"Tiny Forest" Planted in Hammersmith Park

"Tiny Forest" in Hammersmith Park

According to recent news reports, Hammersmith Park is set to house London’s first "Tiny Forest", planted in the old Bowling Green in the Park.  

Our Council, LBHF, posted a news story about the forest back in March.

But where is this forest? And how do you get there? Turns out, it isn't that easy to find, and there isn't any legitimate public access.

London's First Tiny Forest

London's first Tiny Forest is located behind the tennis courts at Hammersmith Park, and only accessible through a rather narrow hole which someone has cut through the chain link fence.  Presumably, this entry point wasn't created by the Council. 

Tiny Forest

The Tiny Forest lives up to its name - it is very small indeed.  And the surrounding site is pretty unimpressive; the old Bowling Green is a squarish bare patch of waste ground covered in weeds, piles of rubble, and lots of building materials for the nearby construction site. It hasn't been in use or accessible to the public for a decade or more.

 
£25k Funding

The cost of planting the Tiny Forest was £25,000, and this includes all requirements of the project from start to finish. The money was donated by the drinks company Fever Tree, whose head office is a few minutes away from Hammersmith Park.  

Fever Tree has a "corporate social responsibility programme" which involves funding tree planting schemes.

Construction site

The Miyawaki Method 

Behind the planting of the Tiny Forest is the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, whose "Miyawaki Method" is a pioneering method of revitalising degraded land.  

The Miyawaki Method involves, according to Wikipedia, "a judicious choice of pioneer and secondary indigenous species, densely planted and mycorrhized". 

The latter is something to do with fungus. 

Forest take a long time to grow, and the fruits of this project will not be seen for many years. Still, it's a step in the right direction for a bare patch of ground which is currently home to little more than weeds and rubbish. 

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