Mini-Forest Project in Rochester
Our First Mini-Forest Is Taking Root in May 2025!
At the beginning of May 2025, a 1,000 sq ft forest will take shape in Rochester! This project has been made possible through our generous sponsors, The Community Foundation of Greater Rochester and First State Bank, and their grant funding opportunities. 
The Rochester Mini-forest will be planted in a vacant grassy area near the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Community Garden space near Wilcox and Woodward. It will be an excellent way to reclaim vacant land for ecological restoration. It'll be exciting to watch this little forest grow!
The 1,000 sq ft plot will be densely planted with 290 diverse native species of canopy trees, understory trees, and shrubs and will provide habitats for countless creatures, including native pollinators! Many plants that will go in are identified as larval hosts or will offer nectar when they flower in spring. A path and a few benches for people to enjoy are also a part of the design.
Approx location of Mini-forest (red marker)
Please read on for more about Mini-forests . . .
What's a Mini-forest?
Sometimes called a pocket-forest or micro-forest, a mini-forest is a small plot, usually measuring 1,000 sq feet, that is densely planted with a variety of native canopy, understory trees, and native shrubs.
Japanese ecologist Akira Miyawaki developed this concept in the 1970s as a way to begin to reforest land that had been deforested, but to do so in a way that supports native ecology. Mini-forests have now been planted all over the world, with a large number of them in India and Japan.
The idea is now beginning to catch on here in North America, with a growing number of communities in the United States beginning to plant mini-forests, like Rochester, Michigan. In 2022, the Canadian government launched a nationwide Green Communities Initiative that includes a free online training for planting a mini-forest--a training open to anyone who wants to learn more!.
The design is simple, but requires multiple saplings each of 15 to 30 different varieties of native trees and shrubs. All are densely planted, with 3 seedlings per square yard. Miyazaki found that planting in this way promoted faster growth at the beginning and the plot fills in quickly.
The tree service company Leaf & Limb asserts that quick-growing Miniforests "accumulate carbon, reduce water runoff, create healthy soil, and provide a foundation for an abundance of life."
Photo: https://one-more-tree.org/blog/2024/06/14/miyawaki-pocket-forest-comprehensive-guide/
Why Plant a Mini-forest?
Many good reasons exist to plant a dense, biodiverse Mini-forest in a suburban or urban area.
Trees and other green plants are the lungs of our planet, taking in carbon dioxide and transforming it into oxygen--precisely the opposite of our respiratory system. They need the oxygen they produce and release carbon dioxide that green plants need for their nutrients.
Trees also contribute the following to the health of humans and our environment:
- retain soil moisture in dry times
- reduce carbon in the atmosphere
- reduce surface temperatures by up to 53°F (12°C)
- reduce flooding by taking up water
- reduce soil erosion
- improve mental health by reducing stress and anxiety
- improving physical health by reducing blood pressure
- supports a huge diversity of life (including many pollinators!)
Globally, each day, 42 billion trees are cut down. (see infographic below)
In addition to tree loss for agriculture, development, and logging, wildfires have also increased due to our changing climate. The World Resources Institute reports that the rate of wildfires on Earth "increased by about 5.4% per year" between 2001 and 2023.
When we plant a tree, we are taking a step toward making a healthier world. When we plant a diverse Mini-forest, the impact is substantially more significant. Instead of one plant for habitat, a Mini-forest grows to be a small ecosystem. Instead of one tree, the people and creatures who visit will experience an oasis of green, burgeoning with life.
More information and resources not linked above:
Humans Need Trees for Health
Tiny Forests With Big Benefits (NYT)
Leaf & Limb: Basics of Planting a Pocket Forest
City of Rochester Tree & Shrub Choices and the Workplan
Link to Mini-Forest List of Tree & Shrubs & Workplan
Trees have complex lives, and they communicate with each other through a fungal filament in the soil and chemicals in the air. Through constant cooperation, they help each other out. The books below are ones that Marilyn used for the mini-forest project.
Books to Read:
"Finding the Mother Tree," Suzanne Simard
"The Hidden Life of Trees," Peter Wohlleben
"Mini-Forest Revolution," Hannah Lewis