In Toulouse, urban forests are gradually taking root in the landscape.
After the Giants micro-forest, the first to be planted in the Pink City in March 2020 in the Rangueil district, George Sand College and Paul Sabatier University joined the movement last spring.
Five other projects should be completed by the end of the year, inspired by the method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki.
It allows, by planting a great diversity of local species in a very dense way, 3 to 5 per m², to transform bare and degraded land into hotbeds of biodiversity in just two to three years.
Islands of freshness
“This density creates an emulation between the trees.
In the Giants micro-forest, we already have an elm and a rosehip of more than 2 meters and oaks of 50cm.
Growth is faster than in a conventional forest but it varies according to the species.
The trees will capture the CO2 produced by the circulation and create islands of freshness.
But beyond the ecological interest, these micro-forests also allow people to reconnect with nature.
It is very gratifying for the volunteers who are at the origin of all these projects ”, underlines Eugénie Lacombe, coordinator of the Micro-Forests Collective.
This working group of the association Toulouse en transition obtained in 2020 a regional budget of 150,000 euros to technically and financially support around ten projects.
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A next micro-forest should see the light of day in Jolimont, near a school where some 1,200 trees will be planted.
The date has already been set for December 3 with the students and the next day with the residents.
For its part, the micro-forest of Paul Sabatier University, the largest in Toulouse, is already witnessing the growth of 3,000 oaks, maples, lime trees and cherry trees which were planted in the spring.
A team of campus teachers is also carrying out scientific monitoring to measure the effectiveness of the Miyawaki method on the development of biodiversity, carbon fixation and its impact on the microclimate.
