As the sun rises on a Saturday in April, dozens of volunteers gather on a sliver of land in Camp Washington, between the CSX railyard and the Mill Creek. The area is industrial and there aren't a lot of trees around. Nonprofit Taking Root, Cincinnati Parks and a host of other organizations are changing that.
Taking Root President Lauren Enda stands next to a raised plot of dirt. It’s no bigger than a few parking spaces.
“We're putting 600 tree seedlings in 1,800 square feet — that's quite dense,” Enda said. “Now, will all of those trees grow to maturity? No, but what they'll do is — as trees do everywhere — they will protect one another and help one another, but also compete as they grow bigger.”
The goal is to grow a mini forest using the Miyawaki method, a tree planting technique aimed at restoring pockets of degraded land.
Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki introduced the idea in the 1970s and said it could create a mature forest ecosystem in decades, rather than the century it would take without human intervention. The process involves selecting tree species native to the area, improving the soil by mixing in organic material, and planting seedlings in a way meant to mimic a natural forest.
Mini forests planted using this method can be found around the world. But, so far, there aren’t many examples in Greater Cincinnati.
Enda says her organization got the idea from visiting a collection of these tiny forests at a manufacturing plant in Madison, Indiana. She says they offer “many, many benefits.”
“You're looking at improved air quality. You're looking at flood mitigation. You're going to be looking at carbon sequestration that we don't feel, but of course, we're all wanting that to come out of our atmosphere,” Enda said.
A team effort to increase tree canopy
At the April planting, Enda circles up the volunteers for a short ceremony.
There are Girl Scouts, members of a local high school’s gardening club, University of Cincinnati students and retired folks, from Columbus to Covington. Everyone says the names of the species they’re putting in the ground, including sycamore, black cherry, sassafras and more.
They split into 14 groups. Each plants a small section of the forest.
Adam Moeller lives nearby and heard about the planting through a friend. He’s pushing a dibble tool into the soil.
“So, depending on the size of the root, we've got to dig a hole big enough and make sure it has good soil contact so it gets a good start to life,” Moeller said.
He says he’s happy to see more trees coming to Camp Washington. The neighborhood has one of the lowest tree canopies in Cincinnati — around 9%, according to city data.
“I think it'll be awesome to come from year to year and see this little bit of work that we helped out with grow through the years,” Moeller said.
What’s next? Research, modifications and another Miyawaki forest
While this Miyawaki planting is one of the first in Cincinnati, it won’t be the last.
Ken Petren is director of UC’s Field Center. He and his students are working with Taking Root to research this mini forest, as well as the older ones in Madison, Indiana.
“There's not a lot of studies showing, 'here's how much they grow, here's how much carbon they fix, here's how they create a more mature successional stage of forest,' ” Petren said. “All these are stated goals of the Miyawaki method, they just haven't been documented.”
He says collecting this information is important as local organizations add this method to their tree planting toolboxes. For example, he points out Cincinnati Parks is actively planting more trees to combat issues like the urban heat island effect and declining native forests caused by invasive species, like honeysuckle.
“We might say, ‘Hey, here's a modification to a technique that might make it easier for you to plant your forest,’” Petren said.
He says one idea is to install a fence around the seedlings to prevent animals from eating them.
UC and Taking Root will work together on maintaining the mini forest, occasionally weeding and watering the trees. It’s expected to be self-sustaining after a few years.
Taking Root is already planning another Miyawaki forest near the Hopple St. interchange off I-75.
Read more: