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Miyawaki

The Forest of Thanks and Opportunity.

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This blog is part three of a series. Click here for part one and part two.

This week’s blog is written by Michael Williams, Project Officer at TCV Southwark. Michael is pictured here at the ‘Forest of Thanks’ plant in Parsloe Park.

On Thursday 3rd December 2020, the first 28,000 trees were planted as part of the Parsloes Park ‘Forest of Thanks’. The forest is a joint project between The Conservation Volunteers, Barking & Dagenham Council, NatWest, Thames Chase community volunteers, Wild Urban Spaces and SUGI.

Introducing the Forest of Thanks, a Miyawaki mini urban forest

The forest is the largest Miyawaki project in Europe with 32,000 trees. The ‘Forest of Thanks’ will be planted in four blocks covering a hectare of the park.

In the spring, the paths between the blocks will be sown with a mix of woodland flower and grass seeds. The creation of the rides is to increase habitat diversity.

Alongside the trees planted with the Miyawaki technique, a section of trees will be planted using the traditional method. This will allow for direct comparison of the two styles of planting, a great opportunity for Citizen Science projects.

TCV team members, partners and volunteers planting the first 28,000 trees

The Forest of Citizen Science

Citizen Science allows the public to assist in research which can greatly increase scientist’s ability to collect data. It also improves the participants understanding of scientific principles.

Part of the ‘Forest of Thanks’ project is to evaluate the Miyawaki method and compare the development of the forest with the traditionally planted block as the trees grow.

Members of the local community can be trained to help monitor the development of the ‘Forest of Thanks’. These Citizen Scientists can collect measurements on tree diameter, canopy cover, soil chemistry, and conduct bird, insects and plant surveys to assess if there is a difference in the speed of colonisation.

TCV run Citizen Science projects across the UK, like this flood monitoring citizen science group in Scotland.

The Forest of Community Spirit

Involving local people with the monitoring and study of the trees will also help the local community connect with the forest, which is a vital part of any green space’s success.

At TCV we know that when members of the local community gain greater knowledge and understanding of their local environment, they become more invested in its protection and improvement.

Another TCV Citizen Science group analysing deadwood for wildlife

Projects, such as the ‘Forest of Thanks’ also help build stronger communities by bringing people together that might not otherwise meet.

School children can get involved too, instilling an interest and care for nature, and hopefully inspiring some to take up careers in science, whether that is in the environment sector of any of the many other valuable fields.

The Conservation Volunteers and partners are pioneering the Miyawaki approach in Europe with the biggest plant of this kind…

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This blog is part two of a series. Click here for part one.

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) are pioneering the Miyawaki approach to forest planting with Barking & Dagenham Council and thanks to 32,000 trees being donated to the project by Natwest Group. The Parsloes Park collaborative project (also involving Kings College London, Thames Chase Community Forest, SUGI and Wild Urban Spaces) will be the largest Miyawaki project to date in all of Europe.

“The Conservation Volunteers is a UK charity that connects people and green spaces, through activities such as tree planting, to tackle the climate and ecological emergency and provide lasting outcomes for people, communities and nature.  We’re proud to be a part of this fantastic partnership which will employ both traditional and innovative new tree planting methods at Parsloes Park, a valuable local green space.“

Darren York – Chief Executive, The Conservation Volunteers

The Parsloes Park – Forest of Thanks and Remembrance aims to combine remembrance with an appreciation for all the hard work frontline workers have delivered and are continuing to do for the borough and its residents during the Covid-19 pandemic. As well as being an area for relaxation and socialising, the park also supports a wildlife area, playground and multiple sport and leisure facilities which are all well used by the local community.

The Parsloes Park – Forest of Thanks and Remembrance will include 32,000 trees being donated to the project by Natwest Group.

This new Miyawaki forest aims to bring further wildlife to the area for the benefit of the community and the project also supports the borough’s wider commitment to their Tree City of the World status, their Inclusive Growth Strategy and to the Parks and Open Spaces Strategy.

But what’s most impressive is the variety of trees going into the planting…

The current site is mown grassland. With all these new native trees the project hopes to increase the species diversity of the area, for the community, for biodiversity and to help combat the global issue of climate change.

Just four years after planting, the ‘Forest of Thanks’ could deliver benefits including:

  • Absorbing 24,000 kg of carbon: up to 30 times better absorption compared to other tree-planting schemes
  • A huge increase in biodiversity
  • Processing 1,500,000 litres of rain
  • Improving air quality by reducing polluting floating particulates by up to 10%
  • Up to 30 times better noise reduction compared to other tree-planting schemes

When completed, the ‘Forest of Thanks’ will be the largest Miyawaki Forest in the UK and Europe.

We’d like to say a huge thanks to our partners for their help and support getting this pioneering project up and running. We hope to bring further updates as the project takes shape, so watch this space for updates!

Next up in this blog series…

The Forest of Thanks and Opportunity

If you’d like to find out more about how you can get involved to support the work of The Conservation Volunteers, visit: https://www.tcv.org.uk