I would like to thank the following people, organizations, and companies for their help with this paper in understanding the importance of the Miyawaki Method of urban forestry:

Anshuman Bapna, founder and CEO of Terra.Do (US-India); Dr. Kazue Fujiwara, Professor emirate of Yokohama National University, Professor of Yokohama City University (Japan); Kedarnath R. Ghorpade, Executive Director of Enviro Creators Foundation (India); Dipen Jain, Founder of Forest Creators (India); Hari Madathipparambil of Crowdforesting.org (India); Dr. Paciencia Milan, Professor Emeritus and former President of the Visayas State University (Philippines); Federico Vessella, Technician – Ph.D. of Tuscia University (Italy), Pal Forests (India).

Abstract

The first part of the Intelligent Aide Climate (IAC) system is a cross-breed of a generic early warning system (EWS) subsystem platform, changed to a climate and environmental changes warning system. Broken down into four logical modules:

• Historical data and sensor array input

• Number crunching

• Digital library

• Graphical User Interface for client

interaction with the system

With a digital media reference library and limited communications subsystem for updates. This software/hardware is based on a Linux Ubuntu and Hadoop small cluster.

In the Civilian defense protection section of the Intelligent Aide Climate, steps specifications in the Miyawaki Method are more detailed owning to it widespread deployment over the last thirty years in eight countries, in forty-eight cities worldwide, on one-hundred-fifty plus sites with over five million trees (1)

In this post, the second part of the IAC system is a civilian defense protection (CDPS) subsystem, comprised of a robust micro-climate over the settlement, derived from a number of forested areas, habitats, and environments in and around the settlement acting as a micro-climate or protected shield.

Civilian Defense – Protection System

Climate change is like the actions of ruff sandpaper on the world. Over the years, decades, and generations upon generations, it will wear away the fabric of nature and human civilization if left unchecked.

Fight climate change will not be through steel and concrete but by using Nature-based solutions (NbS) or systems for at-risk communities who want to stay in place with climate change taking place around them. Settlements like this need a vigorous micro-climate, comprising many forested habitats and environments in and around the settlement, to act as a shield.

A method pioneered by the late Dr. Akire Miyawaki for forest regeneration of natural (native) vegetation on degraded land shows the best promise. Dr. Akira Miyawaki also developed this method to protect against natural disasters and conserve the environment (2).

Dr. Miyawaki and his followers have participated in over 3000 projects in 50 cities worldwide since 2009. The main purpose of the method is an effective way of jump-starting the creation of a forest or woodland, with considerable benefits for carbon capture and recreating biodiversity. (3)

One of the most interesting things about using the Miyawaki method is how transferable it is in fighting climate change. The basic tenets of this method have a number of steps, 1 to 7. (4) The science behind the use of the Miyawaki Method.

The Step in the Miyawaki Method Are:

1. Know the texture of your soil

Use notes from the team survey.

Understanding the texture of your soil helps determine its capacity for holding water, the capacity of root perforation, water infiltration, and retention of nutrients. Carry out a ribbon test to determine what type of particles your soil contains.

Notice if the soil texture is clayey, sandy, or loamy. Loamy soils are preferable as they contain sand, clay, silt, and organic matter. They also provide the right balance of oxygen, water, nutrients, and drainage for the forest to blossom.

Ingredients for the soil and what to add to the soil

Perforator materials help to improve perforation and allow roots to grow quickly. For this, we can use biomass that is spongy and dry. Husk is a by-product readily available at grain mills and animal feed stores. Other options include Rice husks, wheat husks, corn husks (chipped), or groundnut shells (chipped).

Water retainer helps soil retain more moisture and water than its natural water retention capacity. Natural materials such as coco-peat or dry sugarcane stalks can be used.

A good test is to dip the material into the water for some time, take it out, and squeeze. The material can be used as a water retainer if water oozes out during squeezing.

Organic fertilizers are required for nourishment. Different materials, such as cow manure and urine, goat manure, or vermi-compost, can be used depending on region and availability.

Compared to vermi-compost, manure is a slow nutrient-releasing plant fertilizer. Manure provides small amounts of nutrients over an extended period, whereas vermi-compost initially gives high doses of nutrition but very little later.

Mulch insulates and protects the soil. It prevents sunlight from falling directly on the soil. Direct sunlight will dry soil and make conditions difficult for the young saplings.

This is especially important in the first 6-8 months, as the plants are young. Mulch also plays a huge role in preventing water from evaporating. Options include rice straw, wheat straw, corn stalk, or barley stalk.

