Microforests: the newest trend in sustainability and urban living

Colony Cove, a 55+ manufactured home community in Ellenton, Florida, planted more than 4,000 trees on a 1.5-acre peninsula, creating an environmentally beneficial microforest with a community nature trail, PR News Wire reported.

By Romanita Oprea

Microforests are very dense plantings of native species and a powerful way to help improve the quality of the local environment and combat climate change. In coordination with Sarasota Urban ReForesters (SURF), more than 150 Colony Cove residents, employees, and volunteers took part in the planting of the microforest, which took place in June 2022. Sustainability is top of mind at Colony Cove, and the high-performance microforest is among the community's most important eco-friendly endeavours.

“In addition to the many benefits microforests provide to the environment, enhancing the beauty of Colony Cove with native landscapes offers our residents a sense of serenity, along with the physical and mental health benefits they can experience by getting outside and enjoying the nature trail," said Scott Payrits, the general manager of Colony Cove, for prnewswire.com. "We're thrilled to be able to have a microforest that highlights our ongoing focus on sustainability and environmental awareness."

SURF, which coordinated and helped organise Colony Cove's microforest, is a coalition of non-profit organisations dedicated to establishing microforests throughout the Suncoast. SURF's planting strategy follows the inspiration and guidance of Akira Miyawaki, a distinguished Japanese botanist and specialist in the restoration of natural vegetation on degraded land who in the 1970s developed a plan to convert largely urban land into forests that would grow exceptionally fast and provide multiple environmental benefits. The rapid growth rate enables microforests to sequester an enormous amount of carbon against climate change, which is an important objective for all involved. They also intercept rainwater and transpire it back into the atmosphere rather than allowing it to carry pollution-laden runoff that deteriorates coastal waters. In support of this effort, volunteers from Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START), the Sarasota Bay Rotary Club, and Florida Veterans for Common Sense also helped plant the Colony Cove microforest. Microforests are grown using the basic principles of the Miyawaki method of afforestation, which prioritises the natural development of forests using species of trees that would occur naturally in that area, which can work together to create a diverse multi-layered forest community. This method of afforestation allows trees to be planted at a density between 3-4 per square metre, and with the correct ground preparation, they can grow up to 10 times faster per annum than a conventionally grown tree, with a 97 percent success rate.

“Our microforests can grow into mature, self-sustaining ecosystems in just 20 years, requiring no maintenance. They act as an oasis for biodiversity, heal the environment in many direct ways, and help reconnect the local community with nature. So far, the Miyawaki method has led to the creation of over 3,000 primary forests and the planting of over 40 million native trees worldwide, with a 97 percent tree survival rate and without the use of chemicals or fertilisers,” said the specialists at Scotscape.

The rising focus on urban biodiversity sees communities around the world planting native forests in public spaces, uniting people to protect the planet, rewilding cities, and providing places for interaction. According to The Future 100 Report by Wunderman Thompson, microforests popped up in LA’s urban parks in October 2021 as part of the Park Forest Initiative by the Los Angeles Parks Foundation. Mature trees, including lush tipa and blue jacaranda, were strategically selected to provide cooling shade in urban neighbour-

hoods including Lemon Grove Park, Mar Vista Recreation Center, Robert Burns Park, and Ross Snyder Recreation Area.

But their “history” dates back longer than that. According to the Guardian, in 2017, researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands monitored newly planted mini-forests and concluded that they could “increase the biodiversity compared to the nearby forest.” They also noted that both the number of species groups and the number of individuals was generally higher than those in the reference forests. The higher biodiversity is due partly to the forests’ young age and openness, explained Fabrice Ottburg, an animal ecologist who led the Wageningen study. This allows more sunlight to reach flowering plants that attract pollinators. Diversity is also boosted by planting multiple species, which “provide more variety in food and shelter for a higher diversity of animals like insects, snails, butterflies, amphibians, bugs, grasshoppers,” Ottburg said.

Moreover, as the Guardian pointed out, Dutch conservation group IVN Nature Education has helped cities and households plant 100 Miyawaki-style forests since 2015. It is on track to more than double that number by the end of 2022 and it is working on similar efforts in a dozen other countries. In Belgium and France, at least 40 such mini-forests have recently been created.

In the United Kingdom, a 240-square-metre “heritage” forest was planted in London’s Chelsea neighbourhood to restore biodiversity and reconnect residents with nature. A range of 630 native trees and shrubs will fill the plot in a collaboration led by rewilding company Sugi, luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton, and estate management company Cadogan. “The forest will be a green space for locals to find quiet moments of respite and to take in the joys of nature in a vibrant and busy city,” Sugi founder Elise Van Middelem told Time Out.

Also in London, Islington council announced plans to appoint a tree specialist for every housing estate at the end of October 2021. This initiative complements similar green-space projects led by Islington Together, including gardening collectives and park groups.

Moreover, the Scotscape Groundscape team had just 7 days to install “The Forest for Change,” which sat at the heart of the 2021 London Design Biennale. Their mission was to install 400 native trees of varying dimensions and woodland shrubs to bring to life the plans drawn up by Artistic Director Es Devlin in collaboration with Philip Jaffa of Scape Design Associates. The forest that hosted members of the public visiting the London Design Biennale was meant to deliver a genuine sense of walking through a woodland and allow them to feel the benefits of nature in the heart of the city. Trees for the Forest were sourced from Barcham Trees, who supported tree selection throughout the design process. All trees are being rehomed by Islington and Southwark Councils within their boroughs, supporting the urban greening initiatives set out in the London Plan. Shrubs were donated to the Greenfingers charity— Scotscape Groundscape's nominated charity for 2021. In January 2021, members of the Nelson Whakatu Microforest Initiative prepared 100 square feet of land for a microforest in New Zealand’s Enner Glynn hills. It is part of a community push to bring flora and fauna into urban areas to combat climate change. Elsewhere, Indian company Afforestt creates dense microforests in parking lots and backyards using the Mayawaki Method.

THE BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING SPATIAL VEGETATION ENVIRONMENTS INTO BUILDINGS

According to Giancarlo Mangone from the Delft University of Technology, School of Architecture and the Built Environment – Department of Architectural Engineering & Technology, the author of “Performative Microforests. Investigating the potential benefits of integrating spatial vegetation environments into buildings, in regards to the performance of buildings, their occupants + local ecosystems,” microforests can be developed based on any type of forest. Nevertheless, it is suggested that when considering incorporating a microforest-type space into a project, the design team should select an appropriate natural forest ecosystem that is locally prevalent as their model in order to maximise the ecological, social, and economic performance of the solution. For example, the incorporation of local vegetation species can reduce the maintenance requirements and costs of interior vegetation, promote ecological behaviour by increasing the rate of the local community’s positive interactions with local natural environments, and provide habitat for local flora and fauna.

“However, it is important to note that depending on the performance goals of the design solution, local vegetation and forest space types may not always be the most appropriate solution. For example, deciduous trees that shed their leaves in autumn may not be appropriate for interior environments or appreciated by the building occupants, depending on the design solution. Moreover, the suitability of the climatic conditions of semi-outdoor and interior environments varies by the types of local vegetation species. It is therefore important for design teams to assess the types of vegetation building environments can support at the beginning of the design process, by evaluating the potential of various inherent and designed microclimates within building environments to promote a diverse range of local species,” said Giancarlo Mangone.