These patches of young trees – also called urban micro forests, mini forests or Miyawaki forests – are popping up all over the world. You may have even walked past one.
I recently attended the UK screening of Earthwatch Europe’s Making a Mini-Forest documentary, directed by Angelina Lee. It follows multiple forest projects around the world, and was an eye-opener as to how significant conservation can happen in a tiny space.
The process involves adopting an urban site such as a highway bank, schoolground corner or a roundabout island – it can even be as small as a single car parking space – preparing the soil, planting various native trees and shrubs in a specific way, and giving the young forest some basic care while it gets established.
What is the point of a Tiny Forest?
This approach is based on the forest restoration method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, and has been adapted into the modern “Tiny Forest” concept by Indian forest-maker Shubhendu Sharma. UNESCO describes it as a way of quietly restoring natural ecosystems without disrupting daily city life.
The Miyawaki approach recreates the different canopy layers of a natural forest. That means testing the soil and monitoring the environment in advance before choosing native species likely to survive without much human input. Then choosing a mixture of those native species that span understory plants, shrubs and taller trees, and planting them densely so they form canopy layers as they grow. This gives us an idea of what might actually have grown there if humans hadn’t come along.
A large Earthwatch Tiny Forest in the UK contains around 600 seedlings on an area roughly the size of a tennis court. That sounds tiny compared with a traditional woodland, but the whole point is to make use of small pieces of urban land where a conventional forest simply wouldn’t fit. What might eventually look like a thick pocket of wild overgrowth is actually a deliberate project to restore wildlife and soil and air quality – which are continually monitored after it’s grown.
They provide a boost for wildlife
Cities are tough places for wildlife. I was surprised to learn that it’s not just the infrastructure disrupting them – heavily managed green spaces such as manicured parks or flower beds also play a part in breaking up habitats. A densely planted, diverse patch of untouched native vegetation, however small, can provide food, shelter and nesting opportunities for insects, birds and other animals.
Earthwatch UK found that their current mini forests host a wider range of ground-dwelling invertebrates and pollinators than the immediately surrounding areas, with biodiversity increasing as forests mature. Its 2024 report also recorded less commonly observed urban species including newts, solitary bees and slow worms. In the Netherlands, UNESCO identified around 900 plant and animal species across the network’s early projects.
That doesn’t mean every Tiny Forest will magically become a wildlife paradise overnight, but it proves having more undisturbed native plants in one area creates plenty more opportunities for nature.
They support cooler, greener cities
If you are subjected to the current heatwave like I am, you must have noticed the difference between standing on a pavement and underneath a tree. (At my local bus stop, rush-hour crowds squeeze along a wall just to be in the shade of one small vine). Urban areas can become significantly hotter because concrete, asphalt and buildings absorb and retain heat. Trees provide shade and release water through their leaves, helping change the local microclimate.
Earthwatch UK found that air temperatures inside tiny forests were up to 3°C cooler during the day in two-year-old forests and 6°C cooler in three-year-old forests, compared with surrounding areas. At night, the forests were around 2°C warmer. This won’t solve urban overheating by itself, of course, but if you can squeeze a small woodland into an otherwise exposed space, you’re adding shade, vegetation and a little more resilience at the heart of where people live, work and go to school.
They help filter and drain rainwater
Hard urban surfaces amplify flooding as can send rainwater rushing into drains. The dense vegetation and healthier soil found within Tiny Forests can help counter this – improving absorption in summer and reducing clogging in winter.
Earthwatch’s 2025 monitoring report found that water infiltration rates were on average 32% faster inside Tiny Forests than in surrounding areas, alongside 38% lower soil compaction.
They are useful for climate action
Trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, storing carbon in their biomass and soils. Earthwatch estimated its UK Tiny Forest network stored around 35,000 kg of above-ground carbon in 2025, equivalent to about 128 tonnes of CO₂, excluding roots.
While that is useful, Tiny Forests shouldn’t be presented as a substitute for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. Planting trees is one piece of climate action, not a free pass to keep burning fossil fuels.
The human benefit
Tiny Forests deliberately bring nature into neighbourhoods. They can be planted beside schools, housing estates, parks and community spaces. Where possible, they might feature benches and plaques with an educational element, creating places where people can stop, explore and learn. They can also form natural privacy screens and sound barriers in built-up areas.
Helping plant a mini forest or monitor its wildlife brings even more benefits. Earthwatch’s 2025 research found that people taking part in its Tiny Forest Discovery Days reported feeling 8% more connected to nature, 5% more connected to their local community and 3% more responsible for their local environment.
It’s a great family-friendly activity too. The Netherlands’ IVN programme has made school involvement a central part of its Tiny Forest model, while Earthwatch describes its forests as living laboratories for schools and ‘citizen scientists’ (I’ll explain what these are soon!).
Where are Tiny Forests happening?
There are now Miyawaki-style micro forests and Tiny Forest projects across the globe. Many of them are part of Earthwatch’s international Miyawaki Research Network, which connects international researchers and practitioners to support each other and compare data. However, many conservation organisations and local communities are picking up the mantle independently too. I’ve listed some of them below.
