Green-fingered youngsters help plant micro-forest in school grounds

Children and teachers from a primary school in Exeter have done their bit for the environment by planting a 400-tree micro-forest in their school grounds.

The youngsters from Monkerton Community Primary School were joined by local councillors from Exeter City Council and Devon County Council for the event, which was organised by Community Interest Company SocieTree.

SocieTree was launched in 2023 and aims to highlight the benefits that micro forests bring. It has been working closely with schools across Devon.

Micro-forests – also known as Miyawaki forests – were developed by Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki. The aim is to quickly reconstruct indigenous woodlands on deforested land or areas with degraded soils.

The method involves densely planting a wide selection of native tree and shrub species suited to the site, into aerated, enriched soil, mulching and then maintaining the plot for two to three years, from which point minimal interventions should be made.

Cllr Matthew Vizard, Exeter City Council’s Lead Councillor for Climate, Ecological Change and Communities, said he was keen to get involved in the event: “It was wonderful to be able to help plant the micro forest and I hope that it was the first of many that will start springing up across the city.

“The environmental benefits cannot be overstated, but trees are also beautiful to look at and beneficial to our health and wellbeing. I’d like to thank SocieTree for their inspiring dedication to creating a sustainable future, and thank everyone involved in today’s planting, including local ward councillors Mollie Miller-Boam and Jakir Hussain, and Devon County Councillor Tracy Adams.”

Jonathan Bishop, CEO, of the Cornerstone Academy Trust, who run Monkerton Community Primary School, said they didn’t hesitate to get involved in the scheme: “We have to look after the environment for now and for the future – for these children, their children and their children’s children. That’s why it’s so important to get involved and plant these trees. I’d like to thank Societree for making this happen and west country drinks manufacturer Frobishers for sponsoring part of the micro-forest.”

Steve Warren-Brown, Founder of SocieTree, said he was delighted to be planting the micro-forest at Monkerton Community Primary School: “It’s been over a year in the making and it’s a great feeling to finally get the trees in the ground. Just seeing the looks on the children’s faces makes it worthwhile and now I can’t wait to see this micro-forest growing.

“We now want to scale this up and achieve our initial target of 96 microforests in Devon as soon as possible.”

Every child from the school was given the opportunity to help plant a tree at the event and also got the chance to read a ‘Mushi’ adventure book and learn how to draw ‘Mushi’ with the artist of book. ‘Mushi’ – a giant mushroom character, was also on hand to congratulate the children on their endeavours.