Boomforest

Introduction to the Association

Boomforest is a non-profit association whose goal is to replant mini-wild forests in urban areas with the participation of citizens and local residents.

To achieve this, we are inspired by the Miyawaki method, which promotes the re-emergence of wild forest ecosystems on highly disturbed soils. It involves planting dense native plant species of the region to recreate a dynamic and flourishing plant community.

Since 2018, the association has carried out 11 plantation projects in Paris and the Paris region, as well as 3 in the Lyon area.

Each of our mini-forests is planted with the help of hundreds of volunteers of all ages who take turns to help us green their neighborhoods. We thus recreate strong natural spaces, true islands of freshness and biodiversity in an urban environment.

Project Description

We plant the association's mini-forests on disturbed lands: former parking lots, roadway wastelands, embankments of the ring road, and other gap-toothed spaces.

These areas usually have only a simple lawn as vegetation, with degraded soils and low in biodiversity. With the mini-forests, we aim to bring back strong ecological dynamics with several vegetative layers in these spaces.

Over the years, we return to follow the evolution of the plantations and observe a rapid return of animals and insects of all kinds: larvae, butterflies, ladybugs, bees, flies, birds, and other living beings that we do not see in broad daylight.

However, the association does not have sufficient means to do more than sporadic observations. The effectiveness of the Miyawaki method has been the subject of numerous studies by the scientific teams that have deployed and implemented it around the world. However, precise scientific data on the impact of the plantations carried out in France are still lacking: these will provide truly relevant data for discussions.

In this regard, we would like to establish a rigorous monitoring protocol to collect quantifiable data on the value of applying the Miyawaki method in France.

To be truly relevant, a rigorous monitoring protocol should measure over the years the growth and health of the plants, the biodiversity on the site, and specify certain indicators of ecosystem services, such as temperature, humidity, and other more indirect benefits.

Setting up such a protocol requires specific skills and time, as it must be long-term to produce a measurable result. These resources are currently lacking in our still young association.

That's why the funding received on Ecomail will help finance this project.

With 3,000 euros, for example, we could commission a researcher for 10 days to help us set up the standardized monitoring protocol and train our volunteers to perform these surveys, which would be a decisive first step towards achieving this goal.

Thank you for your support, your help contributes to the life and sustainability of the Boomforest project!