Photo: Biodiversity for a Livable Climate.
A Miyawaki forest at Danehy Park in North Cambridge, Massachusetts, planted on September 25, 2021 — with the help of enthusiastic volunteers. Other Miyawaki forests don’t look like much in April. But just watch!
Although I blogged about Miyawaki mini urban forests in 2023, here, and again after a tip from Hannah in Philadelphia, here, I had never seen one in person and didn’t really understand the concept. These are not forests you take a walk in. They are deliberately planted too densely for entering, which is why one elementary school asked for a crescent shape to let kids see the native plants that their teachers were talking about.
On a special day in April, my friend Jean Devine of Biodiversity Builders took two of us on a tour of three Miyawaki Forests and the site for one that she and students at her local high school are building.
Now I think I get it. In order to have a healthy climate, we need a healthy, biodiverse planet. And the effects of even very small sites can spread. Birds, small animals, pollinators, and other critters flourish in these biodiverse pockets.
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming says, “The Miyawaki Forest is an ultra dense, biodiverse pocket forest that recreates the complexity of natural forests and the relationships and processes that help them grow strong and resilient. By giving home to a vast array of native species, they boost the biodiversity of the area and nurture pollinators, supporting and restoring ecosystems. They sequester carbon in the soil, reduce air pollution and soil contamination, improve water absorption to buffer against flooding and erosion, and cool the surrounding area to mitigate the urban heat island effect. They also create a living classroom for people and communities to learn about native ecology, engage in stewardship, and experience the interconnectedness of the natural world.”
GBH tv provides a forum on the concept, asking, “What can hold more than 500 species, sequester more than 500 lbs. CO2/year, be 10F cooler than its surroundings, soak up lots of rainwater, and be made by and for children in a space no bigger than a tennis court? A ‘mini-forest’ planted using the Miyawaki Method, of course!
“Biodiversity for a Livable Climate hosts Miyawaki-Method advocates Hannah Lewis (Bio4Climate Compendium editor) and Daan Bleichrodt (The Netherlands’ Tiny Forest initiative leader), as they talk about mini-/tiny-forests and their role in climate resilience, urban beautification, and connecting all of us to nature.” More here.
My photos are from mini forests Massachusetts, one in a large park in Cambridge, one in a Cambridge neighborhood’s pocket park, and one at an elementary school in Watertown. At the latter, the children sit on tree stumps for classes. Note the art they created for their forest, too. The forest doesn’t look like much in April, but just wait!
More at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate, here, and here.
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