KANAGAWA PREFECTURE – The Miyawaki method for cultivating fast-growing groves of native vegetation has found eager practitioners all over the world. But some say the method promises more than it can deliver, and that, in some cases, restorers are planting Miyawaki groves where they don’t belong. Developed in the early 1970s by the late Japanese […]

Another article on Miyawaki, mostly positive despite the clickbait title. Has some pics and more of the history behind the method. Summary below:

  • Miyawaki forests are a technique pioneered in Japan that aims to rapidly regenerate diverse, multilayered native woodlands.

  • The method involves densely planting native species to recreate complex natural forests in a shortened timespan. Miyawaki forests have spread globally as a restoration technique.

  • Supporters praise the forests’ ability to quickly sequester carbon, boost biodiversity, and revitalize degraded land. Critics argue they lack long-term viability if not properly maintained.

  • Concerns include reliance on irrigation, use of non-local species, and focus on speed over ecosystem function. More research is needed on if Miyawaki forests provide ecological benefits akin to natural regeneration.

  • While Miyawaki forests show some promise for urban areas, some experts recommend approaches that work with natural succession and site conditions over the long term.

  • LibertyLizardEnglish
    3·
    11 months ago

    I’ve been curious about this method which has become a trend in urban forestry circles in the US recently. It’s an interesting idea but I’d be curious to see some successful examples from arid climates before implementing it in my area. My experience is that overly dense plantings of trees in arid or semi-arid areas will increase water needs, lead to sickly plants, and ultimately create an overly dense forest that is highly flammable.

    With wildfire and drought risks increasing, a healthy ecosystem in the coming century may mean fewer, larger trees with more grass or shrubs between them.

    • Treevan 🇦🇺@aussie.zoneOPEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      If you manage to get round to the vids I linked elsewhere, they do cross the fact that species selection and grouping is key. What you’ve detailed there is also in the rebuttal to Miyawaki. It could still be a “Miyawaki” if you have trees 10m apart and the rest planted with shrubs and grasses, just not in the tropical sense that most of the articles seem to focus on (tree heavy). Syntropic is also a tropical method that has been done temperate and arid, it just comes down to copying the ecological niche you’re sticking it in to.