750,000 trees planted in 100 Million Trees Project

RTÉ News​

12-05-2025

Some 750,000 trees have been planted at mini-forest locations in Ireland in the last two-and-a-half years, as part of the 100 Million Trees Project.
Founded in 2022 by siblings Richard, David and Tina Mulcahy, they hope to plant another one million trees across the country next year.
"I realised that I was a contributor to the climate crisis, and I thought that we really need to do something now," explained Richard Mulcahy.
"We have a moral obligation to the next generation to leave the land and the environment in a good, healthy state," he said.
"I saw this project as an opportunity to get people back focused on the environment, so that they could leave something for their children."
The initiative aims to combat climate change, increase biodiversity, and create mini-carbon sinks by planting trees in dense formation.
The project has employed the specialist Japanese Miyawaki method of planting, which leads to accelerated growth, increased biodiversity and a rapid carbon sink.
More support needed from local authorities and farmers
For local authorities, it's a no-brainer, according to Richard Mulcahy.
"With derelict sites that may be just lying there idle local authorities have a huge opportunity.
"We could actually plant 100 million trees just with local authorities but again they're so preoccupied with housing and all the other issues that the focus isn't on this.
"But the focus has to be on this, because none of this is going to be relevant in 30 years time if we don't do something about the environment.
"So we really hope local authorities will start taking this on board, giving us sites and we will come along and plant for them. It's a no brainer," he said.
The founders say while there has been some uptake from farmers, they would like to see more farmers embracing what they have described as a "huge opportunity".
If every farmer in Ireland gave a quarter of an acre, in the corner of a field, the founders say they would be able to plant close to half a billion trees.
"I know farmers are having a difficult time, and they get a tough time from people saying that they're ruining the environment and many of them are preoccupied with trying to survive.
"But we'd like to see farmers giving a quarter of an acre of land and it will do something really good for biodiversity and for their carbon output.
"Farmers are beginning to take this up on us now, which is fantastic so more farmers is what we need."
Ireland one of the least forested countries in Europe
David Mulcahy, another one of the founders of the one hundred million trees project, said more and more of the trees planted are being grown in Ireland.
"We buy our trees from Irish companies and more and more of them have been grown in Ireland rather than being imported.
"And we're also trying to eliminate any imported trees to try and encourage the support of Irish tree growers so that we can plant all our own trees, not export them, but plant them in Ireland.
"Ireland is one of the least forested countries in Europe, but hopefully, over the next number of years, we'll try and change that," he said.
Trees have been planted in 26 counties across Ireland and the founders of the project would like to see it reaching every county.
"We have planted in about 26 counties and now we're looking to plant in every one of the 32 counties, and we're looking for people to volunteer sites for next year where we hope to plant a million native trees."
Yew Point, Co Roscommon
A total of 12,500 trees have been planted at the 145-acre Yew Point Estate as part of the 100 Million Trees Project.
The trees planted at Yew Point include Scots Pine, Hazel, Oak and Birch trees.
"It was a godsend being introduced to Richard and David and the Mulcahy family and their 100 Million Trees Project," said Johnny O'Sullivan, director of the Hodson Bay Group which runs the Yew Point Estate.
"It catapulted us from putting hundreds of trees into the ground to putting tens of thousands of trees into the ground"
It is all part of a regenerative tourism project close to the Hodson Bay Hotel with plans to develop a 36-cabin eco-friendly tourist resort.
"Our intention, along with regenerating the woodlands to their former glory, is to create a luxury accommodation five-star eco resort, so you'll have an accommodation experience along with opportunities for learnings around sustainability and the unique ecology of the site," Mr O'Sullivan said.
"The site is very unique in that it's been in specific ownership for hundreds of years, right back to when the monks had an abbey on the site, and up into more recent times when it was in the ownership of the Lenihan family," he said.
"If you go back to the 14th and 15th century, there was monks farming this land in a very sensitive and sustainable way.
"When you look around and you see those oak trees, some of them are up to 800 years old, the reason they're there is because of those sustainable farming practices that the monks used.
"We're only temporary custodians of this very, very special place, and what we do here should be regenerative, should be reversible, and should leave it in a better place for generations to come," he added.