TINY FOREST WITH BIG DREAMS
February 2022
This year, Thor’s Hammer will continue to commit to put volunteer time, materials and donations totalling 10% of our profits to a select few organisations that are working to create better long term outcomes for our communities and environment.
For the first donation of the year, we have donated recycled wharf timbers for a tiny forest in Watson, founded by The Climate Factory.
The Climate Factory is a local social enterprise established in 2019 by founder, Edwina Robinson, after Australia experienced it’s hottest summer on record. Robinson is a landscape architect who worked in wetland restoration in Canberra and knows the landscape offers many solutions to cooling the climate.
Climate Factory’s vision is to cool the landscape by doing three things:
Rehydrating our landscape
Building our soils with organic material, and
Planting densely with climate-ready plants
Studies show trees significantly reduce temperatures. So by planting more trees in our cities and towns we can adapt to climate change.
In 2020, The Climate Factory built its first tiny forest or micro-forest in Downer in the Australian Capital Territory. This weeny forest occupies just 450m2 of suburban parkland.
The tiny forest is modelled on the Miyawaki method. The Miyawaki method plants native plants densely which leads to fast growth. The layers of native plants improve local biodiversity.
More than 1,000 seedlings have been planted by over 150 volunteers. The plants are thriving and the site is already being actively used - including by a local bush kinder play group, and the Landcare Wellbeing Program for guided meditations that help people connect to nature in their local environment. The micro-forest continues to rely on volunteers to care for the space. Removing weeds and ensuring the large trees have water will be critical for the next 2-3 years until the plants are well established.
The recycled timber we are donating to this project is Turpentine sourced from Bateman’s Bay, a town on the south coast of New South Wales. Turpentine’s resistance to marine borer meant it was the predominant timber used for wharf piers. The timber is reddish brown in colour and despite its name is not particularly high in natural resins and is very difficult to burn. Another durable, Australian Hardwood!
Photos from the day of boardwalk construction, courtesy Purdie Bowden.
Upcoming events:
Sunday 20 March - official opening featuring an Indigenous cleansing ceremony, live music, and kids activities.
Sunday 2 April - the Gallery of Small Things will host a free bushfood tasting led by local Indigenous expert Adam Shipp of Yurbay.
If you'd like to get involved email watsonmicroforest@gmail.com or join the Facebook group here.
Read more about the other organisations we are donating to here.
Photo credit: Elizabeth Adcock, Purdie Bowden