Interview with Roseline Desgroux, co-founder of Alvéoles en ville, who sets up company projects to bring back nature into the city

Interview with Roseline Desgroux, co-founder of Alvéoles en ville, who sets up company projects to bring back nature into the city

by | Mar 24, 2023 | Plantation | 3 comments

Interview with Roseline Desgroux, co-founder of Alvéoles en ville, who sets up company projects to bring back nature into the city

Roseline Desgroux, co-founder of Alvéoles en ville, brings nature into the city with a network of Miyawaki urban forests

Photo: Baptiste Evesque     

Roseline Desgroux has an initial education as a DPLG landscaper and an ENPC urban planner. Throughout her adventures supporting companies in change processes, she wanted to put people and well-being back at the heart of decisions. In the summer of 2020, during a walk in the deciduous forest, she felt such a welfare that she immediately thought of introducing the natural forest back to the city. From then on, she wants to make nature accessible to all city inhabitants. With Nathalie Lelong, her partner, she built in September 2020 the project “Alvéoles en ville” that they are now developing with large companies that choose to deploy their network of urban forest cells.

– Jean-Baptiste from Restore Forest

First question Roseline, when you are at a party, how do you say in a few words who you are and what you do?

 

– Roseline from Alvéoles en ville

So who am I? A person who has no profession but passions. I’m rolling out a project called “Alvéoles en ville” with my associate partner Nathalie Lelong. It’s not a company, it’s a project that aims to create a network of cells of micro-forests in the city. Within the city and for the attention of companies, actors of the city. We have decided to focus only on the business world. Companies that have a real ambition to develop a network of micro-forests, in line with their strategy. We do not realize the micro-forests ourselves, it is the mission of our partner, Urban Forests.

Explaining principles of a Miyawaki mini forests to school children during a plantation event

Photo: #fabiendesgrouxphotography

– Jean-Baptiste

How did you discover the Miyawaki method of micro-forests and how you have applied it over the years?

– Roseline

I didn’t discover the Miyawaki method first. In my research on urban forests, I first discovered the company “Urban Forests”. On its site, Urban Forests showed the implementation of a planting method that had been designed by scientists and on which there was already a lot of feedback. Maybe not in Europe. But in the world, there was already a lot of feedback.

 

Since then, the company Urban Forests has become our partner through its founder Nicolas de Brabandère, for the development of micro-forest cells. Nicolas has a scientific background. He continues to train constantly, particularly on soil biology, which is one of the key factors for the success of micro-forests. He is someone who never stops questioning himself, who has no certainty. Today, nuance is true courage. Nicolas knows when to say “I don’t know”. For me, it’s reassuring compared to some people who shout loud and clear that they know everything about the Miyawaki method, or others who don’t know it but criticize it with a lot of certainty. Last summer with its heat wave was a real test for us. One of the micro-forests was planted in March 2022 before the summer drought. Not a single drop of water and temperatures at 38°C, with nighttime lows of 28°C. In the end, the micro-forest resisted very well thanks to the upstream work with a 90% survival rate.

 

On the side of “Alvéoles en ville”, our job is to first convince a large company to make it a global project and to support them from the start of the project and beyond the plantation. Quickly, they understand all that the project and the deployment of the micro-forest cells can bring them. In particular, we have set up a global project with a company, Foncière Logement, to create a network of at least forty micro-forests.

– Jean-Baptiste

“Alvéoles en ville” has already made a significant contribution to mini-forests. How is your business structured?

– Roseline

“Alvéoles en ville” never seeks land. We are looking for companies involved in the city, which could be interested in this ambitious project to create their network of urban micro forests. Our wish is to transform the city and its urban environment. We want urban residents to benefit from these pieces of nature.

 

Our role is to support companies to integrate into their strategy this project of creation of a network of mini-forests. Our strength comes from our mutual experiences. I mainly support companies in the feasibility study with Nicolas and in the project management side for the deployment of the network of mini forests. Nathalie Lelong, my partner, has accompanied many leaders in the communication of their strategy and the commitment of their teams. Her work is to make it as a project that makes sense and is fully in line with the company’s strategy. In fact, we support the company in its internal communication to involve all its stakeholders. Meaningful for everyone, far from greenwashing. We are only looking for companies that wish to carry this project: it will be carried by the management, the presidency, the directors and the whole community of the company and its stakeholders. Our support then covers very broad topics: strategy, communication, organization, coordination between the many stakeholders, awareness, information, deployment, technical monitoring, etc.

A plantation of a Miyawaki mini forest with school kids planting in the city

Photo: #fabiendesgrouxphotography

– Jean-Baptiste

This network of micro-forests that you are creating, these corporate projects, when did you start? And since then, how many micro-forests have you planted?

– Roseline

I had the first contact with a real estate developer at the end of 2020, who then connected me in May 2021 with the person who is still carrying out the project thoroughly at Foncière Logement. They have a property portfolio of more than 37,000 homes throughout France. On June 20th, 2021, at the request of the management team, I presented the project to the board of directors: its President and the board were immediately convinced by the project. The Board team then decided to commit to a network project of around forty micro-forest cells! Together, we transform lawn areas into micro-forests for residents. The project is part of Key commitments from Foncière Logement.

 

The first micro-forest was planted on November 25th, 2021. We planted two others in March 2022 then ten between September and December 2022. At the end of 2022, we have therefore already planted 13 mini-forest cells out of the 40.

 

We will certainly plant a dozen more in 2023. I am currently being asked to work on residential projects that are in the study phase because micro-forests are now systematically integrated into new projects in the study phase.

– Jean-Baptiste

Typically, for creators of classic mini forests, finding the land and money for the project is the biggest challenge. In your case of corporate project, what is your biggest challenge?

– Roseline

The challenge for us is to find a company that has already environmental and associated societal ambitions. Finding a company that really wants to create a network of several micro-forests is at the heart of our approach. We seek to engage with companies that really have this sincere desire to mobilize and with whom we can co-construct a real corporate project. We are looking for quality partnerships. We prefer to do well and thoroughly, rather than to do a lot. We want people to remember us because we did things really well and we brought companies a project that makes their eyes shine and provide a support from A to Z that they enjoy every day.

A group of school kids during a plantation event of a Miyawaki mini forest with a comic strip explaining the principles

Photo: #fabiendesgrouxphotography

– Jean-Baptiste

What do you think is the most important step in order to finally have a project and a forest that will be sustainable?

– Roseline

For the forest itself, it is first the preparation of the soil that is really important.

For the project, it’s the participatory side that is great. We have had great experiences with participatory plantations. In the follow-up also, it is necessary to make aware the companies which will manage these micro-forests. It is exciting. We have created with Nicolas a monitoring grid so that each company makes a regular inventory of all our mini-forests. As soon as there is a problem, they contact me. The management of micro-forests is essential.

 

The green space companies that manage residences are used to watering, pruning, making things “clean”. Three elements for which it is necessary to change their way of thinking and their way of doing. Letting Nature take care of these three key elements is crucial for the development of the micro-forest. There is a whole pedagogical work on this.

 

We have also created a comic strip with a comics author. It’s a fun and effective way to explain micro-forests to young and old alike. Foncière Logement has just ordered 1,000 new copies!

– Jean-Baptiste

From a project management point of view, what is your best experience in getting the company and the community on board?

– Roseline

In my opinion, this is our strength given our respective experiences. Nathalie knows very well the business world and its complexity, more than 25 years of experience in communication and project management. For my part, my experience of supporting change in business – I am also a coach – completes my knowledge of landscaper/urban planner. We are two passionate people and manage to share our story and our motivation to carry out these projects. We identify the right people in the company, our relays who want to follow this adventure, by seeking a strong commitment from management.

A plantation event where employees plant trees in the city to create a Miyawaki mini forest

– Jean-Baptiste

In all these projects that you set up with companies, what is the part that you appreciate the most?

– Roseline

During 25 years of practicing the profession of DPLG landscape architect and urban planner, the most satisfying moments were when I managed to convince elected officials that the landscape is a land development value, because it is always in full evolution.

 

We named the project “Alvéoles en ville” so that the city breathes like the cells of our lungs and also to create a network like that of the honeycombs of bees. We want the cells of micro-forests to become an element of the development of the city. As always, what brings me real happiness is convincing our partner companies and involving them with us in city improvement projects.

 

Meeting new people is also one of the enriching moments of the project. In companies, I like to discuss with those who become our internal spokespersons. Also during the plantation events. Next week, we are initiating a new network of cells by planting the first one with Nicolas, the managers and more than 100 employees of the company, it will be great!

 

For this micro-forest, we set up a scientific monitoring. I enjoy it because I’ve never done it. Thus, I contacted the research laboratory of a regional university and spoke with four researchers with different backgrounds. Learning, embarking on adventures in areas that I do not know, I love it!

– Jean-Baptiste

In the end, what is your secret mission, your real objective behind these micro-forest plantations? What are the real benefits you see?

– Roseline

It’s both to make the city breathe and to bring nature back to the city. What we want is to “enforest” the city. Nature, for me, is without human intervention. The Wageningen University in the Netherlands has studied the positive impact of urban micro-forests. It highlighted the contribution to biodiversity and its enrichment. The number of species of insects, birds, small mammals is constantly growing.

The objective is to bring nature back to the city, to the neighborhoods. With Foncière Logement, we are planting most of the micro-forest cells in renewal of urban districts. I like it a lot because we bring natural cells to less well-off neighborhoods. Micro-forests must be accessible. Micro-forests on motorway embankments, why not, but that doesn’t interest us. On land that has no use, it’s good, it always brings a benefit. But our objective is to improve the city with these cells so that they can be in contact with its residents. And it isn’t easier!

 
Trees growing inside a Miyawaki mini forest planted by Urban Forests in Belgium

– Jean-Baptiste

In a year, if I come back with a bottle of champagne, what will we celebrate? What is your biggest challenge or goal for the coming year?

– Roseline

As long as I’m having fun, I want to push this project to the end. One day maybe, I’ll pass the torch because I want to set up a new project.

 

Currently, my challenge is to see the first micro-forest that we planted on November 25th, 2021 in Champigny sur Marne grow. It has already grown well, it was not watered during the heat wave. My objective is therefore for Foncière Logement to be thrilled and want to come and drink champagne with us on the edge of this micro-forest!

– Jean-Baptiste

What three resources or books have been helpful to you on your urban nature restoration journey?

– Roseline

I don’t have any particular books to recommend. I studied landscape architecture at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Paysage in Versailles, so I already had a good theory base. My reflections were then nourished by the press and research. In particular, the World Health Organization released at the time of COVID 6 prescriptions for a #HealthyRecovery, two of which are: “Protect and preserve the source of human health: nature” and “Build healthy and livable cities”. This shows the benefits of nature on health. When I wrote the book “Health and living well at work – 100 questions to understand and act” with the HR Head of the AFNOR group, we also integrated the definition of health by the WHO which is: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and does not consist only in the absence of disease and infirmity”. This definition appears in the 1946 preamble to the WHO Constitution and has not been amended since. For me, health is global. Micro-forests play a large part in this. It is prevention. In addition, when we plant, it helps to create social relationships. Without a social link, the human being dies. The link is vital.

– Jean-Baptiste

Who is the next person you would recommend me to meet, to inspire me on mini forests or even more broadly on the conservation of nature in the city?

– Roseline

There is a person that I love, it is Francis Hallé. He has an incredible approach and vision of plants, trees and the environment in which trees live in interdependence. I love listening to him.

There is also Akira Miyawaki’s assistant, Kazue Fujiwara. They are truly reference people. They have an approach that I like. They say: “I experiment, I advance step by step and I do not advance that I know everything”. We learn by walking.

– Jean-Baptiste

Last question, if you had a huge billboard with a message for everyone to see, what message would you like to convey?

