Collaboration Corner

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  • 1.  Tiny Forests

    Posted 24-05-2023 16:00

    I've been thinking about tiny forests again, and with International Day for Biological diversity just gone, it seemed timely. 

    Back on Jan 3, I ddi a post about tiny forests - https://bit.ly/3BQwyVp . You may need this link to view the video now - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=358698271782485 


    Gardening Australia also recently aired a story about micro forests - https://ab.co/3Mui8iY 


    Tiny/micro forests can:

    • be one small step to redress the biodiversity loss in our environment

    • provide wildlife and bird corridors

    • store carbon

    • Begin to redress the heat island effect in our town's and cities


    They do this on tracts of land that would remain otherwise unused. These tracts often incur expensive maintenance costs.


    Taranganbar road has two examples of tiny forests, and demonstrates this can be done cost effectively to preserve the amenity of the Shire.


    Lobby your elected representatives. Ask them to quarantine landscaping from getting cut due to costs overruns. Suggest tracts of land where tiny forests could be established. Share this more widely to help build momentum.



  • 2.  RE: Tiny Forests

    Posted 30-05-2023 10:56

    What a great thing to be thinking about! 

    Your post led me to do some of my own research, which I thought I would share here... Like, did you know that Tiny Forests were pioneered by Japan? 

    So, what are Tiny Forests? Well, it calls for hundreds of natives (of varying species) to be planted densely in enriched soil. Promoting competitive growth habits, Tiny Forests can promote natives to grow up to 10x faster than traditional forests! So, instead of taking 200 years... it takes only 10-20! 

    Bringing Tiny Forests to Urban Landscapes... What are the Urban Benefits? 

    Sustained urban land clearing in Australia has resulted in habitat fragmentation, species extinction, biodiversity loss and rising temperatures. Nevertheless, research shows that our cities hold substantially more threatened species (per unit area) than rural areas! 

    The decline of green canopy also means Australian city dwellers face a much hotter future. Major heatwaves are Australia's deadliest natural hazards, particularly for cities, with a lack of trees causing "heat islands". With 68% of Australia's population predicted to live in cities by 2050, our cities may soon become unliveable. Tiny Forests, the size of a single tennis court, can help us begin to address this ever-growing issue. 

    For anyone else interested in doing some reading, I recommend visiting here! They have a great summary on Tiny Forests. 



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    Emily Mason
    Sydney NSW
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