The Ladywell Tiny Forest has grown so much recently that volunteers could easily get lost among its burgeoning leaves. For GoodGymers Sandra and Linda and the rest of Wednesday’s team, yanking out weeds meant crouching low in some places to reach under the branches of saplings now forming a dense spread over the forest floor.

Amazing to think that the 600 native trees were planted just 18 months ago and are only a few weeks into their second season of growth – some are already more than 2 metres tall! Their rapid development is thanks to the Miyawaki method of dense planting in enriched de-compacted soil, pioneered in Japan and now being used internationally to create urban forests as a contribution to solving climate change and biodiversity decline.

In a couple of years’ time, the Tiny Forest in Ladywell Fields is expected to be so successfully established that no more weeding will be needed but for now this task is important to ensure the saplings aren’t robbed of sunlight, nutrients and moisture. The ground was well cleared by the end of our evening… next session is likely to be in late June.

If you’re curious to see what a not-so-Tiny Forest looks like at three-years-old and eight-years-old, check out this impressive video from environmental charity Earthwatch.