With climate change looming large on the agenda for many agencies, the Dublin-based Wolfgang Digital has stepped up its commitment to reforestation by planting trees in a forest in Wicklow and committing 1% of annual turnover to the new social enterprise.
According to the agency’s founder, Alan Coleman, the agency came up with the project which is called WolfgangReforest and a decision was taken to acquire land in Shillelagh, Co. Wicklow. “By 2019 we’d made our first purchase, 15 beautiful acres in Wicklow, once part of the Great Oakwoods of Shillelagh,” says Coleman.
“Since then we’ve had many work “days out” in which we’ve planted over 1,000 sapling trees and 500 acorns. Wolfgangers will always comment on the tree planting days being their favourite out of office activity before falling asleep on the bus ride home,” he adds.
He says that the agency has embraced the Miyawaki method of planting, a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests. The approach is supposed to ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual. “This rapid growth enhances the climate and biodiversity benefits of the forest,” Coleman points out.
“Over Christmas 2020 we are putting our digital marketing skills to the test and launching Wolfgang Reforest as a social enterprise. People and companies can gift a tree planted in Wicklow, or become carbon neutral themselves by becoming a monthly subscriber or a Wolfgang Reforester,” he sasys.
“Oh, there’s also a secret plan. Once we have enough land reforested, we’re gonna re-introduce wolves to Ireland,” he jokes.
For more information on how to gift a tree go to www.wolfgangReforest.ie
