A CLIMATE ADAPATIVE MIYAWAKI
Produced
by:
01/29/2025
Michael Taurean Gagnon
The Proposal
Climate change is here and while there is still time to mitigate the worst of it, we also need to be prepared for what is to come. The main idea here is to create two Miyawaki forests that reference forests of the locations of similar climates Northampton, Massachusetts will be experiencing by 2060. By referencing those forests and replicating those species composition, we may be able to bolster our forests for the incoming changes. Assisted migration is a debated topic but the fact is that our current forests are in changing. By using regionally native trees of the southern regions, and coupling that with the technique of the Miyawaki Method, we may be able to mitigate some of the loss of our mature tree stands here in New England.
Assisted
Migration
• Southern native tree species are already adapted to the anticipated climate
• Act as a surrogate to declining tree species environmental services (cold waterways remain cold thanks to southern conifers as hemlocks decline)
• Southern variates of locally native trees bolster the genetic diversity of the forests and recruit adaptive saplings in the future
Climate Adaptive Miyawaki Forests
Miyawaki Forests
• Quickly establishes large and competitive trees and woodlands
• High density resists invasive encroachment
• Offers cooler centers in times of extreme heat for wildlife
• Offers wildlife value as early to late succession can be some of the most biodiverse and productive phases of forest regeneration
Cover image Credit: The New York Times ‘The Tiny Forests With Big Benefits’ 2023
Northampton Massachusetts Current Summers average out as 73° with 4” of precipitation
Current Winters average out as 31° with 3.9” of precipitation
High Emissions Forecast: Ola Arkansas
Summers
expected to be 11.2° warmer + 1.6% wetter
Winters are expected to be 11.8°warmer + 19.5% wetter
Reduced Emissions
Forecast: Clover Hill, Maryland
Summers
expected to be 3.9° warmer + 2.9% wetter
Winters expected to be 4.8° warmer + 6.7% wetter
What Will Your Climate Feel Like In 60 Years?
Source: fitzlab.shinyapps.io/cityapp/
The City of Northampton Massachusetts is a temperate climate with a mix of hardwood and conifer forests. Like many regions, tree species composition of the natural forests are shifting due to climate change, pests, and diseases. Sugar maples, beech, birches, hemlocks are all migrating. How can we ensure our forests have a future?
Species Composition
The two designed Miyawaki forests reference a similar species composition of Ola, Arkansas and Clover Hill Maryland. These two towns climates are projected to be what Northampton, Massachusetts will be experiencing by the year 2060. To determine these compositions, various reports from forestry studies gives us some information as to the density and quantity of the most common tree species found in bottomland / lowlying forests that experience some degree of flooding.
High Emission Scenario- Ola Arkansas
Area~ 1964’ SqFt
Reduced Emission Scenario- Clover Hill Maryland
Creating the Forest
To compare the two different forests, they would require the same setting. In this hypothetical project, 2 circular planting sites would created 50’ ft across. That allows almost 1964 Sqft of planting space. With a plant spacing of only 1’, the forests would require 1964 saplings, seed, and live stakes to begin the succession process.
Moisture Gradient
Prior to planting, the soil could be graded to form a bowl to capture stormwater during rain events and create a moisture gradient. This gradient allows for different trees to grow in different places to maximize the biodiversity and to create redundancy. During flooding events, the stormwater also acts a sponge to sock up any non-point source pollution.
Ponding
The ponding of water could become an ephemeral event that offers wildlife habitat to birds, insects, and amphibians. Tree colonization will transform the sunny bowl into a diverse woody swamp.
Miyawaki Forest Planting
Planting of tree plugs, seeds, and live stakes jump start the tree colonization with a mix of locally native and regionally native tree species. The planting material should be sourced from the regions where the climate is projected to be similar to by 2060.
Ecosystem Functions Preservation
Species such as Loblolly Pines and American Hollies fill a similar niche of the migrating Hemlocks
New Genetics Introduced
Existing Hickory and Oak Trees get a genetic boost of southern varieties to assist in adapting to a changing climate
Assisted Migration
Number of southern species that will struggle in the current environment may find new habitat up north
Seed Source and Recruitment
Fast-growing Miyawaki forests become a source of seeds to establish in the local area to integrate in its context
Carbon Sink
Diverse and fast-establishing forests become a carbon sink, improve soil health
Island Refuge and Cooling
The dense Miyawaki forests offer refuge to wildlife and with extreme heat becoming more common, a place to cool down
Reduced Emission ScenarioClover Hill, Maryland
Biblography
ArcGIS Web Application, www.maps.tnc.org/nehabitatmap/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Buckley, Cara. “Tiny Forests with Big Benefits.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2023, www.nytimes. com/2023/08/24/climate/tiny-forests-climate-miyawaki.html.
Lockhart, Brian Roy, et al. Tree Species Composition and Structure in an Old ..., www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/defaultsource/anhc-staff-publications/natural---tree-species-composition-lockhart4f6a9aaa-3d4d-46b3-9954-3ed54e895c74. pdf?sfvrsn=f34a2d26_3. Accessed 03 Jan. 2025.
Maryland’s Forests 2008 - Northern Research Station, www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rb/rb_nrs58.pdf. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
“The Miyawaki Method for Creating Forests - Creating Tomorrow’s Forests: Restoring Biodiversity by Creating Habitats and Planting Trees.” Creating Tomorrow’s Forests’, www.creatingtomorrowsforests.co.uk/blog/the-miyawaki-method-forcreating-forests. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.
Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest, www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationByGeography/NorthAmerica/ UnitedStates/edc/Documents/HabitatGuides/68.pdf. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
“Support Sustainable Biodiverse Forests with Sugi.” SUGi, www.sugiproject.com/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
“What Will Climate Feel Like In 60 Years?” CityApp, fitzlab.shinyapps.io/cityapp/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Thank You
Michael ‘Taurean’ Gagnon