Sisk completes planting 40,000 native trees in Co. Cork

Friday 10th March 2023, Co. Cork: John Sisk & Son, Ireland’s largest construction and engineering firm has partnered on another tree planting site, this time in Skibbereen, Co. Cork. This forms part of Sisk’s commitment to planting 1.7 million trees by 2029, one of its targets in its ambitious 2030 Sustainability Roadmap , aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sisk’s group of 15 staff volunteers got stuck into help plant the trees working in partnership with the landowner, SWS Forestry and the Department of Agriculture’s Woodland Environment Fund.

Through the Woodland Environmental Fund, Sisk has helped fund the planting of 445,000 trees to date across Ireland and is on target to complete 1.7 million trees as native woodland in Ireland, the UK and wider Europe by 2029.

This 14-hectare site was planted with native Irish broadleaf trees. The planted saplings are primarily native broadleaf (Oak, Birch, Alder, Whitehorn) with pockets of native conifer (Scots pine). This mix will provide greater habitat and species diversity over the years.

Sinéad Hickey, Head of Sustainability, Ireland & Europe, John Sisk & Son said: “We are delighted to have partnered with the landowner, SWS Forestry and the WEF Scheme through the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine in Co. Cork. We have a target to plant 1.7 million trees by 2029, which forms a part of our wider sustainability roadmap. This is an important step in our journey and demonstrates our commitment to a range of sustainability topics our company and wider industry needs to address.”

Michael Connelly, SWS Forestry said: “We are delighted to be involved with Sisk in this WEF initiative. We see exciting times ahead for private forestry with the introduction of the new forestry programme, with vastly improved grants and premiums. And with companies like Sisk also coming on board with additional financial incentives, it really should help us in our battle against climate change”

In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2021–2030 the “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration”. Sisk has acknowledged this call to action and recognised the need for a massive acceleration in the global restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems, and the positive impact this would have on the climate crisis, biodiversity, food security and water supply.

By the planting of this Native woodland the landowner has demonstrated commitment to the sustainable management of forestry and native woodlands in Ireland. This will also support Ireland’s plan to tackle climate change by planting 440 million trees by 2040.

The planting of this Native Woodland was run by the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine through an establishment grant and 20 annual premium payments.