Background

Set within a circle, a meandering pathway with various types of shubbery and trees on either side. With images of butterflies, a lizard and a bird in the foreground. A hazy silhouette of iconic Los Angeles skyscrapers in the back. Four distant birds in flight on the left. A bird alighting on a bush. Logo reads LA Micro Forests.
Micro forests (also called pocket forests, mini forests, and tiny forests) are densely-planted, multilayered indigenous forests planted in urban spaces which act as self-sustaining ecosystems that reconnect fragmented habitat and restore biodiversity.

The Miyawaki Method

The micro forest method is derived from the work of Japanese botanist and ecologist Akira Miyawaki (1928 – 2021), who pioneered a style of forest creation in Japan known as the Miyawaki Method.

Portrait of Akira Miyawaki in sunhat with trees in background.
Akira Miyawaki, pioneer of micro forests.
Front approach to Rinnoji Temple in Japan in 2008 with long, concrete walkway and hundreds of small tree saplings planted en masse on either side of the walkway. Buildings and other structures are visible on the periphery.
Example of a Miyawaki forest (Japan, 2008)
Front approach to Rinnoji Temple in Japan in 2014 with long, shady, concrete walkway and dense, tall trees on either side of the walkway. No buildings are visible, only the forest greenery and the walkway itself.
Example of a Miyawaki forest (Japan, 2014)

The Miyawaki forest

There are four layers of a conventional Miyawaki forest: canopy tree, tree, sub-tree, and shrub.

Diagram of Miyawaki forest layers with labels indicating canopy trees, trees, sub-trees, and shrubs.

The Miyawaki method involves the randomized planting of small saplings of various indigenous shrubs and trees (grown from local, regionally adapted seeds) in very close proximity together, where no two trees or shrubs of the same height are planted side by side.

This complex layering ensures that the trees are able to grow to their ideal sizes without directly competing with a neighboring tree of the same height, while at the same time, maximizing every bit of space in the forest.

Benefits of micro forests

Grows quickly, traps carbon

This multilayered, dense planting approach creates a thick forest with a faster growth rate, improved carbon sequestration, and superior levels of biodiversity compared to conventional tree planting.

Becomes self-managing

After approximately two years of weeding and watering to set the forest up for success, the forest becomes self-managing, surviving on natural rainfall and successfully resisting weed invasion due to the dense shade and natural smothering leaf litter it produces.

Supports the food web

The forest supports the entire food web, providing food, nesting sites, and refuge for insects, birds, and other animals that have been displaced from our urban spaces, thus facilitating wildlife connectivity and ecosystem health in our cities.

Feeds the soil

Natural leaf litter, in addition to compost and mulch, feeds the soil microorganisms, which in turn, support the health and growth of the forest.

Graphic depicting trees and shrubs planted in the micro forest style. Above ground are various birds, insects, squirrels and lizards that are moving towards the forest. Below ground shows the roots of the trees and shrubs with associated bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms.

Micro forests around the world

Because of their potential to create major impacts in minor spaces, even spaces as small as 10’ x 10’, people around the globe are using this method to restore nature in both urban and rural areas. There are excellent examples of successful micro forests in Japan, India, Europe, and the USA.

Temperate and tropical climates with higher rainfall naturally lend themselves to this method, but it is now being tested in drier and harsher Mediterranean climates as well.

Italy, Australia, and now parts of California have been experimenting with micro forests as a way to combat the current climate and biodiversity crisis.

See domestic and international examples of micro forests at SUGi Project.

Painting of Planet Earth with North America and part of South America.
But...how do we adapt the Miyawaki Method for our harsher, drier climate in LA?
Side-by-side image of natural temperate forest in Japan with a natural chaparral hillside in Los Angeles. Pensive emoji face in the center of the two images with a thought bubble that depicts a tree emoji. JapanLos Angeles

The LA micro forest

Diagram featuring the layers of an LA Micro Forest indicating canopy trees, trees, sub-trees, and shrubs & perennials.
Setting up the forest for maximum success in the LA region requires some changes and adaptations to the traditional Miyawaki Method to account for differences in climate and natural survival strategies of the region’s native flora.
Smaller version of Miyawaki forest layers. Part of side-by-side comparison of diagrams featuring Miyawaki forest layers and Los Angeles micro forest layers.
Miyawaki forest
Smaller version of Los Angeles micro forest layers. Side-by-side comparison of diagrams featuring Miyawaki forest layers and Los Angeles micro forest layers. Los Angeles micro forest

Changes for LA micro forests

Changes which were made to the Miyawaki Method to make it more applicable to LA’s natural ecology are summarized below:

  • The inclusion of herbaceous perennials within the lowest layer of the forest
  • A higher ratio of shrubs and herbaceous perennials and lower ratio of trees compared to a traditional Miyawaki forest
  • A reduction in plant density (from 3 trees/shrubs per 10 sq.ft. to 1.6 trees/shrubs per 10 sq.ft.)
  • A reduction/elimination of tilling as a soil prep strategy
  • An elimination of manure as a fertility strategy. Compost (for the addition of beneficial soil microbes rather than fertility) used instead on a case-by-case basis
  • Irrigation weaned off earlier during forest establishment

Case study: Los Angeles

Oak Woodland Micro Forest piloted in Griffith Park, 2021

In 2021, the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, with funding from the Hancock Park Garden Club, piloted the first micro forest project in Los Angeles at the Bette Davis Picnic Area in Griffith Park.

This forest was adapted from the Miyawaki method to produce a dense planting that was based on the local ecology of the surrounding area.

Rather than strictly adhering to the exact ratios and layers of a conventional Miyawaki forest, the designer of LA’s first micro forest used the indigenous chaparral and oak woodland plant communities as a guide for the design process.

Plants were grown from permitted collections of local seeds to ensure regional suitability, and planted with the help of the local community.

Micro forest in Griffith Park one month since planting. Forest is in the shape of a circle with a pathway running through the middle. Small, newly planted saplings and plants are dotted throughout the area.
The micro forest in Griffith Park, one month since planting
Micro forest in Griffith Park one year since planting. Forest is in the shape of a circle with a pathway running through the middle. Thick, tall vegetation fills all negative space in the forest.
The micro forest in Griffith Park, one year since planting

Stories about LA micro forests

Check out stories about Los Angeles micro forests. We will add more real-life micro forests as we learn about them.

So... how do I plant a micro forest?

Check out our free guide