Worcester Miyawaki Forests
About the Project
Building Community Resilience Through Planting Miyawaki Forests
Thanks to state funding, Worcester is home to two new Miyawaki Forests designed to reduce the impact of extreme heat in neighborhoods that need the most relief!
The City of Worcester's Department of Sustainability and Resilience was awarded a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant for these projects by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. We contracted with BSC Group, an engineering firm with extensive experience in urban landscape design, Guillermo Creamer, a community liaison charged with engaging neighbors and spreading the word about the projects, and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (Bio4Climate), a leading expert in planting Miyawaki Forests in New England.
This 2023 MVP grant allowed us to plant two pilot Miyawaki Forests in Worcester, in some of the most densely populated neighborhoods. These projects advance our goal of promoting climate resilience to extreme heat, as well as many other goals related to air quality, flooding, biodiversity, community building and resilience.
The Miyawaki Forest sites are located in Massachusetts-designated Environmental Justice Communities with high heat vulnerability.
The Buzz with City Manager Batista | Miyawaki Forests
Miyawaki Forests
Miyawaki Forests are planted at:
- McGrath Municipal Parking Lot
- Plumley Village
Miyawaki forests are densely planted, multi-canopied, small (1,000 – 10,000 square feet) urban forests that are proving to be an excellent solution to many sustainability and resilience problems in dense cities with little space to spare – improving air quality, health, and reducing urban heat and flooding. They have demonstrated remarkably high growth and survival rates due to the planting method, which also fosters the symbiotic relationships between trees, shrubs, fungi, and microbial life in the soil. Worcester's pilot project builds from the experiences of other Massachusetts municipalities (Cambridge, Ayer/Devens) as well as other cities in the U.S. and globally.
McGrath Lot Site
Worcester’s first Miyawaki forest is situated at the McGrath Parking lot behind the Worcester Public Library, and adjacent to the YMCA.
Project Benefits
- Creates a safer parking configuration reducing maintenance, cooling the lot, and filtering nearly a third of stormwater runoff.
- Increases biodiversity by hosting a variety of native canopy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and groundcover that will help to spread native species throughout the city. This also acts as a biological immune system by promoting genetic diversity in native plants.
- Increases habitat value by creating a productive habitat for pollinators, songbirds, raptors, and various other animal species; including those living in live trees, leaf litter (duff) and dead trees.
- Helps to absorb potent greenhouse gases from auto exhaust in the parking lot and on McGrath Blvd.
- Lowers the temperature in the parking lot and its environs on hot summer days, providing a more comfortable experience for WPL patrons and others.
- Fungi will play a crucial role in sequestering carbon, cleaning the soil and water, facilitating nutrient absorption, and guarding against infections and parasites within the forest.
Safety and Accessibility
- A central path for forest maintenance and monitoring connects at the McGrath Blvd crosswalk, creating a clear view through the site.
- Interpretive signage at the path’s entrance will explain habitat, climate, and cultural significance. Digital links will offer translations and audio descriptions.
- The forest’s small size and density as well as fencing will limit public access. Plants in a Miyawaki forest grow quickly as they compete for sunlight, creating a dense landscape. This dense understory of vegetation is impassible, but provides a thick, protective cover for birds nests and other wildlife.
McGrath Lot Site Before Planting
Forest Growth & Succession at McGrath
- The forest covers 6,400 square feet, buffering sound from nearby streets and railroad tracks, and greening the view of the parking lot.
- Using a biomimicry model of expedited succession, the forest will imitate natural disturbance patterns to accelerate growth and biodiversity.
- Volunteers and city staff will monitor the forest’s growth to ensure balance and promote the development of key species, using strategies that expedite the forest’s ability to attain qualities of an old-growth forest.
- Clark University students and faculty will monitor changes in surface temperature before planting and as the forest grows, to measure and assess the forest’s impact on cooling the parking lot heat island.
Planting Day at McGrath Parking Lot
Before and During Planting
Plumley Village Site
Worcester’s second Miyawaki forest is situated at the southeastern corner of Plumley Village, adjacent to a playground.
Project Benefits
- Lowers the temperature in the adjacent parking lot and playground on hot summer days, providing a more comfortable experience for users.