– Roseline

I will write “Breathe! Take advantage of living environments and bring them back to life! “.

Interview of Olivier de Montety, co-founder of Treeseve, that brings the urban forests to the next level

Interview of Olivier de Montety, co-founder of Treeseve, that brings the urban forests to the next level

by | Feb 20, 2023 | Plantation | 3 comments

Interview of Olivier de Montety, co-founder of Treeseve, that brings the urban forests to the next level

Olivier de Montety co founder of Treeseve that plants Miyawaki urban forests

Olivier de Montety planted his first Miyawaki forest in 2019, in France. He is the co-founder with Sophie Grenier of the company “Treeseve”.

Their goal is to plant 1 billion trees with the municipalities and companies of France.

 

I dicussed with him for an interview. In the first part, he shares his experience on planting climate forests and in the second part he explains their vision on how to scale up the urban forestry.

– Jean-Baptiste from Restore Forest

Thank you Olivier for accepting this interview. We’ll start with the very first question.

When you are at a party, how do you say in a few words who you are and what you do?

 

– Olivier from Treeseve

We are building climate forests in and around cities.

Why? Because it is now necessary to go beyond planting, by ensuring a sustainable impact. Why climate forests? To clearly distinguish these forest areas whose exclusive vocation is to fight against global warming and to contribute to the adaptation to climate change, compared to timber production forests. These forests are different. We plant in urban and peri-urban areas, on unused land, which can be either just wasteland or old industrial sites for example.

Hands of a worker planting a Miyawaki mini forest

– Jean-Baptiste

How did you discover tree planting and what method have you applied over the years?

– Olivier

The starting point is an article by Bastin and Crowther in the journal Science, which I discovered during the heat wave of July 2019. Bastin and Crowther presented a new point of view in this very detailed article, which is called “The global tree restoration potential”. They estimate that there is 1 billion hectares of unused land worldwide on which we could plant forests. If we planted forests on this billion hectares, we could recapture 200 of the 300 gigatonnes of CO2 that there is in excess in the atmosphere. I liked this idea because it was the first time I read something that presented an ecological solution to the problem of CO2 overflow, with solid quantitative elements. This discovery set me in motion. From there, I did research to find out what were the best techniques for reforestation on these unused lands mentioned by Bastin and Crowther. This is where I discovered the Miyawaki method and its planting technique, which he had begun to implement since the 1970s.

 

At home, in the Loir–et-Cher, I started by planting 1,000 m², 3,000 tree seedlings in November 2019. To test and check if such a size and number of trees were a feasible project. I was afraid it would be completely gigantic and infeasible. In fact, I realized that with two people I had recruited locally, a gardener and his assistant, in 3 days, we planted these 3,000 trees and shrubs. It was totally doable. It was economically and physically feasible to plant 3,000 young small trees, seedlings about forty centimeters high, 3 tree per m² and this on 1,000 m².

 

From there, we started discussing this approach with Sophie Grenier, with whom I worked on the financial markets. Sophie knew the aspects of investors and companies and their demand in terms of SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) commitments for investment funds and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) for companies. A sector that I did not necessarily know. By talking together, both on ecological and botanical aspects and aspects related to business issues, we decided to create “Trees Everywhere”, which became “Treeseve”.

 

Treeseve was officially born in April 2020. During the lock-down, we created the company through videoconferences… We worked in ninja mode, from a distance, for three months to do a first small fundraise, with friends and our professional network. Then, we launched the 2020-2021 season with a second planting space of 800 m² on my land in the Loir–et-Cher, based on lessons learnt from the first plot planted in November 2019. From winter 2021, we planted in Mulhouse and Burnhaupt, a small village a few kilometers from Mulhouse. We planted 36,000 trees on two lots, with real corporate clients. This moment was the real start of the company.

A plantation site of Miyawaki mini forest with young trees and wood chips mulch

– Jean-Baptiste

Treeseve has already contributed well to urban planting in France (Treeseve website).

How many mini forests and trees did you plant in total? And how was the development?

– Olivier

For us, we are not talking about mini forests. Our plantations are on average rather between 3,500 and 5,000 m², with some higher cases approaching one hectare. Compared to the movement of mini forests which is more about mini forests from 100 up to 300 m², Treeseve is on a model of several thousand square meters, with projects beyond one hectare. We therefore do not use the term mini forest, we say forest island, grove or forest, beyond 5,000 m².

 

To date, in February 2023, Treeseve has already planted 20 forest islands. We just passed 200,000 tree and shrub seedlings, accumulated over these three seasons. Mainly in the northern third of France. Our largest regions are the Hauts-de-France, the Grand-Est, and a little in Normandy and the Center-Loire Valley and one plantation in Ile-de-France this winter.

Display board on a plantation site of a Miyawaki forest in Mulhouse planted by Treeseve

– Jean-Baptiste

How do your customers contact you? Do you do prospecting? Or do you now have enough visibility and they come directly to you?

– Olivier

It’s a bit of both. We have a lot of local prospecting work. From the moment we have found land near a municipality that has a renaturation project through reforestation, we will build a project. We carry out soil analysis and botanical analysis to choose the list of species we are going to use. We build a project a bit like a real estate developer and we sell this plantation project to first local, regional companies then national, as part of their CSR policy. Companies are committed, with their employees in general, on a plantation project that they will integrate into their CSR policy and their extra-financial performance report. It is a commercial work which is indeed very important with a dedicated commercial team.

 

Once the marketing of the project is well underway, we launch the realization of the project. Tillage begins with decompaction, then a more superficial treatment of the upper horizon of the soil, with the addition of amendments such as compost or biochar.

 

Then comes the planting itself. The planting is carried out with integration structures, EHSW (Establishment and Help Service through Work). Part of the planting is carried out with participatory days: with the employees of the companies which financed and often with the schoolchildren, the inhabitants of the commune or the community on which we plant.

 

These plantations are carried out during the winter season, between the beginning of December and the end of March.

A sky view made with a drone of a plantation of a Miyawaki forest done by Treeseve

– Jean-Baptiste

You really have the winning trio between citizens, the local community and businesses. So generally, it is the cities that provide the land and the companies that finance the project, right?

– Olivier

It’s our most common model, but it’s not the only model.

We also have several plantation projects on private land, which belong to companies that call on us to repair damaged land. In particular, we made an operation in Alsace, on the site of an old clay quarry where it was a question of repairing and restoring the surroundings of this old clay quarry. The quarry itself had become a lake and the surroundings were very damaged over the decades of use of this quarry. There was an area where there were deposits of everything that was removed from the ground, which was not usable in the brickyard and this area was quite sterile. We revitalized this barren area and replanted a forest.

We also have environmental compensation operations. When a company, a community or a creator of infrastructure damages or destroys a natural environment, it has an obligation of environmental compensation. In this case, we can intervene as an environmental compensation operator to create a nearby plantation that is likely to meet the equivalence criteria required by law. Treeseve has already carried out a project of this kind at least once, on a large construction site in the north of France. This is a sector in significant development.

But today, nine out of ten plantations are carried out on land belonging to local authorities.

– Jean-Baptiste

Usually, finding the land and the money for the project is the biggest challenge. What is your best way to be able to carry out these projects?

– Olivier

First, land must be found in urban areas and a community of businesses must be built which will contribute to financing, around this project and generally locally. This implies working more with agglomerations and urban municipalities, with a significant economic ecosystem, rather than with small rural municipalities. For example in Metz or Dunkirk, Treeseve has a local network which is now quite strong, with both a good relationship with the local community, the public actor, and a close collaboration with the local economic ecosystem.

A tractor making tillage to prepare the soil so it is not compact for plantation of a Miyawaki forest done by Treeseve

– Jean-Baptiste

You said that you are inspired by Miyawaki’s method and that you try to document your projects in a scientific way.

What do you think is the most important step in the Miyawaki approach?

– Olivier

So we can actually speak of an approach, more than a method, because Akira Miyawaki did not actually write a complete method himself, with a peer-reviewed scientific approach. There are a lot of partial documents floating around. What is most important for us today is the analysis of the soil and the analysis of the natural potential vegetation. Those are the first two things we do. So why soil analysis first? Because we work on urban lands which have often been roughed up, which may have been industrial land. I mentioned Metz earlier. In Metz, we plant in the middle of the town, on a land that was a barracks for 150 years, where there were traces of metal and hydrocarbon pollution, under a concrete and tar slab that had been there for several decades and that the municipality removed 18 months ago. We are working there on very poor soil, in which there was very little life and must first be regenerated.

 

The first point is essential: analyze the soil, understand if there are pollutants, validate if there are nutrients and see what must be done in terms of mechanical work and biological work to plant a forest in good ecological conditions and ensure a high survival rate.

 

For the second point, we are completely in line with the Miyawaki instruction, which is to plant locally with local species. On the one hand, we have work based on CNRS natural potential vegetation maps, which gives us the dominant local species everywhere in France, by zones. On the other hand, we carry out work based on the physico-chemical qualities of the specific soil on which we are going to plant, in relation to the vegetation of the area. We therefore select the vegetation based both on these maps, on our local surveys and on what we can co-construct with botanists, ecologists or local naturalists, which will help us to give us references on the local species.

A ladybug on a leaf showing the boost of biodiversity in a Miyawaki forest done by Treeseve

– Jean-Baptiste

On the project management side, what do you think is the best return of experience to involve the local community and get them on board?

– Olivier

When working with a community, it is important to make sure that the project is understood and supported by all types of elected officials and departments of the municipality. It is also important that our projects fit into climate plan commitments, the creation of biodiversity or a better life for the inhabitants.

Our projects therefore do not only concern the green space service. It also concerns the services of citizen animation, sustainable development, urban planning and economic development. We really need to meet and motivate all the players in the local community to understand their issues and how they can get involved in their specific field of activity around our projects. This is what we strive to do with our local authorities department.

A quizz from Climate Fresque is performed with volunteers during a plantation event of a Miyawaki forest done by Treeseve

– Jean-Baptiste

What part do you appreciate the most in these projects to create forest islands?

– Olivier

Obviously the nicest part, from a human point of view, is the participatory days. It’s an intense moment, a pivot moment. Last week, we had the two major projects for this year, near Dunkirk and in Metz. In both cases, elected officials come to see, understand and validate the project. School children also participate. Having children who come to plant, see and learn is always very motivating for our field teams and our animation teams. We also have adults who are the employees of the companies that finance or the inhabitants of the neighborhood who are going to pass. We generally try to do a quiz of the “Climate Fresque” so that the participants acquire a global understanding of the climate issues and stakes. After, they take a shovel and a seedling and they plant.

 

Working with EHSWs, people with disabilities, is extremely rewarding and satisfying on a human level. EHSW workers are fully aware that they are participating in a societal project, for citizens, at a large scale. There is a strong botanical technique, a new approach. They are very happy to learn why we make these dense forests, why we make such a wide choice of species and how we build it.

 

All the participants in the planting, whether they are EHSW workers, company employees, local elected officials, residents or schoolchildren, each with their own background, knowledge or questions in ecological or botanical matters, will discover on the land, concretely how to plant a climate-forest, what it will be used for and how it will develop.

 
The target to plant 1 billion trees with municipalities and companies in France set by Treeseve with Miyawaki forests

– Jean-Baptiste

What is your secret mission, your real objective behind planting these climate forests?

– Olivier

The goal we set with Sophie Grenier is to plant 1 billion trees in France with the municipalities. 1 billion trees is a round number, which enters into the global objective of 1,000 billion trees. This target has been set at the end of the Davos forum in 2020, it was a bounce on the famous article by Bastin and Crowther that I mentioned earlier.

