Council approves Miyawaki Forest installation in Uxbridge

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

UXBRIDGE: On Monday, June 10th, Uxbridge councillors heard a deputation from Michael Banh of the Uxbridge Rotary Club and Ingrid Janssen from Little Forests Durham, seeking permission to install a Miyawaki forest in a corner of the Fields of Uxbridge.

Banh's presentation, enriched with before-and-after photos of similar projects worldwide, highlighted the benefits of the Miyawaki method. This technique involves densely planting native trees and plants, packing up to five plants per square meter. Banh noted these mini-forests grow ten times faster, are thirty times denser, are thirty times more effective at reducing CO2, and support 20 to 100 times more biodiversity.

Banh and Janssen proposed installing two such mini-forests in the northwest corner of the Fields of Uxbridge, near a small wetland. They assured the council the growth would not interfere with soccer games and would reduce grass-cutting requirements. The project is planned in two phases: the first phase beginning in July with planting in October, and the second phase in 2025.

Councillors approved the request, paving the way for the innovative and eco-friendly project to enhance local biodiversity and environmental sustainability.