Feature documentary articulating the enormous value of native forests and their role in climate mitigation measures, how native trees govern and manage our fragile environment, bestowing multiple hidden benefits for all life forms.
After playing to full houses across Canada, Call of the Forest is now launching in Ireland at the OFFline Film Festival screening at the Birr Arts Centre at 7:30 pm on Saturday, October 14, 2017. Director Jeff McKay, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Andrew St Ledger, PRO, of The Woodland League, and Mary Reynolds the well known landscape designer, will participate in a panel discussion after the screening.
Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees
European Premiere
7.30pm, Saturday October 14, 2017
Birr Theatre and Arts Centre
Oxmantown Mall, Birr, Co. Offaly
Hosted by the OFFline Film Festival, with Wine Reception at 6.30pm
Diana Beresford Kroeger is the Woodland League consultant Scientist, and Andrew St Ledger, PRO of The Woodland League appears in the film providing an Irish insight into our lost forest culture, which 2000 years ago listed all of the native trees and shrubs in order of importance, and provided protection for trees under the unique Brehon law code. The fundamental message of the film, is for communities to take direct action and responsibility for Climate Change mitigation by restoring their native woodlands, as a powerful local response to the growing challenge of Climate Change. In the film, Diana articulates how this low cost option, can have a positive impact, if coordinated on a Global scale.
The film’s message, resounds with social and environmental groups in all sectors, not only for its achievable calls to action, but because it provides a much needed respite from urban life by bringing the Boreal into our Theatres, while also proposing a positive common sense approach to dealing with some of the looming Climate issues facing all of us.
Andrew St Ledger said: “To coincide with the films message, The Woodland League have created a replicable simple project, called, The Woodland League “Forest in a Box”, native tree seed incubator system for national schools, for which we will be launching the second stage, with Diana Beresford Kroeger, in Birr, on October 13th, by gifting a Forest Box package with native tree seeds to the local Gaelscoil na Laochra, the day before the film screening. After explaining how the box works, by copying the forest floor and protecting the seeds from birds and mice and explaining what the project is all about, we will then prepare the woodland leaf mulch floor bed with the children and we will give them acorns and hazel seeds to cast into the box for germination. Hopefully inspiring a new generation to reconnect to the native trees, and create new native forests for the future”.
Forest in a Box gifting ceremony at Birr Gaelscoil na Laochra on Friday 13th October, 1.30pm.
The Woodland League are gifting the Forest Box to the Gaelscoil na Laochra in Birr to coincide with the Birr Offline film screening promotion. The Woodland League have received funding under the Department of Communications Environment and Climate Action Local Agenda 21 programme, in partnership with County Councils, for 4 Forest boxes in Offaly, 3 in Fingal County Dublin and 2 in County Clare, and wish to acknowledge the support of the Department and those three County Councils. The Birr project is the second stage of launching this exciting new Climate change mitigation project.
The Woodland League, “Forest in a Box”, will put the future into the hands of children. Together, only together, we will restore the Great Forest of Aughty of Ireland. The mighty tree of Brian Boru will no longer be lonely. The ‘Call of the Forest – The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees’, film, is the S.O.S., and heard across the planet. All, will come from the green beating heart of County Clare, Ireland, like a long ribbon of life.
Diana Beresford Kroeger, award winning scientist, ethno-botanist, and best selling author.
Restoring our native forests, so revered in ancient Gaelic society, is inextricably linked to our natural, cultural and spiritual well being, in the same way that traditional music and landscape are deeply connected, The Woodland League “Forest in a Box” project, is therefore, a very fitting way for national school children to honour the land, and reconnect to our Forest Culture.
Martin Hayes, musician, (The Gloaming)
