To mark National Tree Week 2026, over 2000 trees were planted across the Maynooth Campus. This initiative was carried out in collaboration with Trees on the Land, who have worked with St Patrick’s College and Maynooth University on a series of tree‑planting projects since 2021. Collectively, Trees on the Land have planted over 3.5 million trees across the country and continue to expand this number every year.

This year, the campus planting was generously sponsored by Rocktel, who also joined us on-site to help plant more than 1,000 native Irish trees. The species planted include Alder, Birch, Scots Pine, Hawthorn, Rowan, Hazel, Crab Apple, Guelder Rose, Common Purging, Willow, and Grey Willow. We have also introduced a rare Irish tree species of black poplar on to the campus , being planted here by the Rev Dr Michael Shortall, President and Rev Dr Tomás Surlis, Rector, with Stephen Seaman, Grounds Supervisor, Maynooth Campus.

The new woodland has been established in front of an ageing stand of Ash trees that will need to be removed in the coming years due to Ash Dieback. The goal is to create a thriving, native Irish woodland using the Miyawaki Method, which involves planting dense, mixed groups of native species to create fast-growing, biodiverse forests. Forests grown using this method can become well-established in as little as 20–30 years. This project serves as an exciting trial to see how the Miyawaki approach performs on the Maynooth Campus.