NEW! Mini Forests in Schools Toolkit

Introducing the Mini Forests at Schools Toolkit!

Are you a teacher, school administrator, parent or community member interested in learning how to get a mini forest at your school? With the support of the Greenbelt Foundation, Green Venture has developed a “Mini Forests at Schools” step-by-step toolkit, designed to empower schools to plan, fund, build and take care of their own mini forests! Informed by Green Venture’s 5 years experience planting over a dozen mini forests, including two at Hamilton schools, the toolkit offers native tree species resources, site preparation tips, curriculum-linked lesson plans and lots of other useful information.

Mini Forests in Hamilton: Understanding Ecological and Social Benefits Report

Download the Report

From 2023-2025, Green Venture received funding through the Community Health, Environment, and Research (CHER) grant to investigate the outcomes of early Mini Forest pilot plantings in Hamilton. With support from Hamilton Community Foundation and the Conserver’s Society of Hamilton and District, the project; Mini Forests in Hamilton: Understanding Ecological and Social Benefits was developed to help better understand the potential benefits of Mini Forests and their role in urban forestry.

Since 2021, Green Venture has successfully planted 12 mini forests at ten sites across private and public greenspaces in Hamilton. Growing mini forests:

help sequester carbon faster
help manage storm water and
improve the air quality of the location where they are planted

Mini Forests, also called the Miyawaki method is an approach to plant a dense area with diverse native trees and shrubs. This method lacks research on its application and ecological outcomes in southern Ontario, Canada.

Green Venture, in collaboration with partners like the Vineland Research and Innovative Centre, the City of Hamilton Forestry Section, and Green Communities Canada, conducted a multiyear study for Mini Forests in this region. Our field research involves studying:

tree growth rates
seedling survivorship
soil structure
and soil microorganisms

The findings are expected to contribute to the City of Hamilton’s community climate change and tree planting goals, while also providing valuable insights for local and national tree planting initiatives and offering improved monitoring protocols and research-based guidelines for more successful ecological and social outcomes in mini forest plantings. Download the report

Plant a Mini Forest at Home

Hamilton residents are planting mini forests at home.

In 2022, Green Venture made it easy for community members to participate in growing their own mini forest patch at home. We launched the Mini Forest at Home Program and provided residents and schools with the opportunity to plant their own mini forests with our Mini Forest Kits. Though the program has now concluded, you can access the "Mini Forests at Home guide" below.

Over 216 native plants were successfully planted across six homes and one school in Dundas, Ontario!

Access the guide, and plant your own!

Learn how to grow your own Mini Forest at Home

Mini Forest FAQs

What are mini forests?

Mini forests (also known as tiny forests, micro forests or Miyawaki forests) are based on the Miyawaki reforestation method. Named after Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist who developed it, the Miyawaki method is known for its use of dense planting, diverse locally native species, soil preparation, and multilayered design to mimic the complexity of a native forest. Miyawaki Forests consist of four layers: canopy, sub-canopy, small understory trees, and shrubs. This is a new technique for Hamilton, but it has been successful in Zaanstad, Netherlands, Mumbai, India, and other parts of the world for over 40 years. Read our blog about mini forests in Hamilton and learn more about the Miyawaki method.

Why are mini forests important in urban landscapes?

Adding Mini Forests in urban areas can add more greenery, mitigate stormwater runoff, increase biodiversity, improve air quality, and connect the community back to nature. And importantly, according to Shubhendu Sharma (whose TED talk made the Miyawaki Method famous), Miyawaki Forests result in trees providing these benefits much more quickly, with 10 times faster tree growth rates, and 30 times more CO2 capture.

What are the common steps to planting a mini forest?

How do I get involved?

We are always looking for new sites to plant a mini forest whether it’s on school grounds, parks, or publicly accessible sites!

What is an ideal mini forest site?

Located on public land or publicly accessible land.
Must have a minimum space to fit a 100 m2 (10 x 10) plot to plant 300 native trees and shrubs.
Access to hose bibbs/tap and commitment from the host for watering and maintaining the mini forest for ~3 years.
In a highly visible location to maximize the impact on the community.

If you don’t have a site in mind and just want to help volunteer at one of our community planting events, visit our volunteer opportunities calendar.

The Hamilton Mini Forest Project’s work is funded through the Hamilton Community Foundation and Dougher Foundation of the Hamilton Community Foundation, with the support of the Conserver Society of Hamilton and District.