October 7, 20261 min read

Volunteers cultivate dense Miyawaki mini-forests to cool urban primary schoolyards

In what was once a barren expanse of asphalt beside an urban elementary school, a lush, dense woodland of two dozen native tree species now rustles in the wind, packed into an area no larger than a tennis court.

Coordinated by environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, the Tiny Forest project utilizes an innovative ecological technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki. Volunteers prepare degraded urban soil by decompacting it to a depth of one meter, enriching it with organic compost, and planting native saplings—such as oak, rowan, hazel, and birch—at a high density of three trees per square meter.

Because the saplings compete for sunlight, they grow upwards at roughly ten times the speed of conventional forestry plantings, quickly forming a rich, multi-layered forest canopy within just three years. The dense planting creates an ultra-efficient microclimate that lowers local summer surface temperatures by several degrees, absorbs excess stormwater runoff during heavy downpours, and muffles nearby street traffic noise.

Each Tiny Forest also serves as an outdoor living laboratory. Students and local residents conduct regular citizen science surveys, measuring carbon sequestration, soil moisture, and insect populations. Researchers have already documented hundreds of butterfly and bird species colonizing these urban green islands, proving that even the most compact urban spaces can host vibrant pockets of wild biodiversity.

Source: Tiny Forest Urban Biodiversity and Education Initiative (Earthwatch Europe).

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Volunteers cultivate dense Miyawaki mini-forests to cool urban primary schoolyards

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