Sitting on a nearly shadeless hill near the Underwood Park playground, Hazel Gosse, 3, held onto a tiny leaf while listening to a children’s book on nature.
“We planted a tree,
“And that one tree
“Made the world better.”
The poetic story — “We Planted a Tree,” written by Diane Muldrow and illustrated by Bob Staake — colorfully summarized how essential trees and forests are for our future.
Gosse and the other children who came to the Belmont Public Library’s Aug. 13 event not only enjoyed story time and a craft, they also learned about an upcoming project that aims to improve the local environment: the planting of a mini “Miyawaki Forest” at Belmont High School on Oct. 4.
This type of woods was named for Japanese ecologist Akira Miyawaki, “who dedicated his life to the study and implementation of forest restoration,” according to Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (Bio4Climate). The nonprofit has been offering guidance to the local group, Miyawaki Forest Action Belmont (MFAB), to bring the community project to fruition this fall.
Good Things Come in Small Packages
A Miyawaki Forest is “an ultra-dense, biodiverse pocket forest that recreates the complexity of natural forests and the relationships and processes that help them grow strong and resilient,” according to Bio4Climate. “By giving [a] home to a vast array of native species, they boost the biodiversity of the area and nurture pollinators, supporting and restoring ecosystems.”
This is the type of project that’s “looking toward the future,” according to Jess Hausman, MFAB’s community outreach director.
When planted by volunteers in the southwest quadrangle of the high school, it will be “a tiny but mighty forest,” Hausman said.
According to Hausman, the mini-forest will be 3,000 square feet, with 1,400 trees that include 30 native species. Most saplings will be delivered from local nurseries on the community planting day, Oct. 4.
The budget is $70,000, the majority of which is from fundraising efforts from private donors in the community. MFAB received in-kind donations of materials and labor from Hartney Greymont (tree and lawn care company, with arborist Tyler Ledin). Some of the trees were donated by author and naturalist Russ Cohen.
This type of forest grows much faster than a “typical” forest — 25 years instead of 100, for example. The forest will be self-managed after the first three years. Volunteers will help care for it in the beginning.
Multifaceted Space For Nature
When the mini-forest is planted at Belmont High School, it will be in good company.
Recent Belmont High grad Holly Kong said as a former member of the Climate Action Club (CAC), she served as a steward of the school’s native pollinator garden. Kong also served as a liaison between CAC and MFAB.
When it became clear that the only viable location for the mini-forest was the exact plot of land where the CAC pollinator garden was located, it was challenging to accept, especially considering all the hard work that had gone into creating the garden.
However, students were able to move the plants so they could fulfill their purpose as “a sanctuary for the lively biodiversity around us,” Kong said. Now, the transplanted garden will be the “collar” around the mini-forest.
Kong is excited to travel back to her hometown for the Oct. 4 planting event.
“Not only will the mini-forest provide outdoor learning opportunities to students all over town, but it will also add accessible green space where community members can interact and connect with nature, hands-on,” she said. “I believe the forest will also be an indicator/symbol of progress for environmental consciousness in Belmont.”
According to the Belmont Public Schools website, the mini-forest will:
- Become an outdoor classroom for science, language, and visual arts
- Teach students about biodiversity and natural ecosystems
- Build stronger connections within Belmont schools and the wider community
- Improve stormwater absorption on campus
- Empower students to be environmental changemakers
Both Hausman and Kong said they hope in the future there will be opportunities to plant additional Miyawaki mini-forests in town.
For more information on Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (Bio4Climate) and MFAB (Miyawaki Forest Action Belmont), visit tinyurl.com/MiniForestBelmont. To reach MFAB, email miniforestbelmont@gmail.com.