- Helps to absorb air pollutants and potent greenhouse gases from auto exhaust in the adjacent parking lot and from Interstate 290.
- Increases biodiversity by hosting a variety of native canopy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and groundcovers to help to spread native species throughout the city. Act as a biological immune system by promoting genetic diversity in native plants.
- Increases habitat value by creating a productive habitat for pollinators, songbirds, raptors, and various other animal species, including those living in live trees, leaf litter (duff) and dead trees.
- Fungi will play a crucial role in sequestering carbon, cleaning the soil and water, facilitating nutrient absorption, and guarding against infections and parasites within the forest.
Safety and Accessibility
- The site includes small pockets of gathering spaces adjacent to the forest.
- Interpretive signage on the walkway will explain the forests' habitat, climate, and cultural significance. Digital links will offer translations and audio descriptions.
- To maintain visual continuity between the lawn and playground, the southern arm of the forest focuses on canopy trees and low groundcover while the eastern arm includes flowering understory trees and some evergreens as buffer to the highway.
Plumley Village Site Before Planting
Forest Growth & Succession at Plumley Village
- The forest will cover 10,000 square feet, buffering sound from the highway.
- Using a biomimicry model of expedited succession, the forest will imitate natural disturbance patterns to accelerate growth and biodiversity.
- Volunteers and city staff will monitor the forest’s growth to ensure balance and promote the development of key tree species, using strategies that expedite the forest’s ability to attain qualities of an old-growth forest.
Planting Day at Plumley Village
Before and After Planting
We want to reduce emissions and we want to prepare for future climate change all at the same time. And a tiny forest like this, a Miyawaki Forest is very effective at doing that.
Crowdsource Map
Are there areas in your neighborhood that get really hot? We need your help finding locations for potential resilient solutions, such as Miyawaki Forests.
Project Timeline
The Miyawaki Planting activities are being funded by 2023 MVP Grant, which ended on June 30, 2024. However, there will be ongoing work after that - we have to water and care for the two young forests for several years, until they become self-sustaining. We are looking for volunteers so be on the lookout for additional calls for help!
Community Foraging Days
Community Foraging Day One
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Community Foraging Day Two
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Community Planting Days
Community Planting Day One
Saturday April 27, 2024 - McGrath Parking Lot, 3 Salem St, Worcester
Community Planting Day Two
Wednesday May 1, 2024,- Plumley Village, 16 Laurel St, Worcester
Community Planting Day Three
Saturday May 11, 2024 - McGrath Parking Lot, 3 Salem St, Worcester
Community Planting Day Four
Saturday May 18, 2024 - Plumley Village, 16 Laurel St, Worcester
On the Ground
Photos by Alexandra Ionescu/Bio4Climate
In the News
Glossary
Climate Adaptation: Taking action to prepare for and adjust to both the current and projected impacts of climate change. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Climate Change: Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Source: United Nations
Environmental Justice: In Massachusetts, an environmental justice population is a neighborhood where one or more of the following criteria are true:
- the annual median household income is 65 percent or less of the statewide annual median household income
- minorities make up 40 percent or more of the population
- 25 percent or more of households identify as speaking English less than "very well"
- minorities make up 25 percent or more of the population and the annual median household income of the municipality in which the neighborhood is located does not exceed 150 percent of the statewide annual median household income. Source: EOEEA
Foraging Day: A foraging day involves collecting of logs, leaves, seeds, seedlings, and cuttings to bring the secret biological community of the forest floor to a newly planted forest site.
Foraging Day at Hadwen Arboretum at Clark University
Miyawaki Forest: Miyawaki Forests are small, dense, layered urban plantings that grow vigorously and help to cool ‘heat islands’, improve air quality and biodiversity, and foster climate resilience in urban places.
Planting Day for Miyawaki Forest at Plumley Village
Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program: The MVP grant program provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts to plan for climate change resiliency and implement priority projects. The Commonwealth awards funding to communities to complete vulnerability assessments and develop and implement action-oriented resiliency plans.
Urban Heat Island Effect: "Urban heat islands" occur when cities replace natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat. This effect increases energy costs (e.g., for air conditioning), air pollution levels, and heat-related illness and mortality. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
