Uplift’s People Powered Forest

We are delighted to share the good news that our fourth people-powered forest has been planted in Clare, thanks to the support of hundreds of members across Ireland who sponsored trees and contributed to making it happen, as well as our friends at Future Forests in West Cork who donated the small trees. This achievement is a testament to the power of our community who cares about nature, and Uplift members’ commitment to protecting the environment.

Members and the Uplift staff team gathered in Feakle, East Clare on a sunny spring day — we dug holes and planted; hauled manure and fence posts; we also built a deer fence which will protect our baby trees as they grow.

Together we need to keep campaigning for trees and nature. Uplift members have a long history of advocating for environmental conservation, and we need to keep doing more.

In the past, we’ve helped our climate and environment by stopping harmful trade deals, promoting legislation to protect and restore the environment, and preserving Ireland’s natural heritage. Support from hundreds of Uplift members across Ireland, has meant that we can plan and execute campaigns to protect trees, grow our people-powered forests, and push for stronger environmental rules.

Together, we’ve already achieved significant wins, including stopping fracking, excessive hedge-cutting, and plastic pollution. We’ve also fought to ban the sale of Ireland’s forests and protected the country’s oldest oak trees. Our community has made a real difference, and we’re determined to keep pushing for a cleaner, healthier environment.

By supporting Uplift — by chipping in, signing petitions, emailing your representative, sharing social media posts — you’ll are helping us put pressure on our decision makers, as well as creating eye-catching tactics like digital ads, billboards, email campaigns, and social media actions that raise awareness and drive change. You’re part of a movement that’s committed to creating a better and cleaner future for all of us.

We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved together — from forcing Ireland to pull out of the Energy Charter Treaty to exposing Citibank’s dirty fossil fuel funding. We’ve also pressured the state into buying The Conor Pass and turning it into a national park. 

Uplift members and local community groups in Longford got together in the spring to plant hundreds of small trees that will soak up carbon dioxide and clean the air for decades to come. Thanks to over 1,000 of you sponsoring trees, which were kindly donated by our friends at Future Forests in West Cork, this is the third forest we’ve planted in Ireland, full of beautiful, native Irish trees.

We want to build on the momentum of our people-powered forests and continue to protect trees all over Ireland.

In 2025 we’re going to go bigger and further and plant our fourth people-powered forest in another location to be announced. Sign up for emails from Uplift here and we’ll let you know soon where we’re going to plant our next trees.

Thanks to hundreds of Uplift members all across Ireland who sponsored trees; our friends a Future Forests [1] in Cork, who donated us a mix of native species of trees; and the folks at Ballin Temple who provided land in their Nature Sanctuary where our trees could be planted, our people-powered forest is now growing. [2] This is in addition to our first forest which was planted in County Cork a year ago, and it’s thriving.

But more are being cut down than being planted, and Ireland is already the least wooded country in Europe, which is why our community knows how important it is for us to plant more trees. [4]

Uplift members have a long track record in campaigning to conserve nature. Together we’re helping bees, protecting Ireland’s oldest oak trees, limiting the spraying of poisonous chemicals, having our say on the future of Ireland’s forests and campaigning to stop our forests from being sold off. [5]

As a tree sponsor, you know you’re helping to keep our air clean and our biodiversity alive – you’ll be sent a lovely certificate via email – that you can also give to someone you want to sponsor the tree for – and be kept informed throughout the year of your trees progress with photos, blogs and a newsletter.

Already the saplings are big enough to start being homes to small creatures, insects and butterflies – fair play to all of us who sponsored a tree. When we see the results of our contribution and hard work, it’s satisfying to know that the trees are already doing their important work of cleaning the air and helping increase the biodiversity of one small corner of our island. Just imagine what hundreds of similar forests could do all over Ireland.

The first set of trees is being planted on land donated for our people-powered forest in Schull, Co. Cork – before the growing season for bare root trees ends this spring. When the season starts again later in the year, we’ll expand the forest to other parts of Ireland. Already, Uplift members have offered land in Galway, Clare and Wicklow – and we’re only getting started.

Over 500 of us have sponsored a tree so far, but we’re still not over the line. There are 85 more trees left to sponsor. You can sponsor a tree here, if you haven’t already, or chip in for planting costs.

Land in Schull donated for the first people-powered forest.

The thing is, when you sponsor a tree, you are actually sponsoring a forest! 

Trees grow as part of an ecosystem – the balance of plants, animals, microbes and other organisms that work together to create the best environment possible. That’s why it’s important that the trees Uplift members are sponsoring are not being planted individually – but as part of a managed ecosystem i.e. our people-powered forest.

When you sponsor a tree, you will be sent a certificate. Members are sharing stories about how they sponsored trees as a present for a loved one, using the certificate to let them know what they did. All you need to do is print it off or add an electronic signature when you get the certificate in the thank you email.