New Forest schools help design new mini ‘Miyawaki’ forest site

Oct 10 2024

Two primary schools have recently helped design a new mini forest site which will be planted this year at the New Forest Showground.

Students from Brockenhurst C of E Primary and William Gilpin C of E Primary Schools were invited to get creative and submit their suggestions for a new outdoor education and community space on the site run by the New Forest Agricultural Show Society. This new space will be created during autumn and winter this year and will be the home of two new mini ‘Miyawaki’ forest trials, along with further tree and hedgerow planting, a wildlife pond, outdoor classroom and more.

Staff from Hampshire Forest Partnership and the New Forest Agricultural Show Society presented an overview of why tree planting is important, what mini forests are and why they are different to traditional tree planting to the schools. The children were then invited to submit their drawings of what they would like to see included in the space.

Mini Forest site beforeThe mini forest site is currently an unused patch of low-diversity grassland suffering from compacted soil. This project will invigorate the area and provide a marvellous new educational space.

An impressive 105 designs were submitted in total, with lots of fantastic ideas. Some that appeared repeatedly included willow arches and sculptures, bug hotels, sensory areas, fire pits, pond dipping platforms and imaginatively shaped mini forests.

After reviewing all the wonderful designs, we chose our top ten and the children were awarded prizes for their efforts. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see all ten fantastic drawings. We have taken inspiration from all the designs submitted and have come up with a final plan that brings all the children’s ideas together into what we are sure will be a brilliant new educational space.

The groundworks for the mini forest site have now been completed, and the first trees will be planted in autumn using cell-grown whips of a mix of appropriate species. We are trialling these trees as they can be planted throughout the year, whereas bare-root trees must be dormant and planted during winter. We will also be comparing two different ground preparation techniques: a typical, 1m-excavated Miyawaki forest with additional organic matter mixed into the soil to physically reduce compaction; and a ‘no-dig’ option where turf will be removed and a layer of organic mulch shallow rotovated into the top layer. We are interested to see whether this less intensive option will result in the same fast growth rate and high survival rates characteristic of mini ‘Miyawaki’ forests.

Alongside the mini forests, we will also be planting an area of oak and hazel coppice, to provide opportunities to showcase traditional woodland management as the site matures. In addition, a patch within will be left to regenerate naturally from the local tree seed supply and will be monitored along with the other planting areas.

Denis Dooley, Chief Executive, New Forest Agricultural Show Society, said: “The New Forest Agricultural Show Society are delighted to be working with Hampshire Forest Partnership on this fantastic project. Using a varied mix of native tree species the mini forests will be a showcase for different planting techniques, creating a diverse habitat for flora and fauna. On completion, the project will form an immersive, educational and wellbeing focused space that will be a real asset to New Park and the wider community.

“We look forward to welcoming local schools and the New Forest community to our planting days and watching the trees flourish in years to come!”

We can’t wait to start seeing the school children’s amazing ideas become a reality! We have invited the schools to help us plant the trees and will also be holding volunteer days for local environmental groups and residents over the winter. Look out for volunteering opportunities on our Facebook page and sign up to be the first to hear about upcoming tree planting events.

Mini Forest winning designThe top ten designs chosen from 105 fantastic designs that we received.

Would you like to plant a mini ‘Miyawaki’ forest in your local area? Get in touch at [email protected]. Find out more about these micro-woodlands: Mini forests.