Northern Ireland’s first ‘Hiroshima survivor tree’ was planted at CAFRE’s Greenmount campus by Environment Minister Edwin Poots on Thursday.
Saplings grown from the seeds of a gingko tree that survived the atomic bomb have also been given to every council in Northern Ireland as a symbol of resilience.
The unique project is the fruit of a budding new partnership between CAFRE Greenmount and the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative.
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GLH works with ambassadors around the world to promote their green legacy and message of peace.
CAFRE Senior horticulture lecturer David Dowd said he reached out to them “because it’s really important for our students to know what’s going on in the world and gather new ideas so they can put them to use in Northern Ireland”.
“I applied to Green Legacy Hiroshima to become a partner and told them about our facilities, our staff and our ability to look after these trees into the future. It’s been a great experience for the students,” he added.
GLH sent CAFRE 70 seeds which the students grew using a range of techniques over two years. Mr Dowd said the seeds passed all safety checks are not a radiation threat.
Now the college has been chosen as the regional distribution hub for the seeds across the UK.
“Since then we have sent seeds to Botanic Gardens such as the Millennium seed bank and we have also sent seeds to schools, community and church organisations all across the UK,” added Mr Dowd.
DAERA Minister Edwin Poots said: “This is something that suvirved the Hiroshima Atomic bomb and the Hiroshima Legacy project is now sending seedlings to other parts of the world, particularly where there are nuclear weapons or a threat of nuclear weapons.
“With what’s going on in Ukraine it really is something that should be inspirational to us.
“This tree survived the most awful afflication a human being could have put upon it,” he added.
“It’s a demonstration of nature’s ability to fight back but we do need to look after nature, in particular, our biodiversity needs to be supported and enhanced.
“All living things increase our chances for biodiversity and trees and plants are critical to that.”
CAFRE student Una Quinn was one of the students who helped grow the saplings.
She told us: “We received different species which included gingko biloba. It’s been wonderful to watch the progress from seed to sapling and it’s a great time of year to plant a tree.”
Greenmount’s head of education, Alan said there is no question projects like this highlight the importance of trees.
He told us: “It’s pertinent given the enhanced focus on climate change and the green growth agenda.
“We are always seeking to develop sustainability... [with] more of a commitment to planting trees and the managed planting of hedges, particularly on farms.”
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