old trees were stacked away safely. The branches were mulched and the mulch was then recycled around the garden,
We were helped on this project by students from Presentation Secondary School. The students were full of enthusiasm and had a keen interest in biodiversity and were enthusiastic about caring for the earth and its environment.
In summary from 2nd Jan to 18th Jan all old trees were felled, timber was stacked, and new trees were planted. On a Parish/community basis, this is a good example as to what can be achieved with good clear objective setting, manpower planning, and the involvement of secondary school an extra bonus.
Thank you to Gary Black the Wexford Parish Groundsman for his expertise with this project from the spacing needed between the new tree’s, the digging of the holes and preparation of soil for the new Tree’s, and the selection of the new tree’s.
Thanks to Ms Mary Dooley Vice Principle of the Presentation Secondary School and Ms Ciara McMurray the Green Flag and Environment Teacher with the 20 students who came and helped with planting of the trees
A big thank you is due to Tony Boland of APB Treecare and his team for their professionalism, expertise and advice in taking down the trees and keeping the grounds of the Presbytery and at the School in great condition.. These professionals arrived on time and finishing the job exactly on schedule.. John-Joe Hyland from Hyland Nurseries is also to be thanked for his and his colleague Joe’s expertise in helping chose the the right type of trees and adjusting the tree selection to make the most of the various tree types in regards to leaf colour, impact on the environment that will encourage the increase in the numbers of birds, bees and insects in the garden. Carbon captute and biodiversity will be greatly enhanced into the future.
A word of thanks to Jim Goggin from the Finance Committee and Noel Culleton from Wexford Parish care for the Earth for their help and assistance with the whole project.
Many of the people involved with this project were interviewed for CMT. Two programme will be aired on South East Radio, CMT on Sunday reflections, February 4th and 11th 2024.
Written by
Jim Goggin – Chair of the Finance Committee
Noel Cullenton – Chair of the Care of the Earth Committee