Step 2. Choose the right trees

Choose Different Species of Trees for the micro-climate shield – use notes from the survey.

Aim for planting a variety of native species to promote biodiversity. Native species also require less long-term maintenance and are more likely to survive and thrive in the local environmental conditions. What’s more, they provide an ideal home for endangered species.

Identify the type of native species, its advantages, and the maximum height they reach. Check the availability of the species in a local nursery and their age. An ideal height to consider is around 60-80 cm. Opt for a mix of flowering, medicinal, timber, and fruiting species.

Choose five types of species to be the major species in the forest. They will constitute around 50% of the forest.

Make a database of all native species of your area. Identify its type (Evergreen, Deciduous, or Perennial), advantages, maximum height, and assign layer. Check the native species saplings available in the nursery, their age, and sapling height. The ideal height is 60 to 80 centimeters.

Major species: Choose five species to be the major forest species; these should be the species you commonly find in your area. This will constitute 40-50 percent of the number of trees in the forest.

Supporting species – other common species of the area will constitute 25-40 percent, and minor native species will make up the rest.

Step 3. Design the forest – general plan

Use notes from the team survey for planning.

Master Plan: Identify the area for the forest plot to procure materials and execute the project. The minimum width of the project area should be 3 meters, but 4 meters is recommended.

Watering Plan: The water pipeline layout may need to be designed by an architect based on the daily water requirement for the area, backed by bore wells and overhead tanks. The forest should be watered regularly for the first 2-3 years. After that, layout plans for water harvesting and reuse of Gray water for long-term use to support forest water use and needs.

Planning Project Execution: We must also Identify spaces for the site office, storing equipment, saplings, and a laborer’s resting area. If your project is large, your forested area must have access to trucks, vehicles, and earth movers.

Step 4. Design your forested areas – a detailed plan

Identify an appropriate area for forested areas and procure the materials to start executing the project.

Design a water pipeline layout with the help of an architect. As in step 3, ensure that overhead tanks back it and bore wells. This is because the forest needs to be watered daily for the first three years.

Step 5. Preparing the areas

Site inspection: Visit the site to determine the feasibility and scope of the project. Take pictures of the site, and confirm the availability of fencing, maintenance staff, running water, and sunlight. The site should get sunlight for a minimum of 8-9 hours a day. No pipes/drains/wires or debris should be in the area.

Removing debris and weeds: Weeds take away the nutrition of the soil and also restrict the movement of materials and people. Hence, they should be cleaned manually or using a JCB/John Deere Tractor if the area is huge. Ensure that the pulled-out weeds are disposed of away from the site; else, they may re-grow.

Watering facility installation: There should be a main line with watering outlets for hoses, which can reach the entire forest area. Watering should be done every day manually using a hosepipe with a shower and not by drip irrigation, sprinklers, etc. The requirement is around 5 liters/sq meter per day.

Physical demarcation of areas: The areas should be marked (with limestone powder or wooden peg/rope) before earthwork starts. Ensure that the marking of areas matches 100 percent with the master plan.

Making approach roads to marked areas: Clear weed growth, big stones, and boulders. The path could be of any material (soil, sand, gravel, tar, etc.), but trucks/tractors should be able to use it.

Mound identification: The forests are usually created on 100 sq meter mounds, and each needs a serial number in the order in which they will be created. Only after one mound is created and forested areas completed on it can the next mound be created.

Step 6. Plant trees

Mixing materials: Perforator, water retainer, and fertilizer, all without clumps, should be mixed. They should be mixed in the exact ratio as was decided initially for each mound.

Preparing the ground for forested areas: Each forest is created on a 100 sqm mound. Using an earth mover machine, first, dig the earth to a depth of 1 meter on 100 sqm of land. Put half the earth back into the pit and spread it uniformly.

This is to make the soil loose. Mix with the soil half the biomass prepared in the previous step. Then put the remaining soil back into the pit and spread it uniformly. Now mix the remaining biomass with this soil evenly. Afterward, shape the soil into a mound.

In the Miyawaki method, all saplings will be planted together on a mound, unlike conventional forest planting, where individual pits are dug up for each sapling.

Selecting trees for forested areas: Place plants on the mound to create a multi-layered, natural forest. Try to group plants that grow into different layers – shrub, sub-tree, tree, and canopy – in each sqm.

Try not to place two trees of the same kind next to each other; don’t follow a pattern while planting the trees. Maintain a distance of 60 cm between saplings. The goal is to have random, dense forested areas of native tree species.

