Around Town
Watertown’s First Miyawaki Forest to be Planted This Fall
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Local teens have been tending tiny trees for the Miyawaki forest planting. By Liza Ketchum
Good news for Watertown: the city’s first Miyawaki Forest will be planted this fall! Miyawaki forests — which can be as small as a ping pong table or as big as a parking lot — are named for Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese ecologist and weed expert (1928-2021). He studied groves of ancient, native trees growing close together at shrines around Japan. Since trees take up carbon and release oxygen into the atmosphere, Miyawaki realized that these small groves could clean the air in urban areas, while attracting wildlife, birds, and beneficial insects. When planted densely, they become self-sustaining ecosystems in just a few years. With the help of other botanists — soon joined by volunteers of all ages — he began planting these small forests across Japan and eventually, around the world.