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

by jbrestoreforest | 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.

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

by jbrestoreforest | Jan 23, 2023 | Plantation | 5 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?

by jbrestoreforest | Jan 22, 2023 | Plantation | 2 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

by jbrestoreforest | 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.