Urban Micro-Forest (Miyawaki)

Sunday, October 22nd turned out terrifically. We had beautiful weather, an abundance of enthusiastic and committed volunteers (over 75 of you!), and the plants are in the ground! It was thrilling to see the space transform through the hard work and care of so many.

Over the winter, these small plants will settle in and establish root systems to support spring growth. Additional human care will be needed once spring hits and weeds start to grow, but for now, we can enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

Congratulations to all involved and a huge thanks to Mayor Katjana Ballantyne for your support and for helping us to plant. Thank you to Ben Waldrip and the DPW Grounds crew--your help made this possible. Thank you to Maya Dutta for your guidance and for training all 75 volunteers (and our city staff) in how to do this. Thank you to Biodiversity for a Livable Climate and SUGi for your generous support of our project. And finally, thank you to every volunteer, now and in the future, who is helping to make this forest a success.

Photo by Maya Dutta

We are thrilled that planting day is approaching, but there is rain in the forecast for this weekend. We have decided to move planting day to Sunday, October 22nd (10-3pm) as it looks like less of a chance of rain.

If you signed up to plant, you should have heard from us at this point. Either you would have been assigned a shift, based on your Sunday availability, or you would have been alerted to being on the waitlist. We received so much interest and while we have a lot of plants to plant, we don't have room for everyone. If this is the case for you, or if you did not sign up but wish you had, don't worry! We'll be looking for people to help care for these plants in the next 2-3 years. We will reach out to everyone who filled out the shift sign-up sheet in the coming weeks to determine a weeding and care crew for the spring.

You are also ALL welcome to swing by and see the project in action. We'll be there from 10-3pm and would love to see you too!

Thank you for all your support.

October 21st is almost here! We are excited to be with you all and to see this planting get established. Everyone is welcome, but if you would like to help plant please review the details below:

Shift Sign-Up:

If you already expressed interest, you should have received an email with our shift sign-up form. Please fill that out to indicate your availability. Once you share your info with us, we will assign you to a shift and a volunteer team. We'll confirm those details with you in the week leading up to planting. Feel free to participate according to your ability - kids are encouraged to join in! And if you did not receive an email, you can find it here:https://forms.gle/matiTmndW9g1QyPF7

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Timing and logistics:

We will start checking in volunteers at 9:30am, followed by remarks from Mayor Ballantyne at 10am. Planting shifts will last one hour and run from 10am - 3pm (or until we are finished). Please be sure to arrive at least one half hour before your shift begins to check in and get familiar with the process.

Please bring water, a hat and/or sunscreen, and clothes you can be comfortable in and don't mind getting dirty. We will have some equipment, including shovels and gloves, but we welcome extra supplies if you are able to contribute for the day.

Our planting site is at the back of Somerville High School, 310 Medford Street, near the high school loading dock. Nearby parking is extremely limited, so folks are encouraged to walk or take transit.

Please note: in case we need to reschedule based on weather, our rain date for planting is Sunday, October 22.

We hope to see you there and thanks!

It's official! We will be planting the Miyawaki forest on October 21, 2023. If you would like to join in and help with planting or long-term care (all skill levels are welcome), please fill out our Google Form here: https://forms.gle/ygub1PkmvSFeeyYg9

Check back or sign up by clicking "Stay Informed" for more details.

Planting is expected to happen on a weekend day in October and we will need many hands to help! We'll need folks on planting day itself and to help us to weed and water the gardens for the first couple years as the plants establish. If you don't have much gardening experience, don't worry. We'll run a training session prior to planting day and our project leads will guide you along the way.

Are you interested in participating? If so, please fill out the volunteer signup form here: https://forms.gle/ygub1PkmvSFeeyYg9. We will update this page and email everyone who has signed up once we have a planting date set.

Please feel free to share this link with your networks as well! Help us get the word out about this exciting project.

With support from community advocates and in conversation with experts, planning for the installation of a Miyawaki forest is underway. We have selected a site and are now working to finalize a plant list, material list, and a schedule for planting in the fall of 2023.

After careful examination of many sites around Somerville, City staff and community team members selected a location for a Miyawaki forest. The location behind Somerville High School will make educational opportunities a natural component of this project. We hope to build support and understanding about ways to increase the quality of our urban environment through urban forestry and kids can lead the way.

If you'd like to know more or you'd like to be involved in future events related to planting and caring for this micro-forest, register under the "Stay Informed" tab. We can't do this without your help!