Last month, Guaranteed Irish invited the funding members of the Guaranteed Irish Forest, including Cedral, to partake in an extraordinary endeavor - an Acorn Gathering event in the Ballygannon Wood. This event marks a significant step towards fostering sustainability and biodiversity, and its impact promises to reverberate far beyond the serene woodlands of Wicklow.

The Acorn Gathering Event

In the heart of the Wicklow Mountains, Guaranteed Irish, Cedral and its other members are taking a step forward in fostering sustainability and biodiversity. As part of the Guaranteed Irish Forest initiative, they took part in an Acorn Gathering event organised by The Nature Trust in Ballygannon Wood, where 150kg of acorns were collected.

Ballygannon Wood is part of the Wicklow Oakwood, the second largest oak forest in Ireland. It is a ‘Mast Year’ for the wood, which is period of exceptionally high acorn production by oak trees. Mast years for oak trees only happen every 5-7 years depending on past and present weather conditions as it takes a lot of energy for the trees to produce its seeds. Guaranteed Irish and its members were invited to collect the acorns that will become oak saplings and be planted all over the country in woodlands like the Guaranteed Irish Forest.

Clémence Jamet, Guaranteed Irish Sustainability Manager, who participated in the event, reflected: "At Guaranteed Irish, we recognise the vital role of native woodlands in preserving our unique biodiversity. Through planting native Irish trees and collecting acorns, we actively contribute to restoring our native woodlands and promoting a more biodiverse Ireland. We appreciate the support of our members, including Wavin, Cedral, Homevalue, Kingscourt Brick, and Kaymed, who fund and champion this project. Their involvement reflects a shared commitment to nurturing Ireland's natural heritage, and we invite others to join us in supporting Irish native trees."

The Guaranteed Irish Forest Initiative

The Guaranteed Irish Forest is one of Guaranteed Irish’s commitments to fostering biodiversity in Ireland and raising awareness on climate change mitigation as part of their alignment to the Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate change.

The Guaranteed Irish Forest will be planted with native Irish trees such as oak, holly, birch, alder, rowan, and hawthorn. Native woodlands are hot spots for native biodiversity, they support a rich ground flora and fauna including insects, birds and small mammals.

Currently, only 11% of our country is covered by forests, with just 2% under native woodland. The Guaranteed Irish Forest project aims to plant around 40,000 tree saplings over three years, covering approximately 14 hectares. This forest will become a public amenity for local communities, fostering enjoyment for future generations.

This project is funded by a collective of Guaranteed Irish members including Wavin, Cedral, Homevalue, Kingscourt Brick, and Kaymed.

For more information visit Guaranteed Irish Forest initiative.

The Acorn Gathering event was organised by The Nature Trust as part of their 3-year partnership with Guaranteed Irish to establish the first Guaranteed Irish Forest.