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 | 2 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.

The Key Steps of the Miyawaki method to plant a mini forest

The Key Steps of the Miyawaki method to plant a mini forest

by | Aug 5, 2022 | Plantation | 6 comments

The Key Steps of the Miyawaki method to plant a mini-forest

Everyone has already felt the interest of learning new things.

When it comes to a whole new area for you, it can be overwhelming. Especially if experts of the subject try to make it complicated…

 

That’s what happened to me when I became interested in the Miyawaki method of planting mini-forests. I had made the commitment with my family to study this technique in depth. So we would be able to plant our first Miyawaki forest as a family. I spent days and nights searching for information via the Internet. Lots of complicated concepts and theories from botanists or forestry experts. As I accumulated knowledge, I discovered that there were only 5 key lessons that were really useful and quite simple to apply.

 

During my journey of planting several mini-forests with my family, I also discovered what really matters. These elements could be simplified and shared in everyday language. So that’s my mission. Let me explain the 5 Key Steps of the Miyawaki method to plant a mini-forest.

A group of people in a field looking for a Miyawaki forest project as a team

Step 1 – Define the project: Site, Team, Money

 

Site

Your mini-forest needs a nice place to grow.

So, first you need to find the site location for your plantation.

It can be private land or public land.

Go scouting, walk around!

 

Here are the requirements for the parcel:

1) Minimum width of 4 meters (13 ft)

2) Minimum total area of ​​70 m² (753 ft²).

3) Easy access

4) Space available on the side as a technical area

5) Access to water if you plant in a dry area (personally I never needed watering in Northern Europe)

 

Criteria 1) of a minimum width of 4 meters is important. With 4 meters of dense plantation, you cannot see through it. It acts as a efficient barrier (noise, view, pollution…) and gives the starting feeling of a forest.

 

For Criteria 2), in theory, you can start with a minimum total area of ​​16 m² (172 ft²). Our first test was performed on 40 m² and it was nice. After several projects, it appears that a minimum total area of ​​70 m² is a good tipping point to get the great feeling of a mini-forest. Imagine only 6 parking spaces!

 

Let’s accept it. It is much easier and faster to do it on private land.

It could be the backyard of your house or a vacant lot of a family member or friend. It can also be land owned by someone you know. For example, you can persuade farmers for small plots that they do not use. Or on the side of your company building. Convince your boss to plant a mini forest as a team building event!

 

You can also target public land such as:

– the courtyard of your school/university

– free space in your city

For this option, you must contact the administration. It may take longer to convince them. But in the long run, you can use the power of the local community.

 

Team

Creating alone a project is possible. All by yourself. There are examples of people planting thousands of trees alone. But believe me, it’s much nicer if you’re with a group of people!

 

If you are here, it is because you are interested in Nature and the actions you can take for the planet. So it seems that you will be the Team Leader. Or at least the Initiator/Pioneer of the Miyawaki mini-forest project.

 

Then start discussing the project around you. Every time you get the chance. Family, Friends, Colleagues… You will be amazed at the interest aroused by your mini-forest. It will be easy for you to gather a great team of volunteers around your project. These team members will be valuable for the next steps.

 

At the end, you will organize a Tree Planting Festival. And the more, the merrier!

 

Money

Now here comes the harsh part of Money…

You will need money to buy planting material, saplings (young trees) and tools.

On the tools, you can find smart options to rent them or each team member brings their own tools.

Anyway, at some point you need money to plant.

 

I will give you a rough estimate.

Depending on your region and the level of what you do, this can range from 2000 € to 4000 € for 300 trees.

All inclusive.

 

There are several options for gathering your target amount. You can:

1) use your own savings (this is the path we followed first)

2) call for crowdfunding on the Internet

3) request the participatory budget of your city

4) get a company sponsor

 

For the final corporate sponsorship option, please do not accept funding from any airport or oil company… There are a lot of these fossil fuel companies running around to do greenwashing. They plant few trees for their image and continue to pollute the planet.

