The Promise of Little Forests

1 Touch the earth lightly, use the earth gently,

nourish the life of the world in our care:

gift of great wonder, ours to surrender,

trust for the children tomorrow will bear.

2 We who endanger, who create hunger,

agents of death for all creatures that live,

we who would foster clouds of disaster,

God of our planet, forestall and forgive!

              Touch the Earth Lightly  Voices United 307

I hadn't intended to write a bunch of blog entries on environmental themes in the course of a few days, but it just seemed to unfold.

Yesterday I drove to Napanee, a town about half an hour away, to join others in a church hall to hear a presentation about Little Forests, or Mayawaki Forests. Canadian Geographic offers a helpful explanation: 

Named after the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki who invented them about 40 years ago, the densely planted forests are perhaps the size of a tennis court, often even smaller. But these minuscule forests are mighty, containing hundreds of plants, each striving to get its share of sun and rain. Done the right way, the forests achieve mature heights in about 20 years, rather than 100 or more, because they grow up rather than out.

https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-many-benefits-of-the-minuscule-but-mighty-miyawaki-forests/

I first saw one of these Mini-Me forests in Diana Beresford-Kroeger's 2016 documentary  Call of the Forest: the Forgotten Wisdom of Trees, She travelled to Japan and met with Dr. Myawaki at a tiny, lush forest in a busy city. I was fascinated. Was any group attempting to establish these forests in Canada, and where?

It turns out that a devoted group has gotten under way in Kingston and two of them came to speak to about 75 people from all over, a rapt audience. I was so impressed and inspired by these Little Forests evangelists. They mentioned the challenges of finding land and spoke of various possible collaborations, including communities of faith. I asked if this church/synagogue/mosque connection has happened and heard that it hasn't, yet. 

Lots of congregations across the country have repurposed portions of church properties forcommunity gardens. We have a raised bed at a nearby Presbyterian church along with 15 or so others. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Little Forests could be established in these settings as well? It turns out that Broadview Magazine of the United Church included an article a couple of years ago that I somehow missed. https://broadview.org/miyawaki-method/

I've read that trees are the creatures mentioned more often in the bible, after humans. Early on in Genesis we read about a tree, and in the vision of Revelation there is a river in a city lined with trees. May the Creator bless the Little Forest visionaries. https://littleforests.org/pages/about-little-forests

3 Let there be greening, birth from the burning,

water that blesses and air that is sweet,

health in God's garden, hope in God's children,

regeneration that peace will complete.

4 God of all living, God of all loving,

God of the seedling, the snow and the sun,

teach us, deflect us, Christ reconnect us,

using us gently and making us one.