May 29, 2024REAL's Miyawaki Forest Takes Root: A New Green Oasis in Smith Falls
The soil preparation day for REAL's Miyawaki Forest, set to be planted in Corbett/Hyland Park, was a resounding success on April 13. Despite the cold and wet weather, volunteers gathered in shifts to lay down the groundwork for this exciting project. Dave Thornley, REAL’s Treasurer, expressed his amazement at the turnout, saying, "We had 55 volunteers out on Saturday, April 13, to create the forest floor. I am amazed at how many gave up their free time on a miserable, cold rainy day."
The forest, inspired by the Miyawaki method of dense and diverse tree planting, will transform a greenspace between Empress, Sussex, Elgin, and Chambers Streets into a thriving mini-forest.
Photo by Cheryl Nash
Next steps for the Miyawaki Forest include the placement of strategically positioned large rocks donated by Campbell’s Trucking. Additionally, colorful painted stir sticks were integrated into the forest. “We had 30 students from the Grade 7/8 class at Duncan J. Schoular school paint 100 stir-sticks and put words of encouragement on them. They called them their 'Positive Message' sticks. The sticks were donated by Home Hardware. The students put their sticks on the forest floor on Wed Apr 17, and they look great ... instead of a lump of dirt, we now have a beautiful creation,” added Thornley.
Thornley emphasized the community support, stating, "The town donated the land[...] Gemmell's Garden Centre provided their watering truck to us for free, for the day, and the one last piece of the forest floor will be some large rocks to be donated by Campbell's Trucking."
"We are also hoping to get the Community involved with the weeding of the forest, as this is a requirement for the first couple of years of the forest, until it can stand on its own," added Thornley.
The Miyawaki Forest initiative not only aims to enhance the local greenspace but also showcases the power of community collaboration and environmental stewardship. It provides a tangible example of what a grown-out mini urban forest could look like, much like the ecoPerth forest beside the Tay Basin that began its planting journey in 2002 and has since become an integral part of the community, thriving and contributing to the well-being of residents, particularly by absorbing carbon.
Watch for more updates about the planting day in the fall through local media, Facebook, and REAL's website.
To support this project financially, visit https://www.canadahelps.org/en/ and select the "Mini Forest" option from the drop-down menu.