Japan
This is where Akira Miyawaki developed the underlying restoration method in the 1970s. Over 1,400 such sites have since been successfully planted across Japan.
India
India has a particularly strong connection with the modern Tiny Forest movement as Shubhendu Sharma is based there. Projects by organisations including FORREST and Afforestt have used the Miyawaki technique for urban habitat restoration in places including Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Hyderabad.
Netherlands
The Netherlands was home to Europe’s first Tiny Forest, planted in Zaandam in 2015. IVN has helped develop a large national network, often involving schools, councils and local communities.
United Kingdom
Earthwatch planted the UK’s first Tiny Forest in Witney, Oxfordshire, in 2020. It now has a network of more than 290 such forests and continues to run research and citizen-science programmes.
Germany
MIYA forest has created dozens of Tiny Forests across Germany, including projects in Berlin, Eberswalde, Rüsselsheim and Oranienburg. It also runs citizen-science research into biodiversity and urban ecosystem effects.
Belgium
GoodPlanet has been involved in creating Tiny Forests in Belgian communities, including projects designed as outdoor classrooms for children.
France
France is part of the international Miyawaki Research Network, and has developed city forests as part of the country’s growing urban greening movement.
Italy
Sapienza’s Botanical Garden has established five Tiny Forests in urban and peri-urban settings, including two in Rome, as part of a wider project combining biodiversity, social inclusion and community participation.
Portugal
The ISEG Mini-Forest in Lisbon was developed through a participatory research project involving students and the wider university community.
Spain
Spain has roughly a dozen documented mini forests across the country so far. Las Rozas is home to one of the largest Miyawaki projects in the region, developed by the environmental organization Life Terra.
Australia
Earthwatch Australia is developing Tiny Forests which also help boost its numbers of native species. Projects include forests in Sydney and Campbelltown.
Canada
Canada has a growing mini-forest movement, including a national pilot led by Green Communities Canada and a Tiny Forest project at Westboro Beach in Ottawa by Foret Capitale Forest. Calgary also has a “Forests for Calgary” programme using the Miyawaki method.
USA
New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation created its first Miyawaki mini forest at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in 2025, with more than 500 plants put in by staff and nearly 100 volunteers. California has also embraced the approach, including Miyawaki forests in Berkeley and Los Angeles.
How can you get involved?
Pitch in and plant
Start by finding a forest project near you. If you’re in the UK or Ireland, Earthwatch has a digital Tiny Forest map where you can search by location. Other countries often share their locations and advertise community days on organisation websites, many of which are linked in the list above.
Then look for local events. Planting and/or weeding days are often community affairs involving schools, residents, businesses and volunteers. They are usually family-friendly and encourage you to bring the kids along. It’s a fun and meaningful day out, and many planters remember “their tree” and watch them grow every year.
If you fancy slightly more commitment, you can also become a Tree Keeper or local volunteer, helping with jobs such as watering, weeding and general care for the first six months to a year that the seedling forest establishes itself. Earthwatch specifically runs a Tree Keeper programme for this.
Citizen science
You don’t have to be an ecology expert to contribute useful data. Volunteers are taught how to measure tree growth, identify plants and insects, record wildlife and monitor environmental conditions such as soil types and moisture levels, and log the data. There’s rarely an obligation to do this regularly – but the more locals that know how, the more findings researchers can draw from.
Earthwatch estimates that its citizen scientists collectively spend around 5,200 hours each year collecting Tiny Forest data — the equivalent of around 650 days of work for one scientist. Its annual Tiny Forest Tree Survey is deliberately straightforward: grab a measuring tape or ruler, identify tagged trees, record measurements and submit the results. The next UK 2026 survey is scheduled for October.
Supporting behind the scenes
If you have a local school, community centre, allotment, park or piece of unused land in mind, start a conversation with whoever manages it to see if they are keen for some or all of it to be used. A successful Tiny Forest needs a suitable site, appropriate native species, soil preparation, permissions, funding and people willing to care for it. The organisations above can advise on that.
You could also help organise a community group or fundraiser, contact your council for land suggestions, find local businesses willing to sponsor materials, promote a planting day or simply tell your neighbours about a forest in your area. Many hands make light work!
If getting muddy isn’t your thing, you can pitch in by donating or volunteering your professional skills — photographers, designers, lawyers, administrators, teachers, researchers, fundraisers and social-media people can all be useful.
A little growth goes a long way
A Tiny Forest isn’t going to solve the climate crisis, eliminate air pollution or turn a city into a rainforest by itself. But that’s not the point. Cities are made up of thousands of small spaces — and some of those spaces could be doing much more for people and nature.
A patch of grass can become a woodland. An carpark corner can become a nesting ground. A school playground can become an outdoor classroom. Your family can become Tree Keepers. And a Saturday morning planting trees can become the start of a relationship with the natural world that lasts for years.
So next time you’re walking through your neighbourhood, keep your eyes open. There might be a tiny forest on your route – or you might discover where one could be!
