Forest project will provide important oasis for wildlife

Up to 600 native Irish trees have been planted on the grounds of Mount Seskin Community College as part of project developing urban woodlands across south Dublin.

Volunteers from Dodder Action environmental group and Amazon staff visited the Jobstown school on Tuesday, February 10, to plant 600 native trees and 50 ground cover woodland plants as part of the Stepping Stone Forest project.

“We were delighted to welcome John Kiberd from Stepping Stones Forests, along with a fantastic group of volunteers from Amazon to MSCC as they worked alongside our Third Year students to plant our very own forest,” principal Aishling Ryan told The Echo.

Stepping Stone Forests are a grassroot movement that is attempting to restore native tree cover across Dublin.

They use close planting methods to create small, urban, densely planted woodland made up of native Irish trees and shrubs that grow rapidly, creating a rich natural habitat in a short period of time.

“Our new forest will provide an important oasis for Irish wildlife and will absorb more than 30 times the amount of carbon compared to grass lawns, helping to combat climate change,” Ms Ryan said.

Preparation on the forest site, in front of the school pitch adjacent to Fortunestown Road, began in Spring 2025 when the ground was covered with a layer of cardboard and heavily mulched.

“This work was led by the same group of students when they were in Second Year. The project is generously funded by Amazon as part of #AmazoninCommunities, who also brought together a dedicated group of volunteers to support the planting day,” Ms Ryan explained

“It is great to be part of this important project enhancing our school environment, we are grateful to the Stepping Stones team and to Amazon for their support,” she continued.

“We are so proud of our Third Year students, who impressed everyone digging with much determination and really living our values of respect, care and community.”

Planning, preparation, and organsation for the planting was done by Dodder Action volunteers, eight of whom were present to plant trees and to guide the students in their efforts.

“The Mount Seskin Community College Stepping Stone Forest was the twentieth school woodland that we have planted in the Tallaght area, that is more than 10,000 new trees planted by Dodder Action in schools since 2022,” John Kiberd of Dodder Action said.

Tuesday’s planting will be featured on RTÉ’s Nationwide during National Tree Week (March 8-March 15), showcasing the success of the Stepping Stones project to audiences across the country.