Tiny Forests With Enormous Impact

Usually, a planted forest takes about 100 years to develop into a “real” forest. An awful long time, especially when you take into account the rapid deforestation and the urgent call for more trees, nature and a healthier, sustainable planet. A new forestation technique could kick start this proces.

Eco-entrepreneur Shubhendu Sharma is the founder of Afforestt, an organization that creates “wild, native, natural and maintanance free forests at the lowest possible cost.” Basically, they bring back forests by creating them. To do so, they have a special technique to spur the proces of forestation: Tiny Forests. Sharma based his approach on planting these forests inspired by an assembly line technique that he learned during his tenure at Toyota. These “forests to be” start out tiny, but because of the careful selection of plants, trees and soil to be included and a multi-layered plantation technique, the Tiny Forests of Afforestt grow big quickly.

On a plot of land with the size of six parking spots, a dense forest of 300 trees grows within no-time. Because of the special Tiny Forest-technique, the forests grow up to ten times faster than normal, are thirty times more dense than other forests and they contain a biodiversity that is a hundred times more diverse. Due to its limited need for space and flexible usage, Tiny Forests can be easily planted in all sorts of places and surroundings, whether it is near residential neighborhoods, on wastelands, or at school yards.

The Tiny Forests of Sharma’s Afforestt are quickly making their way across the globe as negative effects of ongoing deforestation, urbanization and climate change increasingly gain attention. Afforestt wants to create more support and awareness regarding the importance of forests, and therefore offers its methodology as an open source to others that want to plant their own Tiny Forest. Don’t get fooled by size, because these forests can have huge potential and importance!