Minister of State for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett has today (Tuesday, June11) inaugurated the Shelton Abbey Pocket Forests Native Tree Nursery at Shelton Abbey open prison in Arklow, Co. Wicklow.
Over 2,000 trees will be cared for by prisoners, guided by senior prison officer Declan Jordan, before being planted in urban areas by communities working with Pocket Forests.
The saplings, planted in March 2024, will remain in the nursery until next winter when they will be relocated to community-created Pocket Forests to address urban nature deprivation.
The project, which supports climate and biodiversity action, grows nine different indigenous tree species from Irish seed, provided by Coillte.
Minister Hackett said she is enthusiastic about the initiative and its potential benefits as well as commending the prisoners’ dedication and the guidance of officer Jordan.
“It’s a real privilege to be opening the Pocket Forests native tree nursery in Shelton Abbey,” she said.
“The benefits of urban greening are multiple, be it better air quality, much needed shading and cooling on hot summer days, or improved flood resilience.
“The care that the prisoners have put into establishing the nursery,” she said.
Shelton Abbey participation
Governor of Shelton Abbey open centre, Joseph Donoghue, expressed pride in the collaboration.
“This initiative not only benefits our community by bringing nature to urban areas and combating biodiversity loss, but also provides a positive role for our prisoners in climate and biodiversity action,” he said.
Director of Coillte Nature, Ciaran Fallon added: “We are delighted to support this Pocket Forest initiative by providing the native Irish tree saplings.
“It’s great to be able to play a small role in this inspirational project,” he said.
Shelton Abbey, a low-security prison with a history linked to forestry, emphasises rehabilitation through educational and vocational activities.
Pocket forests, an award winning social enterprise founded in 2020, has planted over 100 pocket forests across Ireland, promoting urban greening and biodiversity, according to the enterprise.