Creating urban forests for climate adaptation

The three plots will provide nature-rich spaces which connect to an existing Urban Forest and urban wildflower meadow, helping enhance biodiversity, improve air quality and give local residents access to nature. The saplings are also planted using biochar as a soil additive, which improves soil health and is found to help saplings grow faster.

The Urban Forests are part of Earthwatch’s Nature in Cities programme which aims to create greener, healthier cities and improve access to nature-rich spaces in urban areas. The green sites will also serve as a living laboratory for local citizen scientists, coordinated by Earthwatch, to harvest data and investigate techniques to promote faster tree growth. Each plot uses a slightly different planting system to improve understanding of soil condition, carbon sequestrations and drainage. This includes one of the plots using a ‘no-dig’ approach, which is a more progressive way of re-foresting where soil isn’t disturbed. The soil and growth of saplings in this plot will be monitored and compared to the others that used a more traditional approach.

The ‘Urban Forest’ model is based on the Miyawaki method, which encourages dense planting of native species to accelerate forest growth and ecological benefits. It’s a proven approach that delivers rapid results, making it ideal for urban environments where space is limited and impact needs to be swift. By adopting the model, we’re using our geo-specific approach to bring nature into the heart of the city,  helping parts of London to adapt to a rapidly changing climate while creating spaces that local people can enjoy and learn from.