Coming soon to Manhattan, a brand new Tiny Forest
A trend that has been gaining momentum around the world will finally arrive in Manhattan. It is a small forest that will be planted this spring on the south side of Roosevelt Island, in the East River. According to its creators, it would be the first of its kind in the city and consist of 1,000 native plants, trees and shrubs, covering an area of just 2,700 square meters.
“We are an island. We think about floods, we think about storm surges, and the best treatment is planting a tree,” said Christina Delfico, founder of iDig2Learn, a non-profit organization dedicated to reconnecting people with nature and helping lead the project. “The roots will stabilize the land. With good soil there will be no flooding. The concrete jungle needs pocket forests.”
Called the Manhattan’s Healing Forestit will be planted according to the Miyawaki method, which was developed by Japanese botanist and plant ecologist Akira Miyawaki, who received the 2006 Blue Planet Prize, a top environmental award, for his work to restore forest ecosystems. First, the land is meticulously prepared, usually with compost and mulch. Native trees and shrubs are then planted close together, allowing the flora to grow quickly. According to proponents, Miyawaki-style forests become self-sustaining within three years and can reach maturity within a few decades. Along the way, they provide habitat for insects and wildlife, absorb carbon and purify the air.
Mini-forests have been planted by the thousands around the world, in cities in Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Many of the forests are barely the size of tennis courts, but their creators report a range of benefits, including a cooling effect in hot weather, the absorption of floodwaters and even the return of birds that locals thought had disappeared.
In the United States, Miyawaki-style forests have been planted in recent years in Los Angeles, Washington State and Cambridge, Massachusetts. In Danehy Park, on top of an old landfill, a mini Cambridge forest was planted, growing at a rate the city’s chief inspector of urban forestry and landscapes described as ‘phenomenal’.
The mini-forest on Roosevelt Island will be the 200th forest planted by SUGi, a foundation that plans to cover the costs, which typically average about $200 per ten square meters. According to Elise van Middelem, the founder of SUGi, white oak, Virginia strawberry, butternut, New York fern and eastern white pine will be among the 40 species planted. According to Ms. Delfico, the forest will be planted in Southpoint Park on Roosevelt Island, on top of a large unused garden bed.
“It was just waiting for this little forest,” Ms. Delfico said.
The land is leased from the city by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and planting by community volunteers is scheduled for April 6.