June 25 library talk: Tiny Forests’ Big Benefits
Mini, fast-growing ‘Miyawaki’ forests are being planted in Quincy by residents and the city alike
When Maria Andrews moved back to her childhood home in Quincy Point, her backyard was barren – “all grass and one rhododendron,” she jokes. But two years ago, she planted more than 150 bare-root trees, shrubs, and ground cover plants on her property in an effort to create a tiny, crowded oasis known as a Miyawaki forest.
“It’s completely different now. Most trees have doubled in size, and the birch have outdone themselves – I have a birch almost to my second story,” she says. “And the wildlife I see is amazing. I saw hummingbirds last year for the first time.”
Mini forests offer a huge “ecological bang for your buck,” agrees city tree warden Dan Cathcart, who is planning to install one near the Quincy Adams T station this fall. The competition for sunlight makes the densely planted trees grow three to four times as fast as trees planted on their own. “You get all the same ecological services, from heat relief to contaminant filtration, but it comes faster,” says Cathcart. “The collective benefit of the individual trees is far less than the benefit of a forest.”
Andrews and Cathcart will discuss Miyawaki forests at the main library (40 Washington Street) on Tuesday, June 25, at 7 pm. The free talk is co-hosted by the Thomas Crane Public Library and the Quincy Tree Alliance, a volunteer organization dedicated to protecting and expanding the city’s tree canopy. For more information, visit thomascranelibrary.org/events-calendar and quincytreealliance.com.
This Miyawaki forest was planted in Cambridge’s Danehy Park
Maria Andrews is a lifelong resident of Quincy. She volunteers at Quincy Animal Shelter and is a member of Quincy's Invasive Species Management Committee. Maria is an animal advocate and nature lover who spends most of her time hiking in the woods with her dog, Sophia.
Dan Cathcart is the city’s tree warden. He won a federal grant for $750,000 to plant trees in environmental justice areas in Quincy and hopes to use about $300,000 of that to plant the City’s first mini “Miyawaki” forest near Quincy Adams T station.