1 billion trees, it’s actually the idea that there is a simple multiplication. There are 35,000 municipalities in France. If each municipality makes 1 hectare available to Treeseve and on each hectare we plant 30,000 tree seedlings (following the density level recommended by Akira Miyawaki), the multiplier effect is there: 35,000 times 30,000, that’s a little over a billion trees! This is our grand vision over fifteen years. This is what we want to achieve. So the objective is not secret, it is completely official: we want to plant 1 billion trees with the municipalities and companies of France!

Volunteers planting trees in a Miyawaki forest with Treeseve

– Jean-Baptiste

If in a year, I come back with a bottle of champagne, what could we celebrate? What is your next big challenge or goal for this coming year?

– Olivier

I think the challenge we have, like a lot of startups, is scaling up. Today in the Miyawaki ecosystem, we are already a very big player, the biggest player in France and in Europe. We are however not at all satisfied to be the biggest actor, because we are still very, very far from our objectives. So our objective within a year is to have doubled in size or tripled in size. It is this acceleration that allows us to be on the scale of the challenges.

We must be clear: planting Miyawaki forests, Tiny Forest in the Netherlands, mini forests in France, is always a good idea.

But we must be clear that, even if it goes in the right direction, it is not enough, we must be on the scale of the issue.

We must remember that what is at stake is a global climate issue. To achieve this global climate challenge, there is a global initiative called 1,000 billion trees. Treeseve is part of this 1,000 billion trees initiative, with our stake “1 billion trees”. To plant 1 billion trees, you have to build a large company, which will be able to plant millions or tens of millions, maybe a hundred million trees each year.

Which seems totally colossal. But which seems totally necessary to us.

Our big challenges are almost always related to know how we are going to grow fast enough to build climate forests around cities, towns, urban communities in France to create cool islands, create areas of biodiversity and better water absorption and retention, that will enable cities to adapt to climate change.

That is really the issue, the essential issue. This involves planting hundreds of millions of trees around all cities in France. So yes, we need mini forests, but we also need to plant tens of thousands of hectares of “large mini forests”. This is our challenge at Treeseve.

A sky view made with a drone of a Miyawaki forest planted by Treeseve

– Jean-Baptiste

For you, what have been three resources or books that help you in your nature restoration journey?

– Olivier

The first resource is the article that I mentioned earlier by Jean-François Bastin and Tom Crowther in Science “The global tree restoration potential”. The second resource was the discovery of the writings and lectures by Akira Miyawaki himself. And then the third resource is probably “La Flore Forestière Française” which is our bible and our bedside book. This book lists all the plant species and in particular the trees of French origin that we can plant in France, according to the climatic zones.

And on a more anecdotal or literary basis, there is also obviously “The Man Who Planted Trees” by Jean Giono. It’s a tale, but the aesthetic and moral value is also important in our approach.

– Jean-Baptiste

Who is the next person you would recommend to meet to inspire me on mini forests, but also the creation of forest islands or even more broadly nature conservation?

– Olivier

There is a forester in the South-East of France who I like. His name is Nicolas Luigi. Nicolas Luigi is a forest engineer. He works as a consultant for forest owners. He has a logging approach, with the Pro Silva association, which promotes much more diversity than is often practiced in France. He intervenes within the framework of what is called “irregular forestry with continuous cover“. It is a forestry in which you have small, medium, large trees, of several species. They never do a clean cut. They always take samples from mature trees, without ever creating holes. I think it’s a rich ecological approach, close to nature and Nicolas Luigi could speak hours about the benefits of this method.

– Jean-Baptiste

Finally, last question, if you had a huge billboard with a message for everyone to see, what would be that message?

– Olivier

Plant forests around your cities.

How to engage employees on Environment with Miyawaki mini forests?

How to engage employees on Environment with Miyawaki mini forests?

by | Feb 20, 2023 | Plantation | 1 comment

How to engage employees on Environment with Miyawaki mini forests?

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies have become increasingly important for companies looking to demonstrate their commitment to social and environmental issues. In this 3-part article, we will explore how companies can involve their employees.

A photo showing employees handing hands as a symbol of team spirit

Part 1 –  The blurry concepts of ESG and CSR

 

In today’s rapidly changing world, businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. However, for many companies, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) still remains a blurry concept, often reduced to ticking boxes and meeting compliance requirements. To truly make a positive impact, it is crucial to go beyond words and embrace actionable sustainability practices. Employees request “Less words, more actions!”.

 

Climate change is a pressing global issue that demands immediate attention. Engaging employees in environmental initiatives can play a significant role in addressing this challenge. By involving your workforce in the mission to combat climate change, you empower them to become catalysts of positive change both within the company and in their personal lives.

 

Greenwashing, the practice of creating a false impression of environmental responsibility, is a pitfall to avoid. Employees crave authenticity and genuine efforts towards sustainability. They yearn for meaningful actions that align with their personal values and contribute to a better future. Therefore, it’s essential to prioritize real, measurable impact over greenwashing communication.

A climate fresk in a company to make awareness with employees on sustainability issues

Part 2 – Create awareness on Environment

 

Creating awareness is the first step towards engaging employees in environmental initiatives. Theme days and conferences focused on daily actions provide a platform to educate and inspire your workforce. By showcasing success stories, sharing practical tips, and discussing the latest developments in sustainability, you can ignite a sense of purpose and urgency.

 

To enhance employee engagement, consider organizing participative events such as Climate Fresque workshops. These workshops encourage dialogue and collaboration, enabling employees to actively participate in shaping their organization’s sustainability agenda. Through interactive exercises and group discussions, they gain a deeper understanding of the environmental challenges we face and discover how their individual actions can make a difference.

 

Gamification adds an element of fun and healthy competition to sustainability efforts. Organize challenges that encourage employees to adopt eco-friendly habits both at work and in their personal lives. Whether it’s a recycling challenge, energy-saving competition, or carbon footprint reduction contest, gamification helps make sustainable practices more accessible and engaging.

A tree plantation event with employees and kids to plant a Miyawaki mini forest

Part 3 – Set direct and local actions

 

Setting direct and local actions is key to fostering employee engagement and making a visible impact on the environment. One impactful initiative that resonates with employees is the planting of Miyawaki mini-forests.

 

A mini-forest, based on the Miyawaki method, is a dense, native forest ecosystem that can be created within a small area. Even a plot as small as 100 square meters can host a thriving mini-forest, providing numerous benefits to the surrounding environment.

 

Planting mini-forests improves the immediate environment by enhancing air quality, reducing noise pollution, and regulating local temperatures. Additionally, these mini-forests offer employees a chance to reconnect with nature during their work hours, fostering a sense of well-being and connection to their natural surroundings.

 

Engaging employees in planting mini-forests also doubles as an excellent team-building activity. Working together to nurture and maintain the forest nurtures a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose among team members. It strengthens relationships and promotes a positive work environment.

 

The benefits of employee engagement in mini-forests go beyond team building and personal well-being. They extend to the overall productivity of the company. Studies have shown that employees who feel connected to nature are more productive, creative, and motivated. Furthermore, mini-forests contribute to social integration within the local community, positioning the company as a responsible and environmentally conscious player.

 

By engaging employees in mini-forests and other environmental initiatives, you not only contribute to the regeneration of our planet but also foster a culture of sustainability and responsible corporate citizenship. This engagement helps in igniting a passion for positive change among employees, encouraging them to become ambassadors for environmental action both inside and outside the workplace.

Conclusion

 

Integrating Miyawaki mini-forests into your company’s CSR and ESG strategy offers a powerful opportunity to engage employees on the environment side.  

By embracing these practices and reigniting the connection of employees to nature, your company can make a lasting impact on the environment, inspire positive climate action and contribute to the creation of a greener future. Together, let us harness the power of Miyawaki mini-forests and empower employees to be the driving force behind environmental regeneration.

Interview of Nicolas de Brabandère, from Urban Forests, main contributor of Miyawaki mini-forests in Europe

Interview of Nicolas de Brabandère, from Urban Forests, main contributor of Miyawaki mini-forests in Europe

by | Jan 23, 2023 | Plantation | 0 comments

Interview of Nicolas de Brabandère, from Urban Forests, main contributor of Miyawaki mini-forests in Europe

Nicolas de Brabandère, founder of the company Urban Forests, who plants Miyawaki mini forests

Nicolas de Brabandère planted his first Miyawaki forest in 2016, in Belgium. He creates projects of restoration of ecosystems with the aim to meet new people and to work with the living world. By the beginning of 2023, Nicolas and his team have already planted over 118,000 trees inside micro forests! 

I met him in his own house for an interview. In the first part, he explains his experience with the Miyawaki method and in the second part he gives his own advices for future actions on nature restoration.

A girl walking inside a Miyawaki mini forest near a school

– JB from Restore Forest

Thank you Nicolas for accepting this interview on the Miyawaki mini forests. Let’s start with the first question: when you are at a party, how in a few words do you describe who you are and what you do?

 

– Nicolas from Urban Forests

I say I plant trees and I do it in a special way. More than just planting trees, I create micro-forests, I create small ecosystems, I work with life systems. I am passionate about trying to understand the technology of living systems.

With my team, we plant micro forests in places where people live, work and do activities. The idea is to create high-performance ecosystems, which grow fast with a quick and visible impact on biodiversity and on the landscape.

A plantation event of a Miyawaki mini forest from Urban Forests with a volunteer holding a tree in her hand

– JB

How did you discover this Miyawaki method of mini forests and how have you applied it over the years?

– Nicolas

I have always been fascinated by the functioning of ecosystems and by forests in particular. I studied biology. I was most interested in nature restoration. How to restore environments that have been degraded? At the time, I was only offered opportunities in research. I didn’t particularly want to do pure research. I then became interested in working with NGOs. But I did not find work. Something did not click for me. I was looking to work on wild forests, and to understand how to repair ecosystems. I was also looking for an entrepreneurial dimension, to become self-sufficient money wise, to be part of the regular economy.

Then out of the blue, I came across the famous TED Talk from Shubhendu Sharma on Miyawaki forests. I was fascinated. I really had the impression that all the pieces of my own puzzle came together: the forest, repairing degraded environments, the entrepreneurial dimension. So I contacted Shubhendu who kindly invited me to India to join his team. I spent a month there and I learned the Miyawaki method on the ground. On my return to Belgium, I had to adapt what I had learned to the European context.

Several volunteers planting trees inside a Miyawaki forest during a plantation event organized by Urban Forests

– JB

As a result, you created Urban Forests (Urban Forests website) which has since contributed to mini forests. How many have you planted and how has Urban Forests developed?

– Nicolas

Precisely, I made a assessment before you came. I am actually pleasantly surprised! Urban Forests started in 2016 and we have made 81 projects so far. We planted over 118,000 trees on the total surface of 4 hectares. I did not expect at all that the accumulation of these small micro forests would come to reach a total surface of 41,063 m²!

We have a high percentage of success: the growth is good and most forests are truly beautiful. Only a couple are failures and a few more are a little disappointing. Sometimes the forests are not growing well because of droughts, lack of maintenance or some mistakes we did in the preparation. We have nevertheless learned a lot of things and improved a lot our know-how over time.

 

It was complicated to do the first project. I like to say that it took me three years to do ten projects. Then it took me three months to make ten new projects and now I manage to make ten projects in one month. It’s really unbelievable. The interest for micro forests is there.

 

Now what’s also nice is to see that our influence has inspired many other people to do just the same. For example, I sometimes do on the ground training on the Miyawaki method with a real forest created at the end. It’s not only the theory but also getting our hands dirty and planting trees together. And I see people carrying on and creating more micro forests on their own in their own localities. It’s really nice to see the movement growing.

