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Aldi plants 15,000 native trees along the ‘Kerry Way’

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Aldi plants 15,000 native trees along the ‘Kerry Way’

As part of Aldi’s commitment to planting 100,000 native hardwood trees over the next five years, Aldi recently planted 15,000 trees on a site in Muingaphuca, near Carragh Lake.

This is in addition to the 16,000 trees that were planted on a site in Rockfield, Limerick in December 2019. The initiative is the latest step in Aldi’s Carbon Reduction Pledge, which saw Aldi achieve Carbon Neutral status at the beginning of 2019.

The new plantation of native Irish woodland will help to encourage local flora and fauna, while aligning with the Government’s aim to plant 22 million trees a year until 2040.

The initial plantation of 16,000 trees will remove as much as 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Muingaphuca plantation will remove a further 2,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This means that Aldi’s first two plantations will sequester a total of 5,750 tonnes of carbon emissions The next planting phase will take place within the next 12 months.

Working in conjunction with Green Belt, the site underwent a Forest Carbon Woodlands Benefit Assessment. As part of this assessment, it was established that the site was planned sensitively to enhance the neighbouring aquatic feature close to the project boundary, to enhance the local landscape and to create a new and diverse habitat along the ‘Kerry Way’.

Additionally, the site has been planned with significant setbacks throughout, enabling grassland to revert to more natural vegetation, further enhancing biodiversity in the area. The plantation will ultimately create a habitat for foxes, deer, badgers, squirrels, pine martens and many more.

The unique nature of this woodland is the re-establishment of woodland cover in an area with a strong history of woodland removal.

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Free composting workshop in Fossa on Saturday

The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall. Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be […]

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The Fossa Climate Action Group is inviting the public to a free composting workshop this Saturday at Fossa Community Hall.

Taking place from 11am to 1pm, the workshop will be led by Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down, who will share his 25 years of expertise on turning household and garden waste into valuable compost for gardens. The session is aimed at anyone with an interest in gardening, improving soil health, and reducing food waste.
Diarmaid Griffin, PRO of Fossa Climate Action Group, said: “It is a great to start off our series of workshops with Donal O’ Leary of Waste Down. He has a vast knowledge on the fundamentals of soil health and explains it in simple and understandable language. Everyone can compost whether you have a big garden or none at all. Each method will be explained in detail.”
The Fossa Climate Action Group thanked the Department of the Environment and Community Foundation Ireland for their support in making this informative workshop available to the community free of charge.

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Radio Kerry to feature National Park’s dawn chorus

The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning. Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle. […]

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The spectacular dawn chorus in Killarney National Park will be the focus of the Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry this Saturday morning.

Presenter Frank Lewis will highlight the natural spectacle.
“The chorus of birds singing together, from about 45 minutes before to 45 minutes after sunrise, our most spectacular phenomenon in nature, is at its best during these weeks.” He said.
The programme, recorded in Knockreer at dawn on April 13, will also capture the early morning floral displays.
The programme will also include insights from 88-year-old former Park Superintendent Dan Kelliher, who describes “the amazing experience of seeing a full moon sitting on top of Torc mountain – and hearing bagpipes being played in Muckross Abbey around midnight.”
Conservation ranger Padruig O’Sullivan will discuss the Park’s ongoing development.
Walks guide Richie Clancy will share a historical anecdote: “In 1969 this tall stranger asked if I could take him to where he could get a photograph of Dairy Cottage where General de Gaulle was staying. I told him we would be a long way away but he said that was no problem that he had a long lens. Over the years there had been 33 attempts to assassinate de Gaulle. I learned afterwards that the stranger was Padraig Kennelly who started Kerry’s Eye.”
The programme will also touch on the blossoming wild garlic woods, the view from Deenagh Lodge, improvements at Knockreer Gardens, the story of Coda the monk, the bluebells, King’s Bridge, the changing path at Gamewood Bridge, and stories from Teahouse Point.
Tune in to Radio Kerry this Saturday to hear Frank Lewis in conversation with Dan Kelliher, Padruig O’Sullivan, Richie Clancy, and Ed Carty, who began their recording walk at 5.30 am in Knockreer.

Field ornithologist Ed Carty has revealed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is breeding in Killarney National Park.

Carty will be a guest on Radio Kerry’s Saturday Supplement. The programme, recorded on April 13, (see main story) will focus the dawn chorus,
During the recording of the programme, Carty said: “During the past few weeks the Great Spotted Woodpecker has been heard here in the Gamewood in Knockreer. We expect to find it breeding here in the coming weeks – for the first time in hundreds of years or maybe much longer.”
Since the recording, it has been confirmed that the Great Spotted Woodpecker is now breeding in this area of Killarney National Park.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers appear to have gone extinct in Ireland following deforestation in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The first recorded sighting of a Great Spotted Woodpecker for Killarney National Park was in 2013, where it was observed in the Tomies Wood area. This new development is significant as it is one of the first recorded breeding activity within the Park.

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