The Tiny Forests enchanting communities

Has there ever been a greater tool of metaphor than a forest? It feels like we have always drawn upon their qualities to tell tales of bravery, transformation and magic. Those of us fortunate enough to have a forest within reach feel the benefits through the natural peace and wellbeing they can bring. But where has this natural affinity with the forest come from? Might it be our inherent understanding of its value, its necessity to our lives? Does a forest make us feel more human because we know that life without them is not worth contemplating?

The absence of forests can be felt just as keenly as their presence and even in urban areas, we are seeing flooding, heat stress and loss of biodiversity. These are long-term challenges that require joined up and strategic thinking, but such words paint a picture of powerlessness – a sense that the task at hand is simply too big for us as individuals. Not so, says Daniel Hayhow, who leads research in urban biodiversity at Earthwatch Europe. Daniel is part of Earthwatch’s ‘Tiny Forests’ initiative and over the past three years he has seen communities all over the UK plant over 200 tennis court sized forests. “Climate change and the biodiversity crises are really hitting people and how they live their lives,” explains Daniel. “So, we really want to prove that science is for everyone.”

Tiny Forests achieves this by creating communities of ‘citizen scientists’ who not only get involved in the planting of these miniature forests, but tend to them and measure their progress, reporting back to Earthwatch HQ. But this compact description massively understates all the little ways that anyone – regardless of age or ability – can help to bring a Tiny Forest to life and nurture its growth. Initially, Earthwatch work with private enterprises and local government to locate the ideal spaces for a Tiny Forest. On the whole, they are looking for areas where there is not ready access to high quality green spaces. This might purely be down to location, but even where there are such places nearby, requiring a car journey or public transport to reach them raises issues of affordability. Bringing Tiny Forests to the maximum amount of people is key, not only to the wider benefit they bring, but to the forest itself, as it is loved and cared for by its local community.

Of course, preparing to grow a Tiny Forest takes more than just finding an available space. Ahead of planting, the ground itself must be prepared – especially if it’s solid from having vehicles pass over it. The goal is to break up the soil so that it’s loose enough to hold water and for tree roots to grow down into. The soil is also tested for nutrients. “When we do the soil test, we use that information to choose the trees. Every forest has a specific tree list of species suitable to the site,” explains Daniel. “Because if you just planted any 600 trees and shrubs, they won't necessarily thrive there. But we're also keen to plant what we should be growing – native species, which are most suitable to the biodiversity in the area.” The process is based on the work of Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist who devised a way to create dense, multi-layered forests that provide the same ecological functions as mature ones, but in a shorter time. Over the years and around the world this method has been successful in creating biodiverse, healthy forests in a cost-effective and efficient way.

While the foundations for a Tiny Forest are being put in place, the locals are rallied, and this is when 200m² of soil transform into something magical before a single sprout has peeped through it. People from all parts of the community volunteer their time to the forest – from toddlers to senior citizens and everyone in between. They gather at the site, first to plant and then to care for their forest. Leading and guiding the volunteers are Earthwatch’s small army of ‘Tree Keepers’. A Tree Keeper speaks with two voices – that of the community and of the forest. They keep a watchful eye on the Tiny Forest, while at the same time organising activities to bring the community and forest together. Paul Salman is the Tree Keeper for the London Borough of Barnet and feels that Tiny Forests are a great way to get people out of their homes and into “the outdoor life of their community”. “People get very excited about the planting,” he says, thinking back to how over 100 people came out to start off their Tiny Forest. “It was incredibly muddy! But everybody absolutely loved sliding about and we had schools, friends, relatives, people from nearby roads… it was a great way to start and an investment because you’ve had a fun day.”

But it doesn’t stop at the planting. Paul’s presence means that Barnet’s Tiny Forest is always in the hearts and minds of the neighbourhood, which was absolutely critical when the UK registered its hottest ever summer, just a few months after their grand forest planting. The heat was intense, but the Barnet community rose to the challenge in the most incredible fashion. “We had the worst drought ever in this country. So, suddenly, this was a massive focal point for us,” Paul remembers. “People came together to water it. Each session we took buckets of water from the local brook and carried it up to the trees. And, to me, that was a powerful thing to do. We probably saved quite a few trees in the process, but it was a very, very rough start.” Paul also talks about Tiny Forests at Citizens Assemblies and offers ‘Show and Tell’ events to keep awareness of the project high. He also plans to do a “Tiny Forest Tour”, visiting as many of the other sites as he can, to share best practice and learn from each other.

An important part of the Tiny Forest project that Paul particularly enjoys is the ‘Citizen Science’. Data is collected from every forest site and reported back to Earthwatch Europe, who then can use it to understand the wider implications of their addition to urban areas. Tree Keepers are given equipment and access to the Tiny Forests Portal so they can carry out the same scientific surveys across the country. These activities too are shared with the community and are, in and of themselves, a beautiful way to engage with the forest. “It doesn’t matter if you’re six years old or eighty, everybody loves identifying and counting creepy crawlies,” laughs Paul. “And we also measure the height and girth of a tree to calculate how much carbon is being captured. There are also sort of meditative activities, like counting how many butterflies you'll see in five minutes.”

The first Tiny Forest in the UK is now three years old, so Daniel is looking forward to seeing how the data from this network of “living laboratories” comes together. “The next year is going to be really great because we've got a nice cohort of forests coming through. They're three years old, and they really do grow fast. In our oldest forest some of the trees are up to four metres tall. Now we’re going to have about 25 forests where the canopy will be starting to close, and the ecosystem of the forest begins to really function.” This means that they will not only be a happy place for the community but attracting more and more wildlife to make their homes in the forest.

Paul and the Tiny Forest volunteers in Barnet recently celebrated their forest’s first birthday and, as they would with any member of their family, they gathered, threw a party and had birthday cake. Yes, they were celebrating a successful year of nurturing their newborn forest, against all odds. But they were also there to be part of a story – where people from all over the country come together in their communities to do something truly important that creates positive change. Everyone has their individual tale to tell. It might have taken some a great deal of courage to join as a volunteer. It could have meant more hours in an already long day for another. Parents scrub the mud from tiny hands and ears after a day’s planting and others brave an afternoon of weeding, knowing their knees will pay for it later. These forests are so much more than just trees and shrubs, they really do show us what it means to be human and what we are capable of. They make us brave; they show us the power of transformation. And they are definitely more than a little bit magic.

Do you enjoy watching wildlife in your city? We’ve partnered with Earthwatch to invite you to enter our urban wildlife photography competition, which celebrates the UK’s urban green spaces and their wild inhabitants. Enter today!