 

The first project was the most difficult to do. I did not have enough belief I could do it on my own at first. So I talk about it with people in forestry. I thought they were going to be the most receptive. But they were not. They listened to me kindly but they did not like the idea of creating forests for their own sake. They life work is to produce wood for sawmills, for the industry, and so on with a long tradition of their own. So the Miyawaki method to them was more like a fancy scheme for the hipsters if I may say!  The Miyawaki method had no use to them. So they listened to me from a distance and despite my repeated requests, I couldn’t get anywhere with them. At some point, I realized that I had to manage to do it on my own. As I sometimes say to people who want to get started: learn as much as you can and go for it, learn by doing!

 

The first forest I made in 2016 in Belgium was on public land, between a farm and a road. It was quite impressive to do this first project. It’s then I realized a few days before planting that there were so many trees to plant and I could not do it on my own. I had to find people to help me. That’s when I thought of asking local schools to invite them in. I also contacted the local press to spread the word. The planting event was a success from the very first project. Even journalists were there. That gave me lots of confidence. Luckily I found out I was not just tripping on my own about reviving natural ecosystems, but in fact, I was not alone. People are interested. It actually sparks the enthusiasm of many!

 

It’s quite amazing because I’ve never met anyone who does not show any interest at all in creating micro forests in the community. Everyone is receptive and that is very encouraging. It looks like the idea meet a vital need.

A Miyawaki forest planted by Urban Forests near a school

 

– JB

Then usually finding land and money for the project is the biggest challenge. So what’s your advice for creators of mini-forests?

– Nicolas

Finding land for creating micro-forests is not easy, but at the same time there is a lot of potential in so many places. The main challenge is to convince the land owner to make his land available for it.

 

My advice to anyone wanting to create a Miyawaki forests is first to learn and understand the Miyawaki method. You really need to understand the aim, the technic, the objectives, how it works, step by step and to turn all of that into your own story. You have to make a link to yourself and make it a story that is convincing for others. It’s not just about planting trees. It’s your personal story, it’s what brought you to do it. What are your motivations?  Why do you think it is important? Why is it worth the effort? Why would people like it? Who are these people? Once you have some answers, once you realize you have started your own path, only then you can looking for land and convince people to join you with such a project. It will become easier.

 

Maybe you should start at home, just like I did, on lands that belong to your family, to friends. Make it simple. Start small. You will learn a lot by doing and seeing it grow. Then you can do more with some real earned confidence. I invite everyone to start like that.

 

Then check some opportunities with the local schools, meet your municipalities, share your ideas with local groups, with friends. Talk with your heart, make a good story, emotion is more powerful than lecturing about the technic. Then with a bit of luck, you might find just the perfect plot of land to do another micro forest. You really have to communicate a good story that will touch people. Do not focus on finding the funds at first.

 

If people don’t buy it, don’t insist. I had this experience, I insisted, it doesn’t work. If people aren’t receptive, so be it, look elsewhere. In general, the projects that work best happen rather smoothly, one step after another. If you stress too much, in general, it probably won’t happen. Obviously there are obstacles along the way, but you should fairly find your way over each one. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

 

So, by getting your hands dirty. Documenting what you do is also important to show people what you have done. “See what it looks like”.

 

There are different sources of funding. You can do it yourself and use your own funds. It’s a great way to learn, see what it takes. Sometimes a municipality might fund a project, but this is not very common. You can also do a crowdfunding. This option is time consuming, but it works very well. You need to find a platform, do the narrative, perhaps a video also, then you have to go out for it, it’s not going to happen by itself. Sometimes, you have a stroke of luck, a good meeting, someone loves the projects and bring all the means for it.

 

My experience finding subsidies is not good, I don’t rely on subsidies. The Miyawaki method is new and does not fill the criteria easily. Often when there are grants, the eligibility criteria are very specific. you can’t always fit into the boxes. Sometimes it takes so long to get a response that it’s very frustrating. Especially if it’s negative after waiting all this time. Subsidies work better for associations than for individuals.

 

It’s important to be independent if you can. Often planting trees is perceived as being non-profit, as being “nice to do”. But I want to say that planting trees must be an activity in its own right, it must fit into the real economy, it must be like any other activity, create jobs. When you make a house, you decorate it, you paint, you must comply with safety regulations. Unfortunately, far too often, gardens and the outdoor spaces are neglected with little budget put in, even though the outdoor surface is much larger than the hard infrastructure. We spend a lot of time outside and it feels good to have a pleasant environment. The current situation in terms of climate warming and biodiversity loss should be wake up calls. It’s important that creating micro forests and regenerating ecosystems start generating revenues for entrepreneurs if we want to have a real impact. It’s important to earn a living with it. If you manage to create jobs and become independent, if you can generate revenues for others as well, you create an economy around you and it becomes much more impactful. The goal is not to have nice ideas only, but to bring a transition, a new economic model with new positive elements. Because if we can’t create jobs and be self-sufficient by planting a micro-forest, it will always remain marginal. It has to develop. We must repair our environment and our nature. We need to find a better balance with the living world.

 

Of course micro-forests bring ecosystem services, like soil regeneration, biodiversity boost, better air quality, public health, etc. But it is important that behind these sometimes complicated concepts of ecosystem services, we convey easy to grasp benefits to people. Biodiversity for example is the pleasure of hearing birds sing in your garden, of having a pleasant green environment, seeing how plants grow, how things interact in your garden, how it improves your local environment. It is the pleasure of seeing a lizard pass by, a butterfly flying around, a mushroom come out in autumn, fruits to pick with your family, frogs in a pond… That’s biodiversity. It brings joy and fun. It feels good. You gain better air quality, less noise pollution, you can balance ugly elements with authentic greeneries. So really, beyond complicated words like “valuation of ecosystem services”, we have to find benefits that speak directly to people with simple words. I think that by speaking with emotion, things stay. If it’s purely intellectual or conceptual, the message tends to fly more quickly.

A girl holdin a young tree with soil during a plantation event of Miyawaki forest organized by Urban Forests

– JB

In a more technical way in the Miyawaki method, what do you think is the most important step?

– Nicolas

For me, there are two very important steps. First there is the preparation of the soil and that is very important. Our first project worked very well. Then, I experienced a couple failures and at one point I asked myself: “Why is it not working this time? What is happening?”. At first I thought it works just easily. But then I understood that the Miyawaki method is more complicated than it seems. The soil is very important. First I have to understand how a soil works, what it takes to regenerate it when it is degraded. How do you bring back a soil to its optimal conditions for trees so that they are healthy, strong with good growth. You have to think about keeping moisture in the soil, to boost the biology in the soil so that roots find all that they need. So understanding the soil is the first step. How do you prepare good soil? What sorts of amendments to you need to add? How to keep it 100% organic?

 

Second is tree species selection. It is not a matter of making a random list of species with as many species as possible. That’s not the Miyawaki method at all. The Miyawaki method is to bring back a piece of the primordial forest where you are. This is the forest as it once was, before human disturbances. It is to recreate the original forest. For that, we have tools . There are scientists who have done a lot of research on the subject. In Europe, we are spoiled. We are able to know what the ideal forest really looks like, anywhere on a map, depending on the soil and the climate. There are also species associations. Species do not arrive there by chance. Of course, there is some randomness but we observe that most of the time forests grow with a certain set of species growing in association. This is called phytosociology. It is the assemblage of species that like to be together. There are species that are more numerous than others. There are ratios between species and therefore a list of species is not random at all. You must only choose native species, native to the place where you are, a community of species which is coherent, which is authentic, in balance. Creating a native forest of natives trees is the essence of the Miyawaki method.

 

That’s it for the technical part. But what we often forget is that the Miyawaki method goes far beyond technique. Technique is one dimension, but the Miyawaki method is about being together. Creating Miyawaki forests bring people together. For Professor Akira Miyawaki, the forest heals the earth, the planet  and  humans. The Miyawaki plantation brings us together. It has become a rare thing. We’re so busy with our own occupations we forget how good it feels to be together. Well, this is an opportunity to get together around a common project. It’s good to see people smile, to see people in a good mood, working at once for the common good. People experience hope, they learn about forest ecology, they put their hands in the ground, they talk to each other and have fun. They learn about living systems.

Two friends walking on a pathway inside a Miyawaki mini forest planted by Urban Forests

– JB

On the project management side, what is your best feedback for getting the community on board in a mini forest?

– Nicolas

At first, you have to focus on finding people who are motivated by the project, with you, and finding land. That is the most important. Funding comes second. In general from my own experience, when you have found a plot of land and a group that is motivated, you always find the funding. Learn about the methodology, understand the why, make your own story with good sense. Only then you are convincing enough so you can share your enthusiasm with others.

School kids planting trees during a plantation event of a Miyawaki mini forest organized by Urban Forests

– JB

What part do you like the most about Miyawaki mini forest projects?

– Nicolas

It’s definitely meeting new people! Personally, meeting people is my fuel, it’s what makes me vibrate the most. Meeting people of different backgrounds. Talking to them, connecting to them, Establishing a dialogue  that enriches us both. Sometimes, that’s where I’m also the most disappointed… Even if we can make a forest at the end, I’m only really fulfilled if there is a good human relation that enriches us all. If that human relations does not work, I may be disappointed, or even give up. The heart of creating Miyawaki forests is to come together and inspire each other. It’s important we connect to the earth, that we understand we do something positive together that it will stay, that it’s going to please the people around, that it’s going to transform the neighborhood. That’s the most important thing.

Birds in a nest among trees in a Miyawaki mini forest planted by Urban Forests

– JB

What is your secret mission, your real purpose behind planting forests?

– Nicolas

It’s that one day, we associate a Miyawaki forest with every building, with every road. My wish is that we enter into a sane relationship with the natural world.  At the moment, there is a world culture which is really to impose humanity on the planet, to impose our will and our knowledge. It would be much more interesting and much more exciting to enter into symbiosis or into relationship with the living world all around us. It’s fair. We need to work, to make buildings, factories, activities, etc. But we can do it much better by entering a balanced relationship with all life forms. It is for example, around a building, to preserve a living ecosystem which will balance the impact of our activities. It is to create places where we live that preserve nature with authentic functioning ecosystems and biodiversity. If we reach that point, we won’t need national parks anymore because life will be all around us. That doesn’t seem like a utopia to me, but a compass for a modern society.

 

Put simply, we can start with our own garden, We can evolve from creating lawns or hedges with single species, which are very poor in terms of species present and positive impact on the environment, to creating gardens lush with life and sensory experiences, habitat for biodiversity.  For example, if you mow your lawn all the time, there are no flowers. So how can insects feed on nectar? How do plants produce with no seeds left? So start by letting the flowers grow, it will attract biodiversity. Imagine a bird: how will it find its food? Will it be able to hide, to feel safe? Will it be able to make its nest in your garden? You see, it’s really creating these interconnections with land and yourself. You don’t need to be an expert, a scholar, it’s common sense. It is simply a question of connecting to life, to enter into a genuine relationship, so that we all find our place. It brings joy.

 

Associations do a remarkable job: they open our eyes, they allow us to realize the situation, they give us the means to improve the  situation with solutions. Scientists warn us, bring knowledge, they are able to make predictions that are often correct. The artists also help with documentaries which are magnificent. We are shown that the living world is beautiful, we can see how children respond to that, the good that it does. Every one of us go through difficult time. I hope we all experience the good nature does to us in these difficult times. We realize that nature has a way of really doing us good, of healing us, of calming us down, of putting things in perspective, to make situations less dramatic, more welcoming, more positive, more optimistic. That’s what I’m trying to bring with Miyawaki forests, to create the experience when  people say to themselves: “That’s great, we need more, we have to do things differently! “.

 

These are not big ideas that are impossible to implement because it’s so complicated. Everyone can plant trees, improve your garden. In fact, all these actions together snowball. By entering into actions, we change the mindset and I hope that one day, any entrepreneur, any economist will think about nature, that it will not be something you care about on weekends or holidays in marvelous countries, but that everyone will include nature in every decisions and actions they do.