The main question to ask is “What is the main activity of this company? “. If you think that’s right, go for it!

Soil preparation for a Miyawaki mini forest adding water retaining material

Step 2 – Prepare the Soil

 

Now that you have your site, it’s time to get your hands dirty!

You need to promote the growth of your future young trees. You must put them in the best conditions to thrive. So it is necessary to study the soil and bring what will be necessary to enrich it.

 

 

Soil analysis

For the soil analysis, you will:

1) take a shovel to your site

2) dig a hole

3) put earth in your hand

4) mix with water

5) define its composition. There are 3 main components: sand, silt, clay. You can define it thanks to the ribbon test and the size of the grains.

A good video explaining the process is provided here:

Tutorial video about soil analysis

 

What you should target for your plantation is a soil that is:

– soft, tender, smooth

– sufficiently airy for air circulation and easy to develop for the roots

– able to retain water

 

 

Added materials to the soil

For this, you will dig your soil and add 3 types of material:

– perforator material

– water retaining material

– nutrition material

 

The ultimate goal is to have the soil you can imagine from the Amazon jungle: soft with a rich humus.

In a previous blog post, I explained it. It is crucial for trees to develop a mesh of roots to collaborate:

5 Things most people do not know about trees

 

This step of soil preparation is the most time-consuming. You will sweat and it’s a free sports session given for Nature!

But you can make it a fun event with a picnic and drinks at the end of the day.

During this stage, you build team spirit and have time to chat with each team member.

JB Chaudron from Restore Forest mapping a reference forest to identify native species for a Miyawaki mini forest

Step 3 – Identify Native Species

 

Adapted species

 Once you have defined your project and you have prepared your soil, the question is “What tree species are we going to plant here?”.

Simple: tree species that will feel good in your neighborhood! 😊

 

For this, the key is to identify native species.

Tree species that have been in your area for a long time. This means that their type is adapted to the soil and the climate.

 

Many species have been brought by man. It can therefore be tricky to differentiate between native species and species imported from other regions/countries. You can investigate with searches on the Internet or in the library. You can also chat with senior citizens or meet local botanical experts.

 

 

Field investigation

But my secret tool is…

Drum roll!!!

Field research and Technology!

The best approach is to take a nice walk in a Nature Reserve with a forest, close to your home. Go in search of the local species that you will find there.

 

You will answer me: “I am not a professional botanist! I don’t know a single species of tree. How do you identify more than 10 species?” Here’s the good part. Today, you can download apps to your smartphone that will identify a tree species from a photo! Several Plant ID apps are available in digital stores: PlantNet, LeafSnap, Picture This, Search, PlantSnap…

My favorite is PlantNet. It’s a powerful tool, it’s free, the database keeps growing thanks to the community, and the Artificial Intelligence ​​does its magic to recognize the right tree species.

 

You can do it with children. They really enjoy this Tree Treasure Hunt searching for different trees.

 

Create the 4 groups for the plantation

You will identify the 4 categories of height:

  • shrub layer
  • sub-tree layer
  • tree layer
  • canopy layer

Your forest will live much longer than you. It will be confronted with climate change in the years to come but also in the long term over the next century. We are already seeing species that resent rising temperatures and more frequent and intense droughts. I also advise you to scout in the south of your region or in drier areas to anticipate this adaptation. 

young trees splitted in 4 groups waiting for the plantation inside a Miyawaki mini forest

Step 4 – Perform the plantation

 

Upstream organization

This is the fun and most satisfying part of the project.

It’s up to you to create a joyful event around the plantation! Bring family, friends, colleagues and in some cases even a community of citizens.

Spend the day planting saplings and everyone will enjoy this Happy Plantation Festival!

 

In practice, your soil has been prepared.

It is smooth and ready for young trees.

The plants have been delivered to your technical area.

 

I recommend planting 3 trees/m² (3 trees/10.8ft²).

It can go up to 7 trees/m² in the mangrove area! But 3 trees/m² remains the Golden number in most regions.

