4 Dec 2019
NIE Networks has partnered with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) to host a Community Tree Planting event to celebrate National Tree Week.
The event marks the beginning of a dedicated partnership between the two organisations that will see NIE Networks commit to planting native trees across Northern Ireland with staff volunteering alongside those from TCV.
In the first of a series of community tree planting events, five hundred trees of native Irish species were planted on land at Knockbracken Drive in Carryduff over the weekend.
With tree planting events running from November 2019 through to March 2020, communities across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to put forward their projects for new trees to be planted. Community groups and schools can also sign-up to the TCV Community Network for free until the end of December.
This project is the latest commitment from NIE Networks to ensuring its work has minimal impact on the local landscape and natural habitats. It comes as the organisation recently announced they had been accredited as a Wildlife Aware organisation by Ulster Wildlife.
Steven McConnell, Team Manager at NIE Networks, said;
“Our partnership with TCV is a crucial milestone in our ongoing commitment to protecting the landscape and environment we come in contact with.“
“There is essential work we must carry out to ensure we have a reliable electricity network and our tree patrollers are working alongside landowners every day to monitor trees and vegetation that grows close to our overhead lines.“
“Working with The Conservation Volunteers on this partnership has opened up so many new opportunities for us to plant trees and renew native species for future generations.”
NIE Networks is further supporting the growth of native trees by training staff to identify and collect locally sourced seeds that will then be grown at the TCV Tree Nursery in Clandeboye Estate.
Helen Tomb, Operations Leader, from The Conservation Volunteers in Northern Ireland said;
“We are delighted to launch our partnership with NIE Networks and it is a significant example of how major businesses in Northern Ireland can make a contribution to renewing and conserving the environment they operate in.
“TCV has been bringing communities in Northern Ireland together to plant native trees for almost 30 years and are part of a national charity which is celebrating 60 years of environmental volunteering in 2019, so it’s very encouraging to be rolling out a project of this magnitude at this time.”
Communities can put forward their projects for new trees to be planted by visiting www.tcv.org.uk.