Ella McSweeney: Absence of trees leaves barren areas of Dublin city devoid of nature’s gifts

Standing on Greek Street, in Dublin’s market area in the north inner city, the sounds and sights of the city are so stimulating that it’s impossible to visualise what was here 1,000 years ago: an ancient forest full of old oaks, known as Oxmantown Woods, which extended west to the area of the Phoenix Park.

Even a couple of hundred years later, this part of Dublin 7 endured as a slice of rural life – a place to breathe fresh air – for people living in nearby College Green.

The woods were eventually cut down (some of the timber was, famously, used to roof London’s Westminster Hall). Still, until the 1800s, growing and planting trees here continued with the apple and pear trees in the nearby “Great Orchard” at Grangegorman.

A quick look at Google Maps shows that trees have all but disappeared in this part of Dublin, even along the streets. But scroll over to more affluent parts of the city, such as Ballsbridge – where you’re significantly more likely to have a tree on your street than in the north inner city – and the concrete grey colour of the satellite image is awash with lines of green.

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Before Christmas I met youth worker Declan Keenan of JustAsk after-school programmes, who has spent three decades working with young people in the inner city.

He says the lack of wilderness and nature has significant implications for the kids living here. A patch of artificial green grass, or moss growing on walls, is as good as it gets for young people who, he says, have no chance to grow things, feel the soil and connect with the earth. The lack of nature can contribute to a sense of hopelessness and depression.

Trees in the city are essential for wild species to feed, breed and live in, and they offer cost-effective ways to shelter from wind and sun and filter out the multitude of toxic air pollutants from cars.

But they are most vital as citizens’ primary connection to the natural world and something that can promote physical and mental health, helping us to relax and obtain and maintain a positive mood. The evidence shows that a thriving, nature-rich environment can effectively tackle social isolation, depression and loneliness.

A recent British report examined the benefits of nature-based health and wellbeing projects. It concluded that they are economically beneficial, with annual potential savings to the NHS of hundreds of millions of pounds.

In Shropshire, a befriending project called Feed the Birds trains and supports a network of volunteers who undertake home visits to people who experience loneliness and social isolation.

They set up and maintain bird feeders and use the activity to connect and talk. Families of people who have used the service say it has transformed their lives. An economic analysis of the initiative found annual healthcare savings of £15,460 for the 57 people involved.

In Lancashire and Merseyside, a project called Myplace works with young people aged 11 years and upwards – many from deprived backgrounds. They are statistically more likely to suffer from worst environmental conditions and 10 times less likely to live close to natural spaces and face long waits for mental health services. Myplace encourages them to connect with nature through activities such as foraging, growing food, bushcraft, identifying wild species and going on nature walks.

In Manchester, the Nature for Health network is a group of individuals and organisations that helps people realise the social and health benefits of connecting with nature.

Doctors, social care teams and accommodation providers can refer people in need of help to “green prescription” services. These include the Sow the City social enterprise, in which urban sites are transformed into green spaces, encouraging people to connect with nature through events such as tree planting and creating forest garden in urban areas.

It’s one of seven test sites across the UK using nature to improve mental health, and the economic analysis has shown annual cost savings of nearly £45,000.

Back in Dublin 7 and inside the gates of St Michan’s House – also known as the Greek Street Flats – local residents began a memorial garden with a few plants and a fairy garden. Children were so stimulated that they decided to start a gardeners club in a small triangular patch within the flat complex, where they grew vegetables in raised beds and pumpkins for Halloween. (Unfortunately, a recent infestation of rats has led to the community garden’s closure.)

Greek Street has no trees growing along it, so residents inside the flats have planted four trees on a small patch of ground beside the main road. The trees were planted as a symbol of life for the children in the flats. Declan Keenan wants Dublin City Council to prioritise building up the natural life in the city. When you see life growing, he says, it instils hope.

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