Planting Small Pocket
Native Forests
Promoting Climate Cooling
Physical & Mental Health
Planting Pollinator Pathways
The free downloadable book from leaf&limb, infographic on healthy plantings, as well as other texts are pictured (below). All texts and PdF's on website include information about why these small native plant and tree forests, and native plant pollinator gardens are so important: 1) for healing our soils, 2) cooling our neighborhoods, 3) helping with the fresh water cycle within the soil, 4) helping to regulate our weather patterns, 5) increasing the living organisms and fungi within the soil, and 6) as a lasting legacy to reduce climate warming.
Simple instructions on planting native forests are in Chapter 17:
from wasteland to WONDER, for the Sub/Urban Landscape
by Basil Camu download online at: https://www.leaflimb.com/
Pollinator garden instructions (below) located on a link from BackyardHabitats.org
The loss of 40-60% of the world's original native forests around the world needs Oregon's, and everyone's help!
Pocket Forests Oregon's Group is dedicated to helping all who want to actively heal the earth's soil, and plant native, biodiverse forests, or grasslands, everywhere in Oregon, and beyond! This includes in our backyards, neighborhoods, on local business properties, within cities, and on school grounds. We are utilizing the 50 year old successful method developed by the botanist Akira Miyawaki, combined with modern 'pocket forest' techniques presented by leaflimb.com, in the free downloadable book pictured, based in North Carolina, and linked to downloading above 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 space suitable for recreation activities.
We are encouraged by the speed at which our small forests in Oregon grow. These forests 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.
We know it is possible for humans to work together to preserve more stable temperatures on earth. However we must all understand the same knowledge of ecological restoration to accomplish this. We know that native trees and forests at one time successfully helped to regulate our water cycles, and helped to cool the temperatures of our soils, air, and waters. So that planting even a small native forest in your backyard, and advocating for this concept in your city is a significant way anyone can help.
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.
A walk through a 3 year old Miyawaki/Pocket Forest at Catlin Gabel School
1. Your fundamentals of site assessment and minimal soil testing.
2. 'Sheet Mulch Method' for removing grass, and adding soil amendments, including a picture of a 2 year old 'Backyard Forest' anyone can plant inexpensively with 20-26 differing native tree and plant species.
3. Maps to help you order native trees and plants best suited for your Oregon Ecoregion. If you're outside Oregon, please search online for a native vegetation map for your specific area.
4. Planting Pollinator Pathways, with Instructions from BackyardHabitats.org
Copy and Paste into Browser: https://backyardhabitats.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Parking-Strip-Manual.pdf
https://backyardhabitats.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Parking-Strip-Manual.pdf
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? Even a 6ft X 10ft forest can be a significant learning space for your community.
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Pocket forests of native trees and plants have a proven 50 year history of success around the world. They are planted on one day, in properly augmented soil, with all the canopy and understory layers of the forest planted close together. All the plants and the trees then grow so quickly, that in 10-15 years they reach a climax state. A similar state that would take nature 100-200 years to complete!
You may want to contact local partners to help you? Look for local grants, and be willing to ask for neighborhood help? Check with local, ecologically minded organizations, or your local city officials? Check to see if some local businesses with some extra land might be interested? Attempt to find persons who own some vacant land, or farmland that is not being used? The Backyard Habitat Group on Facebook can be an excellent resource for a backyard forest, or pollinator meadow.
And have fun knowing you are doing something to help your soils, and natural biodiversity. Hopefully we all can have a lasting effect on cooling our world!