Miyawaki Forests
Everyone needs a forest, because not only are they one of the most efficient means for sequestering carbon, but the most effective system for cooling the planet, especially on the local level.
With the loss of green spaces, more and more people are feeling the effects of heat islands, localized hotspots that can be readily combated by planting and stewarding healthy ecosystems.
Our Program
Our goal is to lead the way in establishing mini forests in under-resourced communities, starting with the first ever Miyawaki Forest to be planted in New England! We’re working with local and Indigenous groups to create tree equity through the sowing of healthy ecosystems. Explore our project pages and linked resources, and find out how you can get involved in our work.
The Miyawaki Method
Miyawaki Forests are biodiverse, native, pocket-sized forests that reestablish full, functioning ecosystems in the areas they are planted. This scalable, replicable nature-based climate solution leads to cooling, increased biodiversity, and communal resilience, among other benefits.
We are involved in planting, supporting, and educating people on this method of afforestation, and are looking for people like you to help us steward this revolution!
Our Forests
Resources for Further Exploration
- TED Talk by Maya Dutta – “Plant hope and healing one pocket forest at a time”
- Bio4Climate’s Miyawaki Forest video playlist
- Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World by Hannah Lewis, published by Chelsea Green in June 2022
- GBH Talk from Hannah Lewis, author of Mini-Forest Revolution, and Daan Bleichrodt, of IVN and the Tiny Forest movement in the Netherlands, for our Life Saves the Planet series on regeneration
- An interview from Atmos about Dr. Akira Miyawaki and the Miyawaki method
- Wikipedia page on the late Dr. Akira Miyawaki and the method’s history
- Profile on Daan Bleichrodt and his work on Tiny Forests from the Global Earth Repair Foundation
- Hannah Lewis’s original article on Miyawaki Forests for The Guardian
- Afforestt, a Miyawaki planting organization with deep experience and resources on the method
- An interview on the Danehy Park Miyawaki Forest upon its planting
- A feature in the Harvard Crimson on the Danehy Park Forest’s first year
- SUGi, a global organization for Miyawaki forests and our partner in the Danehy Park Forest, and their project map
- Forestmaker Ethan Bryson’s company Natural Urban Forests, our partner in the Danehy Park Forest
- A blog post from Maya Dutta reflecting on the Danehy Park Forest’s planting
- Some articles in our July 2020 issue of the Compendium (search on “Miyawaki”)