My Weekend: The call of the woods too strong for Cork Tree Officer

Tree Officer for Cork City Council Thomas Kane tells us how he likes to spend his weekends

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I grew up in a rural part of Co Carlow, so I suppose that gave me a good appreciation for the natural environment: everything revolved around being outdoors. My family is involved in the arboricultural sector so, I would have grown up in an environment where trees were discussed a lot. I studied urban forestry/arboriculture at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, in the north of England. My current post is Tree Officer for Cork City Council.

The role is broad: it’s a big mix but I suppose really, I am the voice for trees within the council. I work in Operations, as part of Parks and Recreation team, and my job involves the planting and management of trees, then of course I’m part of the planning side of things in terms of professional opinion etc. There’s always a lot of things going on.

National Tree Week is one of the most rewarding times of the year. We run a lot of events at schools, with community groups for that week, really promoting the benefits of trees and different urban greening activities. 

Even outside of Tree Week, we do a lot of work with schools and community groups to help improve biodiversity at a local level and you can see awareness of the benefits of trees and planting increasing all the time. It’s very positive because it makes my job easier when people want these changes.

Between 2021 and 2022, 4,000 trees were planted by Cork City Council and this year, we will have 5,000 trees planted. So that's 9,000 trees really in two years, which is pretty good for anywhere, and the benefits will be long-lasting in terms of biodiversity, nature, and climate action.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night? 

I really enjoying meeting up with friends for a few drinks and a chat!

Lie ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you?

Up with the lark, I love getting up early and going for a walk or hike it’s a great start to the day!

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

Yes, living in the city and being so actively involved with the landscape work can often creep into my weekend. Most commonly, it happens if there are storms or an immediate risk to the public from a dangerous tree. I enjoy my job so it’s never an issue!

If money was no object, where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

Probably a little far for a weekend but I have also wanted to visit Tokyo it seems like an exciting place. I would like to go during the cherry blossom festival, and I would bring family and a few friends.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries? 

I am massively into the outdoors! There are some nice trails around the city. I absolutely love Garryduff Wood, me and my dog can often be found walking there.

I’m also really into kite surfing and Cork is perfect for it, lots of beaches. Where I go depends on the wind. I chase the wind! But if I was to pick a favourite place for kite surfing it would be Harbour View!

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

Yeah, I love spending time with family and friends. If it's nice and warm, I love grabbing a coffee and having a good chat in the parks around the city. My favourite parks would have to be Fitzgerald’s Park, Beaumont Park, Ballinlough Park and of course the recently opened Marina Park.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I really enjoy high intensity sports I find them relaxing, kind of like active mediation! As previously mentioned, a lot of time out on the water kitesurfing. I also practice Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and enjoy competing from time to time! On the less wild side of things, I enjoy volunteering and taking part in activities that promote things I am passionate about such as trees and animal welfare.

Entertain or be entertained? If it's the latter do you have a signature dish?

No, no, unfortunately I’m definitely not a chef so I suppose it’s to be entertained.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork - where are your go to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

The city has so many amazing options for cafes and restaurants, and I love to explore, I’m not in Cork that long so I’ve no real favourite place yet.

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

I like to chill out and relax, a regular Sunday night is probably get a takeaway and watch a movie.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

5am. As I said I was a lark. I have a very energetic dog! I walk her every morning before work. It's super relaxing and enjoyable at this time of the year but in the winter, it can be a bit of a chore!

Anything else you are up to right now...

I’m excited about the strategic tree work that I am doing. It will help steer the direction Cork City Council is going in and maximise the benefits trees are giving us. It’s exciting to be putting an overall shape on things before you go out and get communities involved and the trees in place.