Children's book highlights 'the most misunderstood tree in Ireland', bodies claim

The promoters say Sitka spruce helps Ireland produce its own timber for housing, fencing, packaging, energy and other daily needs

Students and teachers from St. Augustine’s Special Primary School in Stillorgan are presented with the book 'Sitka Spruce – the Amazing Timber Tree' from the Society of Irish Foresters, Irish Timber Council and SEEFA.

Primary school children countrywide are being given a chance to learn more about “the most misunderstood tree in Ireland” — the Sitka spruce.

Two copies of Sitka Spruce – the Amazing Timber Tree are being delivered to every primary school on the island, but the Irish Wildlife Trust claims the book is not objective and is a promotional framing of a non-native plantation species that omits significant ecological context.