An insect walking on a leak of a tree inside a Miyawaki mini forest planted by Urban Forests

– JB

And in a year, if I come back with a bottle of champagne, what will we be celebrating? What is the next big objective challenge for you?

– Nicolas

We will celebrate the fact that more and more natural environments are being restored. We will go beyond the Miyawaki forests, we will see beautiful gardens, lush landscapes filled with life. We will realize that we brought back water where there was no more, that birds have come back. We will feel good about ourselves, optimistic, serene and positively inspired. We will celebrate the return of life.

 
A kid with a hoodie walking inside a Miyawaki mini forest planted by Urban Forests

– JB

I cannot wait to be there! What three resources, films or books have been helpful to you on your nature restoration journey?

– Nicolas

First, I think hiking was important: moving, walking in nature, observing things. I learned a lot by observing, by asking questions, by realizing the impact nature has on ourselves.

 

For books, there is so much to read and discover! I think that’s a little bit for everyone to look for. There is a well-known book “The Hidden Life of Trees” for example, and there are so many others. Perhaps also books to discover how the first indigenous tribes used to live. First nations for most of them live in a more balanced relationship with nature. These peoples who have not necessarily created great technological civilizations as we mean it. However, we can learn a lot from them, and perhaps find our way back down to earth, with our feet firmly on the ground, to anchor ourselves, to become true earthlings.

 

You can also work on yourself, on the inside.  Dig a little bit into your own and be honest with yourself. What makes you feel good? Why are you looking elsewhere? Why do you spend so much time outside of you? The idea is to listen more to yourself, to your health, to your emotions, to what makes you feel good and to cultivate it more and more.

A father and his daughter at the entrance gate of a Miyawaki mini forest planted by Urban Forests

– JB

Who would be the next person you would recommend me to meet to inspire me on mini forests or even more broadly on nature conservation?

– Nicolas

To follow up on this work you are doing on the Miyawaki forests, it would be interesting you meet Roseline Desgroux from “Alvéoles en ville”. She works with companies on creating Miyawaki forests, not just one random forest, but to make it ambitious with a network of Miyawaki forests in many places for a real impact. Then there are always incredible characters: Francis Hallé, the botanist or Sebastiao Salgado, the photographer. Obviously also, there are Jim and Stéphanie in Nantes, they created Mini Big Forest. I also like the collective “Micro Forêt – Toulouse en transition”. I think it’s a really nice group who do great projects with good spirit.

Rays of sunlight through the leaves of trees inside a Miyawaki mini forest planted by Urban Forests

– JB

Last question already, if you had a huge billboard with a message for everyone to see, what message would you write?

– Nicolas

Maybe instead of a billboard, I’d put a tree… But if I had a message to convey, I like to say in a humorous way: “If in doubt, if you’re not sure what to do, plant a tree! You’re sure you are not doing any mistake.”

Why soil preparation is so important for your plantation?

Why soil preparation is so important for your plantation?

by | Jan 22, 2023 | Plantation | 0 comments

Why soil preparation is so important for your plantation?

Soil is the base for all plants and trees. It is also the home of a rich and secret underground life.

So we need to take care of it. Here are the main two reasons why trees need a healthy soil:

– to grow roots easily

– to be able to thrive in good conditions.

In this blog post, we will share what are the key elements to prepare a good soil for your Miyawaki mini-forest.

A member of a Amazon tribe holding seeds

The insight of Terra Preta

 

“Terra Preta” is a black dark soil from the Amazonian forest. It is extremely fertile and was developed by native tribes. It is usually surrounded by infertile soils. It shows that this healthy soil is the fruit of human activity.
It is believed to have been developed between -2800 and 500. By civilizations before Christopher Columbus.
The analysis shows remarkable content of:
– charcoal
– organic material
– nutrients
– pottery parts
It has a high carbon content and a high activity of microorganisms. It is a gold resource due to its incredible fertility.
Apparently the native tribes cleared some patches of land there by burning some parts of the forest. And then use this land as a dumpyard, putting all their organic waste on that specific spot.
It is a source of inspiration for us in the preparation of the soil of our Miyawaki mini-forests but with different means :).
The goal is to get a dark, healthy soil like this for our trees to grow well.
A photo of a healthy soil, rich in organic added materials

What makes a good soil?

 

To grow plants in a healthy way, you need a dark, smooth, loose soil.

The good indicator is the dark topsoil that can be found in a primary forest: humus.

A good soil has:

– a high content of organic material, to support soil activity

– a high porosity (high percentage of void), it is not compact and allows air to circulate

– a good capacity to retain water, to keep moisture and avoid erosion or water runoff.

With these basics set in place, you may get an incredible soil life with microorganisms, fungi and hard-working earthworms! As explained in a next part, earthworms will provide a positive feedback loop thanks to their galleries, making your soil airy. 

In terms of percentage organic material, the color of your soil is a good indicator. To make it simple: the darker your soil is, the better it is! 

All of this is needed for our plants to grow well.

an aerial photo of a forest showing a high density of trees

C, N, P, K ? What is that?

 

These are main elements that you need in your soil to get a healthy growth of your plants.

– C is Carbon: nourishes the life of the soil, as a source of energy.

– N is Nitrogen: makes plants grow, in particular with healthy leaves.

– P is Phosphorus: promotes the development of the root system and regulates flowering and fruit processes.

– K is Potassium: plays a role in the regulation of the vital functions for strong plants.

But, in a 80/20 Pareto effort, if there is only 1 thing to focus on, it is the Carbon! First we should focus on charging our soil with organic matter to increase the content of Carbon.

Carbon is good for us!
When it’s in the ground, not in the air…
As CO2 in the air, we know it has a dramatic effect on climate change. So we need to pay more attention to the sources. But also to the potential sinks of carbon to mitigate it.
Soil is the second largest carbon sink in the world, just after the ocean. Plants, trees, forests and other living organisms capture carbon. Then they transfer it to the soil.
Now here comes the good part!
Carbon is the building block of all known life forms. It is used as an energy source by organisms involved in the decomposition and mineralization of organic matter.
Carbon is a central element of soil fertility.
So it could clearly be a win-win deal.
By restoring more vegetation where possible, we could balance the carbon cycle and:
1) remove more carbon from the atmosphere

2) recreate healthy soils and secure local food chains

The tree/soil system seems to be very effective in this effort. From now on we need to reduce our carbon burn rate. And think how much more useful carbon is to enrich our soil.
So let’s keep the carbon in the ground and not in the air, for a healthy future!

A healthy soil under a mulch layer inside a Miyawaki mini forest

How to identify your type of soil?

 

It is important to know the texture of your soil.

I have already explained it in another blog post here: Step 2 – Prepare the Soil .

Soil is made from 3 major components. There is a simple way, with your hand, to define the main element:

– if it is crunhy, it is sand
– if it is soft, it is silt
– if it sticks, with the possibility to mark a fingerprint in it, it is clay.

Based on that, you will know the feature of your soil and define what to add in your soil for water retention and perforation of the roots.

We also add humic amendments such as dried manure, mulch or raw plant residues to increase the organic matter content to feed our soil life. We share it with fauna and micro-organisms for their mineralisation work.
On our site inspection, this is always the big question: have we succeeded in reproducing Nature’s healthy soil?
And when the answer is YES, you can feel it when you step on it. It is a soft and humid ground.
Like you might experience in a jungle.
Under the thick layer of mulch, you discover a dark topsoil, full of life.
The organic materials brought back the necessary carbon.
Earthworms are quite active.
The micro-organisms do their work of mineralization.
The nutrients are there.
Everything is in place for our trees to grow well.
JB from Restore Forest showing an earthworm from a healthy soil in a Miyawaki mini forest

Earthworms, your silent ally for a healthy soil

 

They will work for you for free, with no complaints.
They will contribute to your own personal goals.
They won’t ask for any salary increase from HR.
I just speak about earthworms in your plantation!
The presence of earthworms is one of the good indicators of a healthy and regenerative soil.
As in any effective collaboration, it is a win-win contract.
We add cow dung to the soil. Providing organic matter and carbon to our Miyawaki forest.
Earthworms from all over the neighborhood are attracted.
Then the earthworms do their magic work.
Mix the soil layers and create tunnels. With air, water and soft soil for the roots of our trees.
Earthworms are one of the Key Success Factors.
Like you, they are part of the ecosystem. Each member will make a valuable contribution to work together and rewild our future.

Earthworms will mix the layers of soil for you. They will make the connection between the different layers of soil. Travelling and working between the underground deep layers towards the topsoil, and vice-versa.

If your piece of land has an army of earthworms, you will not have even to mix the organic matter. If you let long enough to the earthworms, they will do the work for you. With no tillage or mechanical work, you won’t have to burry your organic matter. It will save you time and money and preserve the microbiology of the soil.

Afterwards, earthworms will also do the work of mineralisation. They will transforms organic matter into water, mineral salts (N, P, K) and CO2, useful for the plants growth.

Conclusion

From now on, you have all the basics you need to prepare your soil for your plantation.

So go for it!

You will learn by doing and discover that if you set the right conditions with your soil, Nature will help you to do the remaining work.

Interview of Daan Bleichrodt, from IVN natuur educatie, pioneer of Miyawaki mini-forests in Europe

Interview of Daan Bleichrodt, from IVN natuur educatie, pioneer of Miyawaki mini-forests in Europe

by | Dec 4, 2022 | Plantation | 0 comments

Interview of Daan Bleichrodt, from IVN natuur educatie, pioneer of Miyawaki mini-forests in Europe

Dan Bleichrodt from IVN and JB Chaudron from Restore Forest meeting for Miyawaki mini forests

Daan Bleichrodt planted the first Miyawaki forest in Europe in 2015, in the Netherlands. With great communication efforts, the movement quickly grew in the Netherlands. End of 2022, Daan with his team have already planted 180 Tiny Forests in public spaces!

I met him for an interview. In the first part, he explains his experience with the Miyawaki Tiny Forests and in the second part he provides valuable advices for future actions on nature restoration.

Miyawaki mini forest in Zaandam from the Tiny Forest Program

– JB from Restore Forest

So my first question is: “When you are at a party, how do you say in few words who you are and what you do?”

 

– Daan from IVN

Well, I say I’m Daan. I have a wife and two kids. I work for IVN Nature Education. Within IVN, I’m responsible for the Tiny Forest Program. With tiny forests, we create these little urban jungles for kids with outdoor classrooms so they can connect to nature, learn about biodiversity, nature, climate change and learn how to restore nature.

School Outdoor class in a Miyawaki mini forest with IVN

– JB

The value with IVN and tiny forests is really to include kids, right?

– Daan

Yeah, definitely. The first tiny forest I did, I just wanted to see if the Miyawaki method would work in the Netherlands. Still, we planted it with two different schools. After the first planting day, I knew this needed to be part of the whole concept of the tiny forest. We started integrating outdoor classrooms, which are basically wooden benches with a circle, where teachers can instruct and develop the whole curriculum. So we train teachers on how to do outdoor learning in the forest.

We’ve developed a whole curriculum from ages four to twelve years old. Every group of kids can do an outdoor session one time a month. That’s how we try to get kids more outdoors, inspire teachers to take learning outside of the classroom. Because the classrooms are quite big (30 kids in one classroom), it’s hard for teachers to go on excursions. With a tiny forest next door, it’s easy. It’s a low threshold. So what we hope is that we’ll grow a generation of kids who know about tree bonding and about nature regeneration.

Daan Bleichrodt and Shubhendu Sharma planting Miyawaki tiny forest

– JB

And how did you discover the Miyawaki method of mini-forests, and how have you applied it over the years?

