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An Taisce
The National Trust for Ireland
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Protecting
and preserving Ireland's heritage since 1948
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Contact An Taisce's Education Unit on:
01 400 2202
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 Pilot Phase of LEAF
The main focus of the pilot phase of the project was to utilise forests and forestry education as a cross-curricular education tool particularly for schools in highly urbanised areas. To this end the project was piloted with the 4th class of St. Kieran's Boy's National School, Galvone in Limerick City. The programme involved both classroom projects and fieldwork. The classroom projects involved an initial class workshop followed by the students undertaking a number of classroom projects.
Teams of 4-5 students undertook these class projects.
The topics for research were:
- Uses of Trees and Forests
- Life on Trees
- How Trees Work
- Trees from other parts of the world
- Food from Trees
The results of these projects were very interesting and it was amazing to see the amount of knowledge the students gained in a month or two. The students found out the following information during their projects:
- Trees and forests are not only used for wood but also they are also the basis of the paper and rubber industries.
- How forestry is planted and maintained.
- The uses of the various parts of a cut log (e.g. bark for mulching, edge sections for chip-fibre board and pallets, centre sections for joists and floor boards).
- How to tell the age of a tree and how growth rings and tree bark are formed.
- How bark protects trees form weather, sudden temperature changes, insects and fire.
- Native trees from North America (Western Hemlock, Giant Sequoia, Monterey Pine, Red Maple), Japan (Japanese Red Cedar), Norway (Norway Spruce), Africa (Atlas Cedar, Baobab), Southern Europe (Maritime Pine) and Switzerland (Swiss Stone Pine).
- Trees (Giant Sequoia) are the largest and oldest living things in the world.
- Fauna and Flora of Irish Forests (e.g. the primrose, foxglove, badger, fox, owl, squirrel, hedgehog, pine martin, wood pigeon, rook, magpie, pheasant, spiders, butterflies, millipedes and fungi).
- Fauna of the Amazon and Sumatra Rainforests (e.g. Jaguar, Leopard, Orang-utan, Monkeys, Macaw, Toucans, Humming Birds, Reptiles and Insects).
- 'Plumbing' in a tree.
- Life cycle of a tree from seed to fruit.
- Life story of a sycamore tree.
- Leaves and Chlorophyll.
- Fruits, nuts and seeds from trees.
The fieldwork comprised a trip to a local woodland area in Co. Clare. The main highlights of the trip were:
- A full and thorough inspection of a 320-year-old beech tree
- An encounter with a large herd of red deer
- A bug hunt
For more information on Learning About Forests, please contact:
Michael-John O'Mahony, LEAF Manager
An Taisce, 5A Swift’s Alley, Francis Street, Dublin 8
Tel: 01 400 2202 Fax: 01 454 1802 E-mail: education@antaisce.org
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