So depending on the surface available in m², you multiply by 3 and you get the number of trees to order.

 

From your identification of native trees, you have the species. They are classified in the 4 different layers/height. Targeting 25 species in total is a good number for a resilient mix.

 

Here is the ratio I recommend in the 4 layers:

– shrub layer – 15%

– sub-tree layer – 25%

– tree layer – 50%

– canopy layer – 10%

 

These figures are indicative. If you have +/- 5% variation per type, that’s still OK.

 

Plantation technique

To facilitate the planting work, you must make apparent squares of 1m x 1m (3.3 ft x 3.3 ft) on your land. We use organic flour to make visible lines.

Next, you will arrange your saplings into 4 piles based on the 4 layers. And ask planters to randomly choose 3 trees, one of each type, to plant in their patch.

This is a major lesson learned from Nature. The Miyawaki reforestation method uses Random planting. As Nature does. Planting in artificial lines is absolutely to be avoided. So plant your 3 trees in your square as you want! Without looking for any geometric pattern. This is why Dr. Akira Miyawaki loved planting with children. It was an organized messy planting! 🙂

If you want to discover other secret tips from Nature, you can read this dedicated post:

4 Lesssons we can learn from Nature for Miyawaki mini forests

 

Here you are! All your trees have been planted. To finish the job, you need to put a layer of mulch on the ground. This straw will act as a thermal buffer:

– In winter, it protects the roots of your young trees from freezing temperatures.

– In summer, it will keep moisture in the ground and prevent evaporation.

JB Chaudron from Restore Forest removing weeds inside a Miyawaki mini forest to help the young trees to grow

Step 5 – Come back for a light maintenance

 

Start-up maintenance

This final step usually scares people. It shouldn’t!

Once your mini-forest is planted, it is already autonomous. To encourage growth, all you need to do is come back to your site every quarter. Believe me, it will be pure pleasure to see how fast your trees grow!

During your visit, only 3 things to do:

– you check whether the young saplings are growing in the right direction. You adjust the tutor sticks.

– you remove the weeds so that all the energy is directed towards the growth of your trees.

– you add mulch if needed

After 2 years, your forest will be maintenance-free. It knows the way and he will grow independently. As Dr. Akira Miyawaki said: “The best maintenance is no maintenance”.

 

Evolution inside the mini forest

The trees will reach between 2 meters and 3 meters (6.6-9.8 feet). Their leaves will fall to the ground and prevent future weeding. A nice layer of humus will be created.

At this point, if you dig with a shovel, you will find dark, smooth ground, like a chocolate cake. This rich, healthy soil will be full of earthworms.

The presence of earthworms is one of the good indicators of a regenerative soil. The nutrient material added in Step 2 has provided natural nitrogen and nutrients to your Miyawaki forest. Earthworms from all over the neighborhood were attracted. Then the earthworms did their magic work. Mix the soil layers and create tunnels. With air, water and soft soil for the roots of your trees. Earthworms are one of the Key Success Factors you’ll find in your Miyawaki Mini-Forest.

Like you, they are part of the ecosystem. They make a valuable contribution to the regeneration of our future. 

It’s over! You can now enjoy your mini Miyawaki forest. Come back from time to time. Let yourself be surprised by this haven of biodiversity that has been created. Spend a cool and peaceful time inside this mini-forest to read, reflect or meditate. Nature will take care of you! You will have a good time.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed reading this post about the Key Steps of the Miyawaki method to plant a mini forest.

I told you. It’s quite simple!

 

With change management, the first step is always the hardest. If you have a small interest in improving your local environment, go for it! Have confidence. Follow this guide. It won’t be perfect but who cares? Believe me, Nature will compensate for the flaws in your planting.

 

Personally, I started from scratch. After hundreds of trees planted as a family, I am convinced that anyone can plant a mini-forest. It is up to you for action! If you need advice, do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to share my expertise.

 

See you soon in your coming mini-forest!

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 | 6 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!

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