– Daan

Well, I think, just like you. I discovered it with the Ted Talk of Shubhendu Sharma which came out in 2014. I saw the Ted Talk popped up on my Facebook, and I instantly felt in love with the idea. So I reached Shubhendu out, and a week later he already responded. Then we started to see how we could cooperate and work together. I wanted to create one forest just like this here in the Netherlands. First, we had to get the forest. It took me a year to find a location and to get the money to be able to plant the first Miyawaki forest in December 2015 in Zaanstad, the first in Europe.

 

 

– JB

So then after this first tiny forest, you continued to plant other forests? 

– Daan

Yeah, we did. It took quite a while because it was quite a challenge to find the next few locations. It took us a year and a half to get to four forests. Then a year later, in 2018, we had about eight or nine forests, and that’s when we got the major donation from the postcode lottery. That allowed us to really scale up funds and then we got the real means.

Daan Bleichrodt receiving the check from the National Postcode lottery for the IVN Tiny Forest Program

 

– JB

So you won the lottery, it was an accelerator for the Tiny Forest program. Can you tell us more about the story about the lottery?

– Daan

Yeah, I think you need a little bit of context. The Dutch postcode lottery is one of the major private donors in the world. They organize a lottery based on your postal code. Half of everything they collect with the lottery, they give away to charity. We’re one of the beneficiaries, one of the 80 beneficiaries who gets an annual donation from the lottery. If you’re a beneficiary, you’re also allowed to apply for extra projects. It provided us with all the means we needed to go from zero to 100 tiny forests, for us to train and set up this Tiny Forest education program because it’s a lot of effort to create a whole curriculum. We gave Wageningen University an assignment to research the effects of tiny forests on biodiversity, carbon sequestration, heat island improvement and also the water retention capacity of the forest. We set up partnerships with municipalities.

 

It made it more attractive for other funders to support the projects as well. That’s a weird thing. If you get money, it’s easier to get more money. It’s a snowball effect. Sponsored by the Postcode more people wanted to join. Some people want to join things that are successful.

 

Create 100 tiny forests, partner up with municipalities, do research into the method, that really allowed us to scale up. It gave this big stamp of approval. After we actually said, we’re not going to spend this, we’re going to ask municipalities to pay for half of the forest. That’s how we doubled our budget from the start! After we said that municipalities have to apply to us from then on. Because previously we were begging “Oh, please, can we get these spots?”. We turned it around and let them come to us. That was a big help in our success to let them apply. We did have the cofounding, they co-funded, and then we could work out partnerships. So many municipalities applied, I think 70 applied, we had 24 spots. Then the regional government provinces wanted to cofound the municipalities in their area.

 

For us, it really massively grew within one or two years. It was hard to keep pace with the number of forests and the number of partnerships that we created. The first year in 2018, we planted about 24 tiny forests and years after that, every year, 60 or 70 tiny forests. Since then, it’s exponential. But now it’s going to slow down a bit. I think we’ll end up the next few years, we’ll go steadily to maybe 25, 35 tiny forests a year. We need to start doing less ourselves and more empower people to do it themselves. Because for us, it’s a lot of organization work. The next step for us is to take more of the role of the inspirator and the trainer. That way we can create more forests if we help people to do it themselves.

 

 

– JB

And so far in November 2022, how many mini forests have you already planted?

– Daan

 Right now, somewhere between 175 and 180 tiny forests in public spaces.

Biodiversity boom in a Miyawaki mini forest

– JB

Usually finding land and money is the biggest challenge for mini forests. What is your advice to mini forest creators to get land and money?

– Daan

What really works for us is the money part. We haven’t had a lot of problems with that. I’ve been doing a lot of fundraising in my career, so I think that’s one of my talents that I’ve been able to use to get that done. The main thing about fundraising is to create the right narrative. What’s your story and why is this important to you? Because when I first started telling people about tiny forest, I told them about this amazing method with rapid growth and 100 times more biodiversity. I don’t know what’s been the means, but there wasn’t any science evidence to support those claims, so there was a lot of criticism. Then I just went back and I thought, well, why do I want to do this? Well, it’s for these kids that I meet in cities that I’ve never been to nature. What if we can give them their own forest as they plant it? I started to connect it to why I really wanted to do that, and then I gathered and I reframed the approach.

 

“I found this exciting new method. I’m not sure if it’s going to work, but I really want to try, because it’s promising. It would be great to see if it works and maybe get science involved”. Being honest about your own doubts was the key, because you don’t know if it’s going to work. Then the municipalities said that it was very interesting because people can do it themselves, it’s small. By not being really bold with the claims, but being vulnerable, “we don’t know, but it’s exciting, I want to learn, so let’s try it”.

 

Trying something new and connecting it to something you really care about is the key for fundraising, because people love working with somebody who really cares about something. There’s always money for good ideas and new ideas. There’s always people out there who want to support that and see if it works. Those will be useful for fundraising and basically for finding the location.

 

By creating a personal connection, showing them why this is important, it really helped together with science, to collect data on the effects. The science really helps us as well because then you have something to say. People were skeptic about the method with tree density, carbon sequestration and biodiversity on the rise. Of course, you can plant the forest a different way as well. This is the way we do it and we know by the science from it that it works. Collecting evidence helps too.

 

With the partnership with the university, they collected some data. That’s important that we don’t collect data on our own program. A third party renowned university with ecologist does count. We recruited and trained volunteers to help with the data collection because it creates more engagement and you get more data. For location, it’s the same thing as fundraising. Show them why you care, invite them to try something new and work on collecting evidence.

 

 

– JB

According to you, in the Miyawaki method, what is the most important step to get a sustainable mini-forest?

– Daan

I think that the most important step is looking at life and mapping the Reference forest. Native trees survey is the most crucial step. To go to the Reference forest site to see what the species are growing there naturally. So you get an idea of the forest community you want to create at your site. That’s basically the life work of Miyawaki. He spent about ten years mapping the entire potential natural vegetation of Japan, from north to south. He created twelve books, mapping every herb, shrub tree that grew there naturally. That’s when he made the discovery that just 0.3% of the plants in Japan were native species. He then decided from the 70s until he died last year that he needed to restore the potential natural vegetation of Japan. That’s his last work. It is his legacy. That’s the most important step: to go to the reference forest to get a clear idea what are the climax species and how can we make sure that they get a place in our new forest with a great mix of species.

School kids planting trees in a Miyawaki mini forest with the Tiny Forest Program in Zaandam

– JB

On the project management side, what is your best return of experience for getting the community on board?

– Daan

With the community, we tried to do something different. Usually municipalities say “We want the forest here and now you go and get the community excited”. The first thing we did is to turn that around. We’re going to ask people who wants a tiny forest in their neighborhood or in their schoolyard and they can apply. With this approach, we get the people really excited about this and the forests are really wanted. Otherwise you’re going to have people opposed to it. That’s the booster to collaborate with people who are very enthusiastic, who want to create a forest like this and are happy they actually won it. The other thing is to engage people as soon as possible. When we start a project in a particular city, we let people with initiatives apply and then we work on the forest and they will organize an evening where we present the idea, where we’ll talk about the design and their wishes.

 

With the landscape team, we’ll create a design, we’ll show them. We’ll engage them in the planting ceremony with the kids, and then we’ll create a maintenance plan with them. “So what are you going to do? What’s the municipality going to do? What’s the school going to do?”. After we go through all the steps, then it’s time for them to do. It’s their forest so that they have to take care of it in the future. We actually have kind of a ceremony or party where we say “we’re going to leave, so it’s your forest, it’s not our forest, we’re not in charge anymore, it is your duty”.

School kids planting trees in a Miyawaki mini forest with the Tiny Forest Program

– JB

What part do you enjoy the most in the tiny forest projects?

– Daan

The planting day! That’s the thing I enjoy the most. Those are great days, just outdoors, everybody is happy and engaged. You’ve created this new patch of nature. I really enjoy it.

 

I do really enjoy also the native tree survey. Going into the forest. It allows you to visit all these special places. What I really enjoy, too, is working with landscapers and landscape designers. I like giving the training and introducing them into the story of the Miyawaki forest and where it’s special and how we can create this haven for life. Be the spokesperson for Tiny Forest, that’s very enjoyable for me, too.

School kids planting trees for a Miyawaki mini forest with the IVN Tiny Forest program under the sun

– JB

And what is your secret mission, your real purpose behind planting community trees?

– Daan

I think I’ve already told you it’s not so secret anymore… At first, to me, it was really about reconnecting children to nature. Because three out of four kids in the Netherlands grow up in an urban environment, in a city. We’re never really far away from nature, but a lot of kids never go there. They never go to a forest or a beach. That’s what we wanted. Then you can do two things: either organized tours for kids to visit nature or bring nature into the city. I have been really working for about seven, eight years on bringing nature back into cities. Small patches with tiny forests, we’ve even done indoor forests with air purifying plants or food forests, or green school yards.

 

While I learned more about soil, trees, native plants, climate, biodiversity, I saw how it all connects. I think my mission changed a little, too. Now I want to be part of the regeneration of Earth. Tiny forest is good because it fits, but it’s just a tiny first step in the right direction. We need to restore a lot of land and basically inject it with life again. So I think my mission changed a little bit from reconnecting children. To me it would be very important to restore nature and bring back our long lost forests or meadows. My secret mission right now is that in the future I will look more to see if I can work on regeneration projects and large scale ecosystem restoration. I’d like to do that.

Miyawaki mini forest with the Tiny Forest Program in Utrecht

– JB

In a year, if I come back with a bottle of champagne, what would we celebrate? What is your next big challenge?

– Daan

I’m working on an online course that covers more than the method. We already did shoot six instructions videos about the method, but I want to teach people about finding a location, getting funding for you, how to build a team around that, how to use for education, for citizen science. I hope to have that up and running in the first quarter of 2023.

 

I really enjoy meeting people like you, interested in Miyawaki forests. Yesterday I met Benjamin from Denmark. Next week, somebody from New Zealand and a couple of more people coming over. So I’m hoping that we can set up a network of learning where we can keep on meeting. I hope that we’ll find a way to connect all these forest makers, maybe digitally or maybe even physically.

 

We have also this nature movie maker in the Netherlands. He’s made large cinematic productions about the Dutch delta. We’re working on actually a movie theater film on Tiny Forest to see how the forest grows and how kids grow up with the forest and make a movie about that.

 

I’m hoping I’ve got some really iconic forests coming out there. In Amsterdam, there’s this new building. Robin wood it’s called. It’s a big wooden building, all of it is made out of wood. In the middle, there’s a big community garden, 1800 square meters. At the center of it there will be a tiny forest. That’s going to be a very prestigious project. I’m really excited about that. There’s also this other company who’s constructing a new head office, and they bought this piece of land from the neighbors, very expensive. They want to convert it into a forest, rather than making money out of it. They work on probiotics and they want to share the story with doctors. That our probiotic biology and our gut is very much related to the soil.

Those are projects I’m really excited about to do. For tiny forest, I’m hoping that we can make it easier for schools and for people to do it themselves so that we don’t do a lot of organization work anymore, but that we empower people to do it themselves. That’s the next step for us. So the European network creates more of these urban landscapes. Those examples really help to inspire people to do something more.

 

 

– JB

What 3 resources/books have been helpful for you in your journey about nature restoration?

– Daan

Let’s see, the book from Peter Wohlleben “The Hidden Life of Trees” was a big eye opener for me. We even visited him in Germany. He made a little tribute video for Tiny Forest. We are very happy about that. The actual Miyawaki book, “The Healing Power of Forest”, was rather helpful. It isn’t so clear about the method, but I really enjoyed just diving into the life of Miyawaki, and it’s his legacy. It’s very recent, I read Hannah Lewis’ book about the “Mini-Forest Revolution”. I’ve read a lot of books about the forest bathing, the Shinrin-Yoku practices. That’s something we can integrate, connect in another way. Instead of knowledge and recognizing trees, be more mindful and use all your senses.

