Miyawaki ‘forest of thanks’

Barking and Dagenham Council put forward a fantastic plan to create a Miyawaki ‘Forest of Thanks’ in response to the incredible NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in partnership with Natwest, TCV and Thames Chase.

Miyawaki gets its name from Japanese botanist, plant specialist and forest researcher Akira Miyawaki who has designed this method in order to facilitate rapid greening of the chosen area, with the biodiversity value of an ancient woodland in a much shorter time frame. Growth rates of the plants used are said to be 10 times their normal rate due to the environment they are planted into. Introducing a mix of species and sizes all native to the UK. The trees were mixed and planted randomly to give a natural growth pattern or effect.

The bulk of the works is in the treatment of the soil, which on this project Down to Earth Trees were not involved with unfortunately. Contractors dug down 80cm and ‘fluffed’ the soil, adding wool compost, ash, charcoal. In essence de-compacting the soil which had seen a century or more of vehicle use and footfall whilst adding everything the soil was missing in order to establish the forest in the fastest time possible.

Sugi were the lead consultants for this project, who came up with the design below. Four ‘pads or leaves’ which form one larger leaf in a prominent part of Parsloes Park in Dagenham.

Sugi’s proposed plans. An Oak shaped leaf

Down to Earth were drafted in following another contractor declining the works at the last minute. 29,000 mixed species trees and shrubs were delivered to us for mixing on the Wednesday before works commencing. This lead to a mammoth effort from our team (including office staff being drafted into the fold) to have the entire stock mixed and ready for Monday morning.

Planting was made easier by the Pottipukti system (pictured right) meaning the planters spent the majority of time upright minimising manual labour, the soil was also soft and malleable and the plugs were the perfect size which created the perfect conditions for the systems to be used. We had not used equipment like this previously but we will most certainly be using them again in the future.