The Miyawaki method

26 November 2020

In view of the hyper-concentration of the world population in urban areas and because of the climate change, cities develop more and more innovative projects to turn green their city centers and the peri-urban areas. Among the different methods developed in recent years to create sustainable and resilient urban forest, the one of the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki has proved its worth and meets today a sharp success, mainly because of the growth rapidity of those micro-forests.

Who is Akira Miyawaki ?

Born on 1928, Akira Miyawaki is a Japanese botanist expert in plant ecology, specialist in seeds and in forest naturality studies. He has long been engaged in the defense of native forest and their indispensable restoration.

Miyawaki has received the Blue Planet Prize in 2006 for its scientific advances for the environment.

What is the Miyawaki method ?

Miyawaki developed his method referring to potential natural vegetation (PNV) which is the vegetation cover in equilibrium with climate, that would exist at a given location if not impacted by human activities.

Miyawaki method is a method in 4 steps:

1- Selection of 15 to 30 native species

2- Soil enrichment with natural materials

3- Plantation of 3 to 5 trees per square foot

4- Mulching and cleaning during 3 years

For what results ?

Forests planted using the Miyawaki method are up to 30 times more dense and 100 times richest in biodiversity than classical forest plantation. A Miyawaki forest reaches its climax within about 30 years compared with more than 100 years for a classical forest.

Finally, the Miyawaki native micro-forests grow more quickly thanks to the interactions and the synergies between the plants. Growth is around one meter per year.