 

 

– JB

And who is the next person you would recommend meeting to inspire on mini forest or even broadly on nature restoration?

– Daan

Well, one person is James Godfrey-Faussett. He’s from SUGi. I think he’s truly a good person to interview. He’s very inspiring.

I don’t know if you know Commonland. They do large scale ecosystem restoration. So maybe Willem Ferwerda. He’s the CEO. He has a great story to tell. But it’s about the larger ecosystem restoration projects.

And you can speak to maybe Victor Beumer. He’s from Earthwatch Europe, they do a lot of science.

School kid planting down a tree in a Miyawaki mini forest for the Tiny Forest Program

– JB

This leads us to the last question. If you had a huge billboard with a message for everyone to see, what message would you write for it?

– Daan

It’s a great question. Maybe “May the forest be with you!” with a little Yoda there or “Convert your garden into a mini forest”.

 

There’s so much talking. Just do things, be informed, but do things, go for action. We need action. That’s what I truly love about this project, because I didn’t know anything about it but I liked trees and I love nature. I got the hang of it pretty quickly. So that’s what I like, it’s very empowering. I like Paul Hawken. He wrote this big book on regeneration and he wrote Hannah’s forward words. He says that mini-forests are a very powerful action because anyone can do it in their business, in their school. That’s the main thing about the Tiny Forest projects.

4 Lessons we can learn from Nature for Miyawaki mini forests

4 Lessons we can learn from Nature for Miyawaki mini forests

by | Jul 1, 2022 | Tree | 0 comments

4 Lessons we can learn from Nature for Miyawaki mini forests

We’ve all seen those deforestation videos…

Mainly in the Amazon. It’s heartbreaking to see bulldozers destroying the Green Lung of the planet.

Compared to the previous century, the rate of deforestation is slowing down. But it still exists!

Attitudes are also changing. We are now aware of climate change and its impacts on our daily lives. Efforts are currently being made for reforestation. I studied the subject for a few years to do my part in the fight against climate change.

There are different ways to take part in the reforestation effort:

– make a donation to an Non-governmental organization (NGO)

– select companies that will devote part of the money you give them to plant trees for you (worst case: “Buy a plane ticket and we will plant a tree for you to compensate”…)

For me, the mind-blowing discovery was when I found the work of Doctor Akira Miyawaki. He first studied Nature before developing a new planting technique. He applied all his lessons learned on his reforestation projects. This took the local reforestation effort to a different higher level.

In this blog post, I will share all the major things I learned from my mentor, Dr. Akira Miyawaki. And why we should first learn from Nature before any action…

Doctor Akira Miyawaki holding a young tree during a reforestation event

Who is Dr Akira Miyawaki?

 

Akira Miyawaki was born in Japan in 1928. He graduated in biology and became a botanist inspired by the potential of Nature.

It all started with something he noticed. The forests around Japanese temples were quite different from others he went to. Around these sacred temples, no human being is allowed to touch Nature. Thus, trees and forests can thrive naturally, without human intervention.

It was his first premonition. Then he studied how Nature developed forests in its own way. Compared to man-made forests, he wanted to understand why natural forests were much:

– denser

– richer

– more resilient.

Dr. Akira Miyawaki has spent his entire life studying local environments. The main goal was to find out which characteristics were most suitable for his reforestation projects. He enriched the concept of “Potential Natural Vegetation”. The selection of indigenous species adapted to the local environment is a major step forward in boosting planted forests. He has applied it to more than 1,700 reforestation projects around the world, in different environments.

Here are the main lessons he discovered. From now on, we apply these principles in the Miyawaki method of reforestation.

an aerial photo of a forest showing a high density of trees

Lesson #1 – Close collaboration provides the best results

 

What is striking when you walk inside a natural forest or a jungle is the density of the trees. You can barely cross it sometimes.

As the opposite, in an artificial forest for the timber industry, you have 1 tree every 10 meters, planted in a line.

In a previous blog post (https://restoreforest.com/5-things-most-people-do-not-know-about-trees/), I explained why trees like to grow with high density.

We believe that trees will compete for light. This common saying comes from the lumber industry. With their approach, young trees need to grow fast and straight, under the sunlight. They’re like fast-growing teenagers on steroids! Only short-term growth. Then we cut them young to produce wood…

In the natural forests, we let them live a happy and quiet life. Each member of the forest has its place in the ecosystem. From the old tree to the young shoots, from the tree that loves sunlight to the species that prefer more shade.

With this high density, they also interconnect their roots underground. They share nutrients and information. Scientists call this underground network the “Wood Wide Web”!

This explains the higher growth rate of Miyawaki forests. Despite reduced sun exposure, there is a cooperative effort. In the end, they grow 10 times faster than conventional man-made forests. In the timber industry, trees are isolated. Here they work together, they collaborate and share for the common good.

Dr. Akira Miyawaki first studied local environments on his more than 1,700 reforestation projects around the world. The aim was to adapt to the local needs. He planted from 2 trees/m² up to 7 trees/m² (mangrove projects). On our side, for our projects in temperate forests, we plant 3 trees/m². And we can see how it is thriving compared to man-made forests!

A production of birch trees in straight lines for wood industry

Lesson #2 – Diversity is the key to build a resilient system

 

To simplify logistics and management, man creates forests most often in monoculture. It’s much easier to handle. You have a scale effect on costs because you only buy the same species of sapling. You only know one species. You can anticipate its growth to calculate your return on investment. You get an army of clone trees. It is mass production.

But what happens when a sudden change occurs in this clean environment? A new disease, an imported pest, more frequent droughts due to climate change…? How adaptable is this type of plantation to new hazards?

This type of monotonous forest has a low adaptive capacity. An example is what is happening in parts of Europe with spruces and bark beetles. The spruce has roots that remain in the upper level of the ground. Heat waves and successive droughts have weakened the spruces. Then, the bark beetles spot the weak trees and start digging into their trunks.

You can notice these attacks in the red/ginger-brown color of the treetops or with the dry needles. The bark beetle spreads quickly and easily from spruce to spruce. In the end, we can see large burnt hills of dead trees… The only solution is to cut down all these trees to limit the spread.

In natural forests, several dozen species are present. With a great mix of deciduous and evergreen species. This makes it a resilient forest, able to handle outside attacks. There is no domino effect like in a monoculture forest. Species side by side will be able to stop the attack. Stronger trees will share nutrients with weaker ones. Species with deeper roots will bring water to others. It is an anti-fragile system.

In our Miyawaki mini-forests, we plant 30 different species on the same parcel. This diversity brings robustness. Mixing species will also create multi-layered 3D forests. Trees do not grow at the same speed and do not have the same mature height. In our Miyawaki forests, we plant different species according to their 4 final heights:

– shrub layer

– sub-tree layer

– tree layer

– canopy layer

Dense multi-layered forest will be a shield against the burning sun and storm winds. The forest will keep moisture allowing all members to thrive and adapt.

A photo of a jungle with a chaos organization

Lesson #3 – Life is chaos, accept it and adapt

 

On monoculture forests, trees are planted:

– in rows

– with the same spacing between each other

– with clear paths for large machinery.

This type of control is more the domain of a factory than related to Nature.

In natural forests, fertilization is done by the wind or by wandering pollinators. Young trees begin life at the foot of the mother or tree or a few miles away. It is a total random disorder.

While walking through a natural forest, you noticed that there is no clear pattern. It’s all about chaos. In doing so, forests mix species and members in a disorganized way.

This tactic is best for protection from windstorms, powerful floods, or heavy snow. Any outside energy that attempts to attack the forest will be dissipated in turbulent flows. There will be no chain reaction with a domino effect over a long distance. In Japan, Miyawaki forests are even planted on the coast to mitigate the effects of tsunamis.

Some would say it is pure luck. That Nature doesn’t do this on purpose. Maybe. But this Chaos model is an optimized system. This approach has been effective throughout evolution and has been repeated over generations.

I’m sure we can learn from Nature about the structure of chaos when it comes to urban planning patterns. Some urban architects organize cities in geometric blocks. These cities are quite fragile during storms or floods.

This Nature management of chaos has been applied in the Miyawaki planting technique. For us, for example, we provide 3 saplings per square meter to the planter. Then it’s up to you and your creativity to plant it as you like in your square. This gives a plantation that has a non-linear layout and that is much closer to what Nature does.

A photo of a healthy soil, rich in organic added materials

Lesson #4 – You need a healthy base to thrive

 

To keep growing, you need good roots. This is true for trees but also for human beings 😊.

When you imagine a natural forest or even a jungle, you can easily feel a soft and smooth ground. In comparison, most urban lands have a compact soil. It has been compacted by years of human activity, rolling with heavy machinery. On this soil, it will be quite difficult and energy-consuming for trees to develop roots.

In the Miyawaki method, soil preparation is a cornerstone. We add different types of organic matter:

– perforator

– nourishment

– water retention

This generates a soft and healthy soil. We don’t need pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Nature brings all the organic enrichment, in a balanced ecosystem.

Good health of the soil is the basis of a thriving forest. For 2 years, you will weed twice a year in your Miyawaki forest. After that, your mini forest will be completely maintenance-free. Mulching with straw/hay will decay. The leaves will fall to the ground enriching it. It will generate high-quality humus.

On one of our very first Miyawaki forests, I was amazed by the quality of the soil. I was back on this site few years after the tree planting. I walked on this soft ground of the plantation. I dug with the shovel to check the soil and humus. It was like a chocolate cake! Dark, aerated and soft.

This healthy soil is a major contributor to the success of Miyawaki forests. This partly explains why the seedling survival rate is better with Miyawaki forests. It is around 90% in a Miyawaki forest compared to 65% in a conventional plantation.

Conclusion

Here are the 4 lessons that can be learned from Nature for reforestation:

Lesson #1 – Close collaboration  provides the best results

Lesson #2 – Diversity is the key to build a resilient system

Lesson #3 – Life is chaos, accept it and adapt

Lesson #4 – You need a healthy base to thrive

 

Nature and us, we live in two different time scales. We, we are interested in what we need to do the next day, and sometimes even the next minute to fill our lives. Trees can live for several centuries. Or even several thousand years for World Records!

Nature has had time to experiment over the long term. It has tested iteratively to find the best optimized ecosystem. We should make the most of Nature’s wisdom. Let’s apply it for our new organizations, structures or projects.

This is why the Miyawaki methodology of reforestation is so powerful. It begins by observing Nature and tries to imitate it. So let’s team up with Nature and rewild our future with Nature-inspired reforestation projects.

5 Things Most People do not know about Trees

5 Things Most People do not know about Trees

by | Jun 3, 2022 | Tree | 0 comments

5 Things Most People do not know about Trees

In this blog post, you will discover 5 secrets about trees. This article is a short review of the book “The Hidden Life of Trees” by Peter Wohlleben. This international bestseller is a mind blowing masterpiece! Even if you’re not a tree lover, you’ll be amazed at the wonders revealed by Wohlleben.

During my extensive investigation in the Miyawaki mini-forests, Wohlleben was a game-changer in my vision of the forests. Many items were then used for our tree plantation and reforestation effort to provide better results. Are you ready for an exciting adventure in secret forests?

In a nutshell, the thesis of this book is: Trees are much smarter than you think. Not just simple pieces of wood. Trees are able to intensely experience their environment and to communicate and share in a social network.

Peter Wohlleben is a forest ranger. He spent decades managing a forest in Germany. He has field expertise supplemented by his investigations into scientific research. I highly recommend purchasing this book from an independent bookstore if you have more time. You will be enthusiastic about Wohlleben’s discoveries, novel ideas and fresh point of view. You will never see trees like before again. If you don’t have that much time, I’ve compiled the main points here for you in a short version. So let’s discover these 5 secrets!

Secret #1 – Trees communicate with each other

 

Over millions of years of evolution, trees have tested billions of new “technologies” and organizations. They know they have a better chance of survival living together, inside a community, inside a forest.

