Earth In Crisis: Beautiful Tiny Forests

Where Can You Plant Trees And Shrubs To Restore The Land?

By Tracey MacDermott

For the GPHN

A popular Chinese proverb notes: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

Well, it is February, not exactly the right time of year to plant a tree. However in just a couple of months, it will be.

In this column we have highlighted the importance of trees and green space in our neighborhood and city. The importance of an abundant and healthy tree canopy cannot ever be emphasized enough. It’s universally understood that trees help reduce the heat island effect, ward off climate change, provide beauty, wildlife habitat and human well-being.

As our city continues to grow and change, we are seeing larger houses on lots, the addition of accessory dwelling units and more land and space taken up by buildings. The city is losing the open spaces that made so many of us want to live here.

While we try to solve the housing crisis by building more buildings, we are further contributing to our heat island effect and stormwater runoff. We’re trying to solve one problem while worsening another.

Is it possible to solve competing problems? Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki has developed the Miyawaki Method — mini forests planted on small parcels of land. The process involves densely planting 15 to 30 different species of trees and shrubs together. These tiny forests are growing in popularity around the globe, and in particular, cities. They are thought to grow more quickly and absorb more CO2 than areas used to grow timber.

It is estimated a forest left to recover on its own takes 200 years. Using the Miyawaki Method can achieve a similar result in 20 years. Brownfield sites (areas untouched because of real or perceived contamination), such as the South Platte River and the Colfax Corridor, could be used to build these urban forests and help restore the land — but so can your backyard or underutilized spaces in our neighborhood.

The U.S. saw its first Miyawaki forest planted last fall in Cambridge, Mass. The Danehy Park Forest project focused on ecosystem restoration with attention to biodiversity, soil health and beautification.

These tiny forests are meant to recreate ecosystems and natural processes that are native to the area, focusing on symbiotic relationships. They also provide habitat for pollinators, a much-needed refuge for declining bee populations, while also protecting the soil, decreasing erosion, and reducing the risk of flooding.

In 2019, The U.S. Forest Service reported that over a five-year period, our country lost 36 million trees annually from urban and rural communities. You read that right: 36 million trees gone.

To be sure, the Miyawaki Method cannot replace the tearing down of rainforests or old growth forests. These forests should not be considered a replacement for natural forests.

However, these urban forests can help cities add green spaces to ever-growing concrete metropolises. We know that trees have the ability to take up water during storms and provide a cooling effect for ever-increasing summer heat during transpiration. They provide shelter to all that inhabit this earth.

The decision is up to us. Do we want our landscape to be a sea of structures and concrete?

Or can we work together to help provide affordable housing while keeping our green space and going a bit further by increasing our tree canopy? Could we add urban forests along Colfax — a thoroughfare currently void of vegetation?

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our need for nature, as trails and state parks have  absorbed record numbers of visitors trying to escape to the beautiful outdoors.

How can you help prevent loss of trees and green space? Take care of the trees in your yard with regular maintenance. Water them. Plant new trees when dead ones are removed. Demand that our city plans include legitimate green space. Look for areas of opportunity in our community to plant a tiny forest.

Mother Earth will thank you.

Tracey MacDermott is an at-large member of the board of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc., and immediate past chair. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017, and is currently the Statewide Co-Chair of the Climate Reality Project for the 100% Committed Campaign.