Forested areas: To plant the tree, dig a small pit on the mound with a trowel, remove the root bag where the plant was growing, and gently place the plant in the pit. Level the soil outside gently around the plant stem, but do not press or compact the soil. There should be 8-10 people on a mound at a time since the idea is to plant on loose, aerated soil.

Support the plants with sticks: Saplings need support during the initial months so they don’t droop or bend. Insert support sticks into the soil close to the plant without damaging the roots of the plant. For plants shorter than 1 meter, use one meter-long bamboo sticks.

For taller plants, use slightly thicker 2-2.5 meter-long bamboo sticks. Tie the sticks to the plant stems using thin jute strings. Support sticks will be needed for at least every alternate plant.

Mulching: Mulch should be evenly laid out on the soil, in a 5-7 inch layer. To ensure that the mulch stays on the ground and does not fly around, it should be tied down with jute ropes. For this, bamboo pegs should be nailed at the periphery of the forest.

Tie the pegs to each other with rope, pressing down on the mulch. There should be 30 pegs, each around (2 ft) long, around every 100 sqm mound.

First watering: The first time, the forest should be watered for an hour. After that, the minimum water requirement is 5 liters per sqm, or 500 liters per 100 sqm mound.

Step 7. Look after the forest for three years

Monitoring: The forest should be monitored once in 1-2 months to check if the targets have been achieved and if any changes should be made to improve results. This should be done in the first 8-12 months. Count the number of saplings that have survived, and record the data. The growth of selected species should also be monitored.

Maintenance

Water the forest with a hose pipe once a day.

Keep the forest weed-free for the first 2-3 years. Once the forest starts growing, weed growth will stop.

Ensure the plants stay straight, are not buried under the mulch, and are only loosely tied to the support stick.

Keep the forest clean and free of plastic, paper, etc.

Maintain a proper drainage system so water does not accumulate anywhere in the forest. Do not build mounds in the forest, as accumulated water can kill plant roots.

Mortality rate of plants is usually 2-5 percent. Mortality is to be checked only after 3-4 months of planting.

Do not use any chemicals like pesticides or inorganic fertilizers. If you notice pests, leave them undisturbed. The forest will slowly build its mechanism to keep itself healthy.

Mulching should be maintained for at least one year. The soil should be re-mulched with time since dry soil is detrimental to forest health. Also, never remove organic matter like fallen leaves from the forest floor, as it will kill good soil microbes. As the tree grows taller, longer support sticks may be needed so the tree shoot does not bend and become weak. Finally, never cut or prune the forest, as it could weaken it.

Miyawaki Method Operational Questions

Let’s look at how the Miyawaki forestry method can be used as a micro-climate shield for small cities or towns against climate change. The first question is, what is a micro-climate in the first place?

A micro-climate is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one.

The term may refer to areas as small as a few square meters or square feet or as large as many square kilometers (square miles). In addition, because the climate is statistical, which implies spatial and temporal variation of the mean values of the describing parameters within a region, there can occur and persist over time sets of statistically distinct conditions, that is, micro-climates.

As Rudolf Geiger in his book (5) points out, not only climate influences the living plant, but the opposite effect of the interaction of plants on their environment can also take place, and is known as plant climate. This effect has important.

Consequences for forests in the midst of a continent; indeed, if forests were not creating their clouds and the water cycle with their efficient evaporate-transpiration activity, there would be no forest far away from coasts, (6) as statistically, without any other influence, rainfall occurrence would decrease from the coast towards the inland.

Water Use by Trees, by Forestry Commission UK

How would planting trees to fight drought be useful as a micro-climate shield?

Let’s look at the key parts of a tree

(A) Trees, with their canopies (the part comprising branches and leaves), block heat from reaching these surfaces. Tree canopies can intercept up to 90% of the sunlight and the heat that comes with it (7). Some tree species with wider and denser canopies, wider leaves, and more leaves are even more efficient.

For example, beeches block up to 97% of the light that falls on them. Tropical trees with huge leaves (8) are also super efficient, allowing only 1-2% sunlight to reach the ground. As a result, the temperature stays low, with less heat below the tree’s canopy.

Technically, shade doesn’t cool the air. It just warms the air less. The bulk of the “cooling effect” of trees is because of shading.

(B) How does transpiration cooling work? Trees draw up water from their roots and transport it to the leaves, where photosynthesis takes place. But up to 95% to 99% (6) of the water that reaches the leaves is lost as water vapor when the stomata (openings on the leaf surface) open and close to exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen. This process is called transpiration, and the resultant cooling effect is called transpiration cooling.

