The Magic of Miyawaki

At our Esperance Wildlife Sanctuary we have just completed planting up a Miyawaki forest. We have planted over 350 trees shrubs and ground cover plants in an area of about 120 square metres.

Check out the action as we create the beginnings of this amazing forest. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHFsZXHLh8FZzbLUqd7bkaw

The Miyawaki method is a technique for growing trees and shrubs used for regenerating forest and woodlands. The technique was developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1960s and 70s and is one of the most effective small scale tree planting methods for creating a layered forest cover on degraded land used previously for agriculture or construction.

The completed Miyawaki planting showing the three different mulch applications

As Dr Simone Webber explains Miyawaki is an effective method because it is based on natural regeneration principles and has significan benefits over traditional forest regeneration methods. The trees grown in the Miyawaki method grow much faster, jump starting the forest creation process by forcing competion for light and resources and thus capture more carbon, building a dynamic soil flora and fauna and establishing a richer plant biodiversity. Its an ideal method for creating diverse ecosystems quickly and could prove vital in meeting international climate change targets

https://www.creatingtomorrowsforests.co.uk/blog/the-miyawaki-method-for-creating-forests

The method requires the following materials:

300 semi advanced or established seedlings

Soil improver

Slow drip irrigation piping

1000 litre pod for holding water

Native or straw mulch

Shovels, mattocks

Tractor and ripper

String lines

Organic paint in spray cans

Long measuring tape

Soil improver

250 kg Compost

500 kg Vermicompost

250 kg Mature horse or cow manure

100 kg coco peat

The Miyawaki method involves several critical steps. This is a brief summary:

1. Stake out 100 sq mtrs in three blocks of 33 sq mtrs

2. Rip the area

3. Remove weeds

4. Add organic soil improvers

5. Rip area again to mix in soil improvers. Work well in - 10-15 cm

6. Mark out holes for plants, 3-4 per square metre in a triangular fashion

7. Dig holes as deeply as possible without compacting the soil

8. Plant trees and ensure even mix and distribution of species across each grid

9. Place pots in a diluted seasol and worm juice mix until all air bubbles from the pot vanish

10. Plant trees - add some bush tucker and cover with soil

11. Support with bamboo sticks

12. Lay out the irrigation lines

13. Mulch the whole area - (we used three different mulch to each of the three sections of the plot - biochar, native plant mulch and straw to see if the different mulch's produce different results)

14. Water in well

    
    

    

    Ripping - preparing the ground ready for planting the Miyawaki forest