The Pocket Forest Network (PFN) decentralizes climate action, transforming individual properties into part of a coordinated, science-guided continuum of regeneration.
The Pocket Forest Network brings communities together to convert available urban and peri-urban spaces into thriving Pocket Forests. By emulating the structure and layered complexity of native forest systems in places where nature has thinned or disappeared, these carefully designed ecosystems reintroduce ecological function and strengthen local climate resilience.
Pocket Forests are contextualized adaptation of the Miyawaki methodology for rapid afforestation. A Miyawaki Forest is a densely planted, highly diverse community of native trees and shrubs arranged in layered structure to emulate a natural forest ecosystem at an accelerated rate. Their density also supports significantly higher carbon uptake during early ecological succession. The method was developed in the 1970s by Dr. Akira Miyawaki (1928 – 2021), building on the ecological concepts of climax vegetation and potential natural vegetation advanced earlier by Reinhold Tüxen. Pocket Forests are adaptation of this method for areas as small as 100 square feet to make on-site carbon sequestration feasible for households, schools, and organizations.
The Pocket Forest Network is built on connection between people, places, and shared knowledge. At its core is the Pocket Forest Hub, serving as a central platform for education and connections to applied research programs.
Visit the Pocket Forest Hub to learn more!
Featured Projects
Miyawaki Adventures
Sustainability Education through Tourism
The Miyawaki Adventures Project aims to establish an nature-based educational hub at Long Point Eco-Adventures (LPEA) resort in rural southern Ontario in the form of a network of small dense forests featuring architecturally-designed off-grid cabins nestled amidst the lush greenery.
The program will see the development of numerous pocket forests across the site as well as educational opportunities int the form of instructor-led, online, and self-guided learning.
Technology-driven Nature-based Solutions for Carbon Sequestration
The project aims to identify key factors influencing carbon sequestration in engineered micro forests, quantify the carbon storage potential of these forests, and develop strategies to optimize carbon uptake by measurement and analysis of indicators within Miyawaki forests planted across several locations in Ontario. Our enhanced understanding of nature-based carbon sequestration below and above ground will support effective and scalable climate action for organizations and communities in urbanized areas.