Trees can lose between 70 (18.49 gallons) and 120 liters (39.7 gallons) of water in a day, depending on the size of their canopy and the area of their leaves. For example, the Silver Willow (Salix nigra) or the White Poplar (Populus alba), having a canopy size of 900 sq. feet (83.6 sq. meters), can lose up to 82 liters of water a day through transpiration (9).

An Oak tree can use 567.8 liters (150 gallons) a day during the summer months. The rest of the water? Less than 1% is used for a physical reaction called photosynthesis, and 5% is used in growth to make new cells;

(C) How does this cooling effect happen in an area around a tree? To convert to water vapor, liquid water on the leaf needs extra energy, called latent heat. It draws this energy from the hot air around it and the sunlight on it.

When water is lost as vapor through transpiration, more energy leaves the system than was drawn to convert water into water vapor. According to the law of conservation of energy, if the amount of energy entering the system is less than the amount of energy leaving the system, then the system cools to maintain equilibrium. If we consider the area around the tree the “system,” this is how the process would work.

(D) Using the Miyawaki method with Windbreak Design & Management is a great idea (10, 11).

Problems start with a changing climate.

Does the need for water for the trees remain the same or for more? With a number of mass tree plantings taking place around the world under the monoculture of agro-forestry. Large-density stands of single species of trees are a great target for forest pests and diseases. One of the side issues of all this tree planting is where the water will come from when the climate turns bad, too hot, too dry, to little rain.

For those who did not think of this need for planting support, there will be countless dead trees worldwide. This is when we need trees the most. The question is not if the local weather (climate) will turn bad but when and for how long it will go on.

There are challenges to using storm water for waste and gray waters from small cities, settlements, and nearby agriculture (12). This question will need to be addressed in greater detail in a report on both planning and field trials.

Final word: The Miyawaki Method produce forested areas and, in turn, produces micro-climates within these forested areas, and Rudolf Geiger’s work help’s us understand how these micro-climates can control temperatures within a given area. This is a nature-based solution; micro-climates are so common in the world they go unnoticed.

There are references to a survey team, and this will be covered in a later post on how survey teams work to qualify a settlement for climate hardening.

References

(1) Dr. AKIRA MIYAWAKI

http://www.akiramiyawaki.com/

(2) the following steps in the Miyawaki Method this is a compendium of other papers supplied by:

Dipen Jain, Founder of Forest Creators (India);

https://forestcreators.com/why-plant-trees/

Hari Madathipparambil of Crowdforesting.org (India);

https://crowdforesting.org/

Clara Manuel for URBAN FORESTS (France)

clara.manuel@hotmail.fr

(4) Micro-climate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/micro-climate

(5) Micro-climate studies in Dr. Rudolf Geiger’s book, The Climate Near the Ground (1927)

(Figure 1) Tom Nisbet, Forestry Commission, Forest Note, 8 pages

231 Corstorphine Road Edinburgh EH12 7AT

www.forestry.gov.uk

(6) Can trees really cool our cities down?

by Roland Ennos, Professor of Biomechanice, University of Hull

https://theconversation.com/can-trees-really-cool-our-cities-down-44099

(7) Trade-off between light interception efficiency and light use efficiency: implications for species coexistence in one-sided light competition, by Yusuke Onoda, Jema B. Saluñga, Kosuke Akutsu, Shin-ichiro Aiba, Tetsukazu Yahara, Niels P. R. Anten

First published: 31 October 2013, British Ecological Society

https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12184

(8) Colorado State University, CoAgMET Colorado’s Mesonet, USDA/ARS Home Page

Home Crop Water Use ET Reports Daily Summaries Station Data Selector

Understanding Plant Water Use: Evapotranspiration (ET)

https://coagmet.colostate.edu/extended_etr_about.php

(9) Eco-intelligent™ By Saurab Babu

Making the world ecologically intelligent – Why is it cooler around trees?

Why is it cooler around trees?

(10) Windbreaks For Rural Living

By James R. Brandle, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Bruce Wight, Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension EC1767, 6 pages

(11) How Windbreaks Work, EC1763, Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln 5 pages

(12) The wealth of waste: FAO WATER REPORTS 35, The economics of wastewater use in agriculture

by James Winpenny, Ingo Heinz, Sasha Koo-Oshima, Miguel Salgot, Jaime Collado, Francesc Hernandez, Roberta Torricelli. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, Roma 2010, page 142

Climate Defense Blog

Civilian Defense Protection Subsystem

Author’s Acknowledgments