Tiny Forests, Big Impact: What Is a Miyawaki Forest?

We often think of forests as something far away.

Vast and wild.

Out beyond the city’s edge.

But what if a forest could take root right where you live? Between buildings. Beside a sidewalk. In a place you once passed without noticing.

What is the Miyawaki Method?
The Miyawaki Method was developed by Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki, who believed that we could fast-track nature’s ability to restore itself if we listened to what the land actually needed.

Instead of planting trees in rows or as single specimens, the Miyawaki Method calls for:

• Only native species, chosen based on the site’s natural ecology

• Dense planting, with three to five seedlings per square meter

• Multiple layers, mimicking a natural forest: canopy, understory, shrub, and groundcover

• Minimal long-term maintenance, once established

These forests grow up to ten times faster and thirty times denser than conventional tree plantings. What would take nature a century to build can happen in just a few decades. In the Miyawaki approach, we steward the land to expedite the growth pattern of our hardwood trees.

The outcome? A dense, biodiverse pocket of native trees, maturing in a fraction of the time. These forests are small in size but mighty in impact. They support wildlife, cool the air, soak up stormwater, and reconnect people to the land beneath their feet.

Imagine standing beneath a full, living canopy - one that only took twenty years to grow.

Worcester’s First Miyawaki Forests
That vision is already coming to life. At Reimagined Roots, we are proud to be part of Worcester’s first Miyawaki Mini-Forest projects, two groundbreaking rewilding efforts happening right in the heart of the city.

📍 McGrath Parking Lot, beside the Worcester Public Library

📍 Plumley Village Apartments, within a vibrant residential community

These projects are collaborative, community-powered, and deeply hopeful. We are working alongside BSC, Bio4Climate, and the City of Worcester’s Department of Sustainability and Resilience to care for these living ecosystems as they establish themselves.

These are not just plantings. They are living climate resilience infrastructure.
Each site transforms underutilized urban land into a thriving habitat that:

• Improves air quality

• Reduces flooding and heat

• Provides beauty and biodiversity

• Connects people, especially kids and families, to the natural world

• Builds community through hands-on stewardship and shared care

This is what restoration looks like when it lives right outside your door.

How it Works
A Miyawaki Forest does not require a massive footprint. Just a little space, good planning, and a big vision.

After a site is prepared and species are selected, native trees and shrubs are planted close together in layers. The density encourages fast growth, deep roots, and early canopy formation. These plants support one another just as they would in the wild.

With mulch, initial watering, and a few years of care, these forests become self-sustaining. No mowing, spraying, or pruning required.

New England WANTS to be Forested!
A forest does not need to be remote. It does not need to be large. It only needs to be rooted in relationship.

We believe that every community deserves access to trees, shade, pollinators, and the quiet joy of being surrounded by life. We believe in planting what will outlive us. In working with others to grow something bigger than any one person can maintain alone.

In Worcester, that work has already begun.

And it is only the beginning.

The forest is the future. And the future is taking root, one tiny forest at a time.