On 21 April, in Trzek, a small village in the Kostrzyn municipality, pupils from the local primary school stood side by side with the local community and together planted 500 trees – not one species, not two, but eight different ones, chosen so that the pocket forest taking shape would be something more than a collection of trees planted next to each other from the very start.
The Miyawaki Method – a Forest That Thinks About the Future
A pocket forest is neither a park nor a belt of trees – it is a densely planted, carefully selected mix of species that compete for light from the very first day, support one another, and together build an ecosystem far more resilient than a monoculture. The Miyawaki method, on which this planting philosophy is based, assumes that a forest planted this way grows up to ten times faster than a natural forest and begins to function as a fully-fledged habitat for wild species within just a few years. In Trzek, this means that birds, insects, and other organisms will not have to wait decades – the forest will begin welcoming them much sooner.
Eight Species, One Ecosystem
The choice of species in Trzek was considered at every level. 140 Scots pines and 120 silver birches form the pioneer foundation of the forest – species resilient to sandy, poor soils that will be the first to settle into the new site and prepare the conditions for the others. Joining them are 90 common rowans, which cope excellently on sandy ground and are a crucial source of food for birds in autumn and winter.
The target layer, which will in time give the forest its true character, is formed by 60 pedunculate oaks – one of the most important species for biodiversity in Poland, home to over 500 species of insects – and 40 small-leaved limes, which will enrich the forest with a nectar-producing function and become a magnet for pollinators in midsummer, when other plants have already finished flowering. 20 common maples complete this layer. The composition is rounded off by moisture-loving species: 25 common spruces and 5 silver firs – the latter planted deliberately under the shelter of the pines, because the silver fir is a shade-tolerant species that starts best in the partial shade of older trees.
A Local Community That Knows How to Come Together
What set this action apart was not only the number of trees planted, but the atmosphere that accompanied the work. Someone brought snacks, someone else brought extra hands. Pupils planted side by side with adult residents of the Kostrzyn municipality, listened carefully, asked questions, and worked with an enthusiasm that is contagious to anyone standing alongside them. Actions like this have a value that cannot be measured in saplings – they build a sense of shared responsibility for the space in which one lives and show that care for the local environment does not have to come from above, but can grow from the community itself.
A Small Forest, a Significant Role
In a few years, the trees in Trzek will begin to provide shade, retain rainwater, and create a microclimate that all the residents of the surrounding area will feel. In a decade or two, the forest will be mature enough to become a genuine ecological corridor, connecting the surrounding green areas and providing shelter for species that have less and less space in a landscape that is increasingly urbanised and intensively farmed. 500 trees planted on one April morning is an investment whose returns are spread over decades – and one that will yield more with every passing year. We would like to thank GSK for donating the saplings that became the foundation of this forest.
