Her school of thought? Plant a pocket forest.

By Patricia Lane & Anna Bigland-Pritchard | January 6th, 2024

Serena Chin plants a tree in the Miyawaki pocket forest at her high school in Richmond, B.C. Photo submitted by Serena Chin

Serena Chin wants a forest in every city. This 16-year-old in Grade 12 led the environmental team at Richmond Secondary School to plant the first Miyawaki pocket forest in Western Canada.

Tell us about the project.

In 1972, Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki discovered if small plots of barren ground were fed with local compost and densely planted with native plants, forests would grow fast and dense, regenerate the soil, form ecosystems and be effective carbon sinks. They cool the surrounding area, clean the air, and people find them soothing and good for their mental health. These “pocket forests” have spread all over Asia and Singapore. When I heard about this idea, I wanted to see that happen at my school.

We began by studying the idea and identified a 100-metre-square under-used area on school property. We identified appropriate plants with the help of our community partner Garden City Conservation Society. We decided to use plants native to both this area and Oregon to increase resilience as the climate heats up.

We began propagating bushes, trees and shrubs. Sadly, in the first summer, heat killed almost all of our new plants, so we worked with local nurseries to supply the plot.

After digging down a metre, we made the soil healthy with local compost and mulched to help the soil retain moisture.