PocketForestsOregon.com
We all need to encourage each other to plant small native forests or meadows in our neighborhoods, school yards, businesses and shared spaces
to thrive!
Native plants planted close together are healthier,
help to restore soil, water cycles, and health to our planet!
All the information YOU NEED is here FREE in 4 downloadable and printable PDF's, to help plant a small 6 ft X 10 ft, or larger Miyawaki Method/Pocket forest!
There is also a FREE downloadable book by Basil Camu, called from wasteland to WONDER, that can help explain why this is SO IMPORTANT. A hardbound copy is also available at cost for $10.75, by using this link: https://www.leaflimb.com/wonder/
'Regenerating Life', is the title of an excellent science based film by John Feldman, on the successful biological solutions to climate change. A must watch film for beginning backyard activists, available on Vimeo, and Amazon Prime for $5.99! The movie describes why the planting of increased numbers of small native forests is so important, as well as native grasslands, the preservation of wetlands, and always eating or growing more organically produced food. And how we can all have some agency in helping to avoid our current climate crisis.
The loss of 40-60% of the world's original native forests around the world needs Oregon's, and everyone's help! Join our Group in the section below! We don't write regular newsletters, only help you plant your native forest with the best information, when we are contacted. And after planting your native forest, you will note how little watering or weeding is required. And in just 3-4 years, virtually no maintenance at all is required. While all this time your biodiverse, and native forest will be holding on to water, cooling your neighborhood environment, and giving you proven positive health benefits from spending time in a natural setting!
Pocket Forests Oregon's Group is dedicated to helping all who want to actively heal the earth's soil, water, and weather cycles. This includes the soil in our backyards, neighborhoods, on local businesses and church properties, within cities, and on school grounds 'as natural outdoor classrooms'. We are utilizing the 50 year old, successful method developed by the botanist Akira Miyawaki. We combine this technique with modern 'pocket forest' techniques presented by leaflimb.com, in the free downloadable book pictured below, and explained above, linked to downloading on our front page. Our methods can be applied to many ecoregions of the United States as well.
Our goals are clear, and evidence based, on international standards:
1. Everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home.
2. Every neighborhood should have at least 30% tree canopy cover.
3. Everyone should live within 300 meters of a high-quality green native plant and tree space suitable for recreational activities.
We are encouraged by the speed at which these small forests in Oregon grow. They quickly reach a climax like state in 10-15 years of growth, and need little or no maintenance, even in their first 3 years of growth. A small forest that would take nature alone 100-200 years to create.
This has now become 'a Mini-Forest Revolution' that is successful all over the world, in many ecoregions, as described in the book by Hannah Lewis, and obtainable at your local library.
Inside an Oregon 3 year old Miyawaki method Pocket forest at
Catlin Gabel School.
A teaching forest located at PocketForestsOregon.com, is available
for FREE tours by contacting our email below.
All Instructions For Building Your Own Backyard Habitat, and Small or Larger Pocket Forests are FREELY DOWNLOADABLE by Clicking
PDF X SYMBOLS BELOW: 1, 2, 3, 4
1. A Free Downloadable PDF on the fundamentals of site assessment, the 'soil look, feel and smell' observation, and optional mason jar testing for soil types, with which you are starting with.
Planting even a small native forest, restores life to the earth's soils, that has been lost by deforestation. And when you plant trees and shrubs native to your ecoregion, with native understory, and herbaceous layers, you are increasing the intertwining of roots. Thus restoring the billions and billions of microbes, and fungal networks that hold water and carbon in the soil, for a continued balance of our water, and weather cycles.
2. A free downloadable PDF on different methods of removing grass, and adding soil amendments, including a picture of a two year old 'Backyard Forest' anyone can plant inexpensively, with 20-26 differing native tree and plant species.
3. A free downloadable PDF to help you choose how to order the right number of native trees and plants, that are best suited for your ecoregion noted in the map below, and size of your forest. Remember to include a number of keystone species for your ecoregion in Oregon, including: Garry Oak, Huckleberry/Blueberry, Scouler's Willow, Bitter Cherry, and Chokecherry. By their definition, keystone species support a higher number of other species of life in the soil/food web, improving the soil biome, and holding more water and carbon.
You can order plants and trees from wholesale native Nurseries online, and compare price lists, as well as talking to them by phone about their minimum order costs.Try to pick up your plants and trees from the nursery close to your planting day (or days), in early spring or late fall, to avoid damage during a winter cold, or summer heat period.
4. A free downloadable PDF, in simple list format, naming recommended native plants and trees, as well as the recommended percentages of canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, and ground layer (herbaceous) plants that you can choose from, in the Willamette Valley ecoregion of Oregon. This list works well near or inside several main cities of Oregon: Portland, Salem, and Eugene included. This list is also useful for a very small forest, or thickets dividing fields, or properties.
5. Planting 'Pollinator Pathways' can also increase soil health in a very small space. Note that the longer rooted meadow plants hold the greater amounts of water. Mowed lawns are not very helpful at all...
FREE instructions are available from BackyardHabitats.org.
Download https://backyardhabitats.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Parking-Strip-Manual.pdf.
Included here is also a link explaining how you can still plant a selection of shorter rooted grassland plants over a septic drainage system https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5y64if94hk
Note that turf lawns (noted with red arrow), are the least effective at retaining soil moisture, and soil health with living organisms..
Join our Group
Feel free to contact us for any questions you have about how to get started in planting your own pocket native forest, no matter how small?
The following link, yields a more precise map for all the ecoregions of Oregon. https://swap.oregon.gov/ecoregions/
If you would like a LIST of native plant choices from an ecoregion outside of the Willamette Valley: of canopy trees, understory trees, shrub layer, and herbaceous layer of your future small native plant forest, please join our group and submit your entry. We will send you a list to choose from that will be helpful.
If you live outside of Oregon, we may be able to assist you as well?
Our group is here simply to give you the information you need for your forest design, and any questions that you might have?
We hope to hear from you anyway, so that all our forests can be connected in some way.
Anne & Rolf Nesse, Co-Directors PocketForestsOregon.com
FREE Tours and information about our Oregon based Miyawaki/Pocket Forests are available by contacting: SustainableEconomiesNW@gmail.com
