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The Japanese ‘micro-forest’ method is transforming cities
Between busy streets, parks and shopping centres, a green transformation is quietly underway, bringing nature back to the urban sprawl of cities. Micro-forests, small areas of densely planted woodland trees, are being planted everywhere from London to Los Angeles.
But what are they and how can they make our built-up metropolises better?
What are micro-forests and why do we need them?
More than 420 million hectares of forest have been lost to other uses since 1990, according to the UN’s 2020 State of the World’s Forests Report.
With more than 85 per cent of the global population living in urban areas, micro-forests in cities offer an essential opportunity to combat deforestation.
The Miyawaki Forest Technique, invented by Japanese botanist and plant ecology expert Professor Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s, is the inspiration for micro-forests worldwide.
These diverse, organic small forests can be created on sites as small as nine square metres, and only use native species that would otherwise grow naturally in the planting area. They grow up to 10 times faster than monoculture forests, in just two to three decades.
Since Miyawaki’s work began, more than 280 micro-forests have been planted.
NGO Earthwatch Europe has planted 285 tiny forests since 2022. Their plots, made up of 600 trees, can attract more than 500 animal and plant species within the first three years. Locations include a sports ground and park in Haringey, North London. Meanwhile ‘SUGi’, a tree-planting programme which aims to restore biodiversity and reintroduce native species, has created 230 ‘pocket forests’ in 52 cities across the world, from Toulouse, France, to Saint George in Romania and Madrid, Spain.
How do micro-forests benefit the environment?
In polluted urban areas, micro-forests can help to restore soil, water and air quality, according to the Woodland Trust.
Their small size allows plantation in relatively limited urban space, often taking advantage of unused spaces such as school playgrounds, cemeteries, and near metro stations. They can also help to reduce the impact of heavy rainfall, and to keep towns and cities cooler.
Micro-forests can create more habitats for wildlife in cities, such as blackbirds or hedgehogs. When planted in distinct layers, they can also develop plant communities of smaller shrubs and herbs, which allow the micro-forests to become self-sustaining after just three to five years of growth.
“Our pocket forests offer a myriad of benefits” says Elise Van Middelem, Founder and CEO of SUGi.
“Perhaps most importantly, they can support the positive well-being of communities. From a psychological perspective, interacting with nature reduces physical stress and can improve symptoms of mental ill health, including anxiety or depression.”
“They become magnets for human connection. People take respite during the heat of the day or visit to read a book; at other times the forest becomes a place of dancing, learning, discussion, and leisure. They are self-sustaining within 2-3 years from an ecological standpoint, but at a much deeper level, community members become stewards of the land itself.”
She adds: “They also positively impact children and youth. 140 of our pocket forests were planted in schools together with almost 80,000 children. Planting pocket forests provides children with a unique opportunity to engage with nature and see that their actions can have tangible environmental outcomes. Engaging the next generation with nature is critical, because in order for us to want to protect and care for nature, we need to feel a connection with it”
What are the challenges of planting in urban areas?
Despite the benefits of urban micro-forests, there are also issues involved in growing in cities.
Exposure to pollutants, high temperatures and drought can prevent deep root growth, and increase the likelihood of disease, according to Cities4Forests, a global alliance supporting nature in cities.
Van Middelem also highlights the challenge of gaining communities’ support in growing micro-forests: “It is necessary to effectively engage stakeholders in the community and get resident buy-in. A pocket forest cannot be planted without their approval”, she says. “However, none of these challenges are insurmountable.”
These are all issues that must be considered – but with time, micro-forests could help to reduce pollution in cities as well as making them more pleasant places to live.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, says it has cancelled its sit at home order across the South East.
The group announced the decision in a statement on Saturday, saying it followed a directive from its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
According to IPOB, Kanu instructed the leadership to suspend the action in the interest of peace and the return of normal economic activities in the region.
The group said the move is aimed at easing hardship on residents and allowing businesses, schools and other daily activities to run without disruption.
IPOB urged people in the South East to go about their lawful activities. It also reaffirmed its commitment to non violence and peaceful engagement.
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Unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, have k!lled a community leader and one other person in Anambra State.
The President-General of Ogidi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Ikwuka Okoye, popularly known as Anumili (pictured above), was k!lled on Friday, Feb. 6.
The attack was alleged to have been carried out by members of a rival cult group in revenge for the de@th of their leader, who was arrested and k!lled by local security operatives.
During the attack, which took place at the School Field, Ogidi, another man whose identity has yet to be ascertained was also gunned down.
The spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a press statement on Saturday.
Ikenga said the incident is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.
He said, “The Anambra State Police Command regrets the murd£r of the President-General of the Ogidi community and one other person. The incident, which occurred on the evening of February 6, 2026, at the School Field, Ogidi, is allegedly linked to the recent capture and k!lling of a known notorious cultist within the community.
“Following the report, police operatives swiftly took over the scene of the incident and commenced investigations. The command is currently working with eyewitness accounts and other available intelligence to identify and arrest the perpetrators.
“The Anambra State Police Command assures members of the public that all efforts are being intensified to bring those responsible to justice.
“Residents are urged to remain calm and cooperate with the police as investigations continue.
“Further developments will be communicated in due course.”
Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.
According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.
He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.
“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.
The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said
The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.
“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said
According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.
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