A four-year project to grow a network of urban micro forests in schools and community spaces across Leicester is set to reach an important milestone.
Since spring 2021, Leicester City Council has been working with environmental charity Earthwatch Europe to bring its pioneering Tiny Forest programme to life at schools and community areas across the city.
And this week, children and volunteers at Eyres Monsell Primary School have helped to plant hundreds of new trees in a small patch of their school grounds, helping to grow the city’s total number of Tiny Forests to thirty.
Each Tiny Forest involves planting 600 new trees in a plot no bigger than a tennis court. They feature a mix of native tree species including Wych, Elm, Silver Birch, Hawthorn and Broom, and are designed to attract over 500 animal and plant species within three years.
They also provide outdoor classrooms and accessible green spaces to help local communities and schoolchildren connect with nature.
Leicester was one of the first cities in the UK to take part in the programme, when its first Tiny Forest was planted at Queensmead Primary Academy, in Braunstone, in March 2021.
Since then, almost 18,000 new trees have been planted in Leicester as part of the Tiny Forest programme.
Cllr Elaine Pantling, assistant city mayor for schools and chair of governors at Eyres Monsell Primary School, said: “Tiny Forests are a fantastic resource for schools and their pupils and will be for generations to come.
“They are a brilliant way of bringing more greenery, trees, and wildlife onto schoolgrounds and help can help children reconnect with nature, support their emotional wellbeing and add value to the educational experience. I proud that some many local schools in Leicester are now home to a Tiny Forest.”
Cllr Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, said: “Leicester’s growing network of Tiny Forests is a huge asset to the city.
“As well as creating new habitats for wildlife in the heart of the city, Tiny Forests provide a fantastic resource, building on the environmental education provided as part of our citywide Eco-Schools programme. They can also pay an important role in helping young people and the wider community connect with vital issues around biodiversity and the climate emergency.”
Louise Hartley , Head of Nature in Cities at Earthwatch Europe, said: “We are proud to be working with the city council to plant Leicester’s 30th Tiny Forest this week. The Tiny Forests create new accessible green spaces in Leicester that people of all ages can enjoy for decades to come.
“Tiny Forests are amazing community assets and provide an opportunity for local people and schools to make a real positive impact by supporting nature and biodiversity on their doorstep. Helping the trees take root and watching them flourish creates a very special connection with the forest and the wildlife that calls it their home.”
Tiny Forests are based on an established forest management method developed in the 1970s by Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki. The planting method encourages accelerated forest development, used no chemicals or fertilisers, and requires low management and maintenance after the first two years.
To create new Tiny Forests, Earthwatch Europe identifies suitable sites in locations where nature is most needed, working with partners, local councils, community groups and schools to plan, prepare, plant, maintain and monitor their new local forest.
By 2030, Earthwatch aims to have planted 500 Tiny Forests across Europe.
Leicester’s latest Tiny Forests are being planted with support from the Local Authorities Treescape Fund.