 

They need the scale effect to create a microclimate. The microclimate of a forest has dim light and high humidity. This provides cooler temperatures in the summer, as you may have experienced while hiking through a forest.

 

To secure this forest community, the trees need to grow together. A forest should avoid any gaps in its population or canopy. This disconnection would be dangerous in terms of stormy winds that could uproot trees or heat waves that could dry out the forest.

 

Bottom line: The trees applied the mantra “Alone, you go faster. Together, we go further”. Working in community with several nearby individuals, trees can create a resilient forest.

 

So to create a dense community, the trees communicate with each other. The intention is ultimately to warn of impending dangers.

 

We believe that communication is just one feature of the human or animal kingdom. But no, trees communicate! Not with sounds, but with scents. Trees emit scents to convey a message to the next tree.

 

Here is an incredible discovery. In the 1980s, research highlighted the community defense system of trees in the savannah. The giraffes there like to eat the leaves of the acacia trees. To protect themselves, the acacia trees pump toxic substances into their leaves to make the giraffes go away. This protection system is slow, it takes about an hour to trigger. So in the meantime the acacias are emitting a gas (ethylene in this case) to warn their tree buddies to get ready!

 

Other trees like elms or pines even have a smarter defense system. They identify by the saliva the insects eating their leaves. And then they produce scents that attract their predators, especially wasps.

 

The second powerful communication network is through the roots. Some studies have shown that underground roots extend more than twice the surface of the aerial leaf canopy. Trees produce electrical impulses to send messages to each other through the roots. As a visualization, you can imagine the Tree of Life in the movie Avatar, with visible light messages transmitted to the entire ecosystem through the roots.

 

Trees also work in cooperation with underground fungi: the mycelium. The mycelium could be thought of as the optic fiber Internet wires, spanning several miles. Scientists even call this communication network the “Wood Wide Web”! A lot of communication passing underground, invisible to our eyes.

 

Lesson learned: on our Miyawaki method for mini-forests, we want to reproduce this dense and connected indigenous forest. That’s why we prepare the soil to promote root and fungus development. This will result in a dense pack of resilient forests and long-lasting reforestation.

Secret #2 – Trees have their own Social network and can collaborate even with other species

 

We have been told that trees compete with each other, just as we do as humans. In fact, inside a forest, trees grow inside a larger community in a collaborative effort. We can even say that some trees form a family, with parents and children nearby.

 

It is commonly believed that trees fight for access to light. Of course, light is necessary for photosynthesis. But not all species need the same amount of light, and some younger trees need to grow at a slower rate to grow strong. Just imagine a Native Jungle where the density is high. Even quite difficult to see the sky with such a thick canopy. All trees, of different sizes, thrive there.

 

Peter Wohlleben says that “young” beeches can wait over 80 years in the shadow of their 200-year-old “mother”. Once their mother passes away, it’s time for them to flourish and rise.

 

Tree roots extend in all directions to:

– optimize nutrient uptake

– obtain stability in the ground

– connect with other trees through roots

This network of roots creates a tight and stable underground network.

 

Trees in regular cases grow straight. They develop their leaves and canopy in their own dedicated spot. When a family member dies inside the forest, it fills in the void and expands its canopy to prevent any holes for burning sun or stormy winds.

 

Trees also develop their social network, along with other species, to create a balanced ecosystem.

 

One of the most important interactions is between trees and fungi. They work with a win-win contract. They have a positive association underground. Mycelium can grow inside the fine roots of the tree. It increases the useful surface of the roots and its ability to pump water and nutrients.

Mushrooms develop an impressive underground network. As seen previously, it is used to exchange a large number of nutrients and information. The trees repay them by supplying the fungi with sugars and carbohydrates.

 

Trees can be a good food source for many species. Parasites in particular, which the trees try to slow down by producing repellent substances. These pests can then be eaten by ants, ladybugs, bees, wasps or caterpillars. This generates a complete food chain in a balanced ecosystem.

 

Shrubs, shoots or even young saplings can be eaten by roe deers and stags. That’s why we protect our Miyawaki mini forests with fences when planted into the wild. Young trees are candy for deers!

 

We can therefore see that trees play a key role in maintaining biodiversity, to form a balanced ecosystem. Wohlleben mentions that on the top of a 600-year-old tree, 2,041 animals of 257 different species have been counted!

 

Lessons learned: this principle of collaboration between species is used in the Miyawaki method with the multi-layered forest. Various species of trees are planted together. They do not grow at the same rate and at the end of the climax evolution they will mature in 4 different layers: shrub, subtree, tree and canopy. The tight and stable underground network will provide a healthy soil for tree growth. And that’s the goal: to achieve a thriving Miyawaki forest that will become a haven for biodiversity.

Secret #3 – Trees optimize energy as a community and can share food

 

Let’s continue with a true story by Peter Wohlleben. In the forest he managed, he got used to see some stones covered with moss. One day, Wohlleben stopped to investigate. Uncovering the moss, he discovered that it was actually tree bark! Indeed, a hard stump from a fallen tree hundreds of years ago. With his pocket knife, Wohlleben scratched and discovered green material. Green is only related to chlorophyll. This stump was still alive! But without leaves for photosynthesis, the only explanation is that nearby trees were sharing nutrients with this mother tree, through the roots.

 

Once again, trees have understood that they are stronger together. Their goal is to build a dense community to achieve a resilient forest. For this, the trees help each other. The community helps the skinny saplings in need and even the sickest trees, as they can be useful to the group in the future.

 

Two examples are good to show that dense native forests are more productive.

 

Native beech forests are super crowded, with trunks tightly packed together. With such a pattern, it is difficult to move inside the forest. The wood production industry has therefore developed an alternative path. It manages forests with a lot of space between the trees for the reason of stimulating the growth of the tree but in fact mainly to be able to use large cutting machines. By doing so, you create a field of isolated trees, which lose community benefits, with a reduced lifespan.

 

The second example is the extreme case. I’m sure you’ve seen lone trees artificially planted around town, in big buckets or even in parking lots. These trees are lonely, constrained and clearly looking skinny. Not as healthy as a real forest tree.

 

A main element of energy consumption and optimization is reproduction.

Conifers produce a large amount of pollen each year, which is dispersed by the wind. But hardwoods produce acorns. Deer and wild boar eat these acorns because it is really rich for their development. The hardwoods have therefore developed a trick to prevent all their acorns from being eaten by a large population of deer and wild boar. They only produce acorns every three or five years. Animals experience starvation due to scarcity and this regulates the population. When the acorns return a few years later, there are fewer animals to eat them. A smart solution for a balanced ecosystem, isn’t it?

 

Finally, trees carefully optimize their energy: for growth, for the production of repellent substances and for flowering. When it is breeding time, they reduce the amount of leaves produced.

 

Lessons learned: inspired by indigenous forests, we plant 3 trees per square meter in our Miyawaki forests. It allows to create a dense sharing community as Nature does.

The second element is that Nature always finds the balance. So after 2 years of maintenance removing weeds, we no longer touch the forest, we let Nature do its work. As Dr Akira Miyawaki said of his forest: “The best management is the absence of management”.

Secret #4 – Forests have a capacity of adaptation and they are able to move!

 

In their forest environment, trees have to deal with perpetual changes.

 

First, they have to manage natural disasters such as:

– Drought

– Gale, tornado or storm

– Powerful rain or flood

– Heavy snow

For example, in the event of a lack of water, trees will reduce their consumption and develop a protective countermeasure by thickening the waxy layer of their leaves.

 

Trees learn from all of these unique experience events. Then they pass on this knowledge through genetic material to get better-fit children, with suitable characteristics on the roots, trunk, branches and leaves.

 

As always, trees take their time to grow and reproduce. Adaptation with generation iterations is therefore slow. Especially when the breeding cycle is every 5 years.

 

And this is the current problem of climate change. The changes are so rapid that the trees cannot keep up with the adaptations. This is the case with tree species like spruce that have been planted at low altitudes or in warmer climates. With the current increase in temperature and drought, they are vulnerable to pests such as bark beetles.

 

Secondly, forests are seeing the arrival of new species of trees, imported by man. Usually, these new species are imported because they grow faster than native species. This could become a danger to native species. However, when the ecosystem is resilient, stable and sufficiently mature, the new species will not take over.

 

Third, the forest has a great capacity to adapt to climatic conditions. With the great genetic variety and the way the seeds travel by wind or birds, the new generation can settle down a little further away with better local conditions. So it is certain that the Forest does not walk like in the Lord of the Rings. But they migrate slowly. This is what has been done to survive climatic variations and ice ages so far (but over a much longer period).

 

Beech forests are found from Sicily to southern Sweden. In the future, they will move North.

 

Lessons learned: in our Miyawaki tree plantations, we only select native tree species. The native species adapt best to local conditions. In the next phase, we are also studying species that are already suffering from the current rapid climate change.

Secret #5 – The forest can generate its own micro-climate and can also change the weather in remote places

 

A forest has significant positive impacts on two dimensions of the environment: soil and atmosphere.

 

The tree and the soil definitely work in synergy. Healthy soil allows trees to form a complex web of roots. Trees get the proper nutrients through the roots. In return, the roots of the tree provide a stable structure to the ground. It avoids erosion washout during heavy rains.

 

The forest is one of the best “tech” for CO2 capture. Thanks to the activity of the tree and then also of the soil. In its lifetime, a tree will act as a CO2 vacuum cleaner. When the tree dies, this stored carbon will be transferred to the soil. First, the worms will eat the trunk. The rain will continue to transfer into the ground. It will slowly decompose into humus. Small underground organisms will continue the work.

The forest floor is also a huge reservoir of water from all the rains. In all the humus and in the different soil layers, it can store a gigantic amount of water. This reservoir will be used by the roots of the tree in future periods and also for the complete water cycle.

On the other side, trees also help the soil as a thermal regulator. The tree canopy acts as a roof. It prevents the soil from drying out both due to the scorching sun and the airflow. The trees keep the air humidity and the temperature cool to avoid drought. Through evaporation with the leaves (the actual transpiration of the forest), the trees produce even air conditioning and cooler temperatures. This explains the micro-climate you can experience inside a forest in a hot summer.

And here is the wonderful advantage of trees on a larger scale: the transfer of rains to the continent! Clouds form over the seas and are pushed inland. When this rain hits the forest, then the tree with evapotranspiration will generate new clouds which will be pushed further towards the mainland.

The forest acts as a pit-stop or transfer point for the rains to move within the continents. That’s why we need forests from the seaside to the continent to avoid drafts inside the mainland! This water chain is vital and we need the forests to make it work.

 

Lessons learned: with the Miyawaki method, we take care of the soil first because it is the healthy base of our plantation. Particular attention is paid to microorganisms and earthworms. When planting on barren land or for a urban forest, this is crucial. Using only nature-based solutions, of course!

With this explanation from Wohlleben, we see the impact that the forest can have on CO2 capture, temperature and the water cycle. So let’s rewild our future with reforestation!

Conclusion

 

The book “The hidden life of trees” by Peter Wohlleben is a pleasure to read. Entertaining, with practical examples and great stories, it offers an impressive insight into the wonders of a forest.

For me, this has been a nice additional piece in my investigations into afforestation. It supported the Miyawaki method approach. Miyawaki first started studying natural ecosystems before doing any reforestation. So far, Man has used planting techniques adapted to the production of the timber industry. But I am convinced that for natural forest restoration, we can do so much better.

Nature has billions of years of experiences ahead of us. As we see with this book, trees are much smarter than we think. Mainly because they’ve tested billions of different ways to thrive, before us. So if we want to act in this time of rapid climate change, we must first study Nature. Bio-imitate it. Copy/paste what really works. So let’s take inspiration from Nature!

>