Rooted in Trees and Cleveland Zoological Society Host Screening

An April 24 screening of Angelina Lee’s Making a Mini-Forest at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo brought together the Cleveland Zoological Society, nonprofit Rooted in Trees, the Holden Arboretum, and more to explore the growing mini forest concept. This event came on the heels of the organizations’ planting of a mini forest on Cleveland Metroparks Zoo grounds last September, representing the first-ever mini forest in a United States Zoo.

Rooted in Trees, Zoo horticulturists, the Holden Arboretum’s Green Corps, and eighth graders from Urban Community School worked together to plant 850 trees and shrubs within a 2500-square-foot plot at the Zoo. The mini forest will grow rapidly due to its use of the Miyawaki Method, a dense planting approach that helps create a multi-level forest community quickly. Developed in the 1970’s by Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki, this method aims to reforest degraded areas, rejuvenate the soil, sequester carbon, and create habitat for native wildlife.

While the Zoo’s mini-forest is in its infancy, event attendees enjoyed the opportunity to see what its future might look like – and how it will engage Zoo visitors in ecological discovery. "Our mini forest will reach a stage of early maturity much faster than conventional forests, and with noticeable growth and ecosystem development occurring within five to six years,” Rooted in Trees Founder Paul Abbey said. “This lasting legacy for all visitors will showcase how urban spaces can support biodiversity and ecological health."

The mini forest also represents Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s belief in the value of forests, a concept that will be central to its new Primate Forest facility currently under construction. Zoo Executive Director Dr. Chris Kuhar said, "Too often forests are discussed as only benefiting wildlife. One of the goals of our Primate Forest project is to emphasize how important healthy forests are to human health, not just wildlife health. Our mini forest project allows us to expand that messaging."

Attendees of the documentary screening got a glimpse of the beauty, function, and unique significance of mini forests, brought to life through stunning imagery and storytelling by filmmaker Angelina Lee. In sharing her work, Lee hopes viewers are encouraged to appreciate and nurture beneficial flora close to home. “I hope the film nudges people to think about the trees and shrubs native to where they live,” she said. “Learning about that can be very empowering, and fuel the creation of more native plant nurseries, which we need for projects like mini forests.”