Grassroots organisations
Microforests planted by and for the people
A microforest is a great opportunity for citizens’ groups to come together around a common project. Everyone can contribute to creating these islands of greenery at the heart of our urban and rural communities. They also become places where people can meet and share ideas. There are several channels through which you can finance your project.
Collective microforests
A microforest can be planted in all sorts of situations: Participatory budgets or crowdfunding
Projects carried out by citizens’ groups are often financed under a participatory public budget or with crowdfunding. Planting a microforest involves practical training with a group of people who want to work towards a common goal: namely to green their neighbourhood. It is an opportunity to get together, forge closer links and create some fond memories. This gives each participant the chance to be an agent of change by helping to establish an urban forest in their neighbourhood. Everyone learns about the specific things they can do to bring nature back into their living environment.
Working together
The microforest improves the living environment and creates a dynamic communal space where the residents can meet, relax and connect with nature. Fitting for any piece of land A microforest can be planted in all sorts of situations : meeting places, public squares, sports complexes, schools or even in another park.
Fitting for any piece of land
A microforest can be planted in all sorts of situations: meeting places, public squares, sport complexes, schools or even another park.
Individual support
We will support you throughout the process, from design to planting, both remotely and on-site. This includes technical implementation, training in the Miyawaki method, planting the trees, and then monitoring things to ensure the success of the project. You will carry out the upkeep.
Impacts
There are numerous goals :
- Mobilisation at grassroots level to take action in your neighbourhood
- A restored area of native biodiversity in the urban environment
- Improved quality of life for residents by having the forest in the community
- An additional element of vegetation that brings coolness and nature to the city
- Raised awareness on the part of citizens regarding environmental issues
Practical training
For those carrying out a project, it’s possible to combine the training with the creation of an actual microforest. Urban Forests offers customised training in the Miyawaki method. Working in a small group, you benefit from theoretical and practical elements as you develop your own microforest.
Examples of our works with citizens' groups
We have worked with several citizens’ collectives to help them achieve their projects. Our involvement at your side provides reassurance for the local authority. These initiatives have transformed plots of land into wild ecosystems, enriching the living environment of residents while promoting community cohesion.
1 year
The association Arbre Ville put all its energy into benefiting from a participatory budget in Savoy. This piece of land, provided by the town, has now become a beautiful microforest that is the pride of the group. The training took place over five days with a group of around 10 people. It was a timeless experience that left people with some unforgettable memories.
2 years
A collective known as 10,000 Trees 10,000 Children persuaded the town of Marly to create a large Miyawaki forest in a public park. The microforest reduces road noise and makes the park cooler and much more pleasant.
2 years
Micro-forêt Toulouse en Transition is a collective that emerged around a generous participatory budget provided by the Occitan Region. The training took place over six days, and was recorded in a documentary film. The collective went on to create 10 more microforests around Toulouse.
What other benefits might a microforest bring ?
Microforests are miniature ecosystems that combine environmental conservation with social benefits. They can perform a number of other functions :
Because they are situated close to people – in gardens, around a neighbourhood, at schools and in workplaces – Miyawaki forests become meeting places; they encourage social interaction and strengthening community ties.
Microforests act as natural sound barriers, absorbing and diminishing ambient noise. The density of their foliage provides effective acoustic insulation that improves the comfort of work spaces.
With their diversity of plants and trees, microforests can transform what are often monotonous spaces into a green paradise. The trees’ foliage or their bright autumn colours always provide inspiring visual scenery.
The forests attract an astonishing level of biodiversity, including birds, butterflies and fungi. Life teems abundantly in these green havens, as microforests invite nature to reclaim its rightful place.
Miyawaki forests create a more comfortable microclimate for people in the immediate vicinity. Not only is the air cooler, it is also less dry, and the vegetation provides much appreciated shade.
A microforest is a powerful tool for awareness-raising. It provides an immediate, tangible experience of nature that sensitises people for ecological issues.
Microforests develop into natural sight screens that mask unappealing views. With their dense vegetation, they transform working environments into more aesthetic and calming spaces.
Miyawaki forests can help reduce run-off and erosion by retaining water and improving infiltration into the soil. The roots absorb rainwater and release it more slowly into the environment.
Natural spaces within a school are a wonderful source of inspiration and discovery, offering pupils unique opportunities to learn, observe and explore.
In the media
Some articles and broadcasts on urban forests planted by citizens’ groups.
- Video report by France 3 « Plantation participative d’une forêt urbaine à Metz », October 2021 – VIDEO
- Video report by TV LUX, « Une nouvelle mini forêt urbaine à Arlon et le point à Barvaux«, November 2021 – VIDEO
- Article in National Geographic « Les micro-forêts, meilleurs alliées des villes » , June 2021
- Article in The Conversation: « Micro-forêts urbaines: que penser de la méthode Miyawaki? » , March 2021
- Article on Miyawaki forests by th Association Francis Hallé pour les forêts primaires, February 2021.
- A review of questions by Etats Sauvages “Derrière les micro-forêts Miyawaki…“, July 2021
A fantastic meeting with Nicolas, but also the highest quality training provided by Urban Forests. The combination of his knowledge as a biologist and the tailor-made teaching approach meant we could learn the Miyawaki method while enjoying an extraordinary experience: friends, families and local residents together creating a miniature world.
We often reminisce about the experience of creating our Miyawaki forest with Urban Forests, using the Region’s participatory budget. The experience had a big impact on the group and brought us closer together. I often see the mayor of my municipality, who wants to keep organising activities around the microforest.