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What is a Pocket Forest?

A pocket forest is a small planting designed to boost the livability of urban and suburban neighborhoods. These forest patches are hyper-diverse, very dense, and often include design features like snags to mimic some of the characteristics of forests.

 

By (re)introducing a high diversity of well-adapted species and habitat features,

these clusters of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants:

  • provide food and shelter to local wildlife

  • sequester and store carbon

  • capture stormwater

  • filter air pollution

  • help cool local surroundings

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About Pocket Forests

 

Pocket Forests are a densely planted area about the size of a tennis court (~2,800 sq.ft.) that provides a biodiverse array of soils and plants that support accelerated forest development to maximize benefits per square foot of land.

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Pocket Forest Benefits

Pocket forests are one of many nature-based solutions! Benefits include:

Wildlife: The denseness of growth provides a greater amount of forage for pollinators and refuge for    birds. More canopy cover shades out weeds and creates a cool home for insects, plus the increased leaf litter builds fertility and life in the soil.

 

Health: Pocket forests are a tool to help reconnect people with nature, which has many physical and mental health benefits.

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Pocket forests are one of many nature-based solutions identified in the 2021 Apple Country Natural Climate Solutions project

 

Our friends in Cambridge are building a pocket forest using the Miyawaki method - check it out:  https://bio4climate.org/miyawaki-forest/

Earthwatch Europe shares great info about pocket forests here:

https://earthwatch.org.uk/get-involved/tiny-forest

5 Media Foundation reports on tiny forests in India, Iran, and Singapore

https://fivemedia.com/articles/the-tiny-forests-regreening-our-cities/

Forest Resources

Forest
Spotlight: Suzanne Simard

Suzanne Simard is the author of Finding the Mother Tree. Below are resources that introduce and discuss her work. Themes in this book will be present in the Ayer Devens Forest Guides.

More on the Wood Wide Web

Spotlight: Carbon Storage
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Online Resources

Articles

Podcasts

From Tree to Shining Tree,

Radiolab

Forests on Forests,

Radiolab

Books
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