Images courtesy of NYC Parks / Daniel Avila
A neglected stretch of the Williamsburg waterfront just got “spruced” up. NYC Parks unveiled a new “mini forest” at North Fifth Pier and Park this week, transforming an empty lot into a fully formed forest ecosystem with mature trees, wildflowers, stones, and more. The new green space, designed to beautify the area, improve air quality, and help protect against flooding, is inspired by “Miyawaki pocket forests,” a Japanese planting method that adds dense clusters of native trees to compact urban spaces. In 2024, New York City’s first-ever mini forest was planted on Roosevelt Island.
The Miyawaki method, named after its creator, Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, involves carefully preparing the land with compost and mulch before planting native trees and shrubs close together to encourage the rapid growth of flora. When planted this way, the forests can become self-sufficient within three years and reach maturity in just a few decades, as 6sqft previously reported.
However, unlike typical Miyawaki forests, the Williamsburg forest doesn’t need time to grow. The trees that were planted are already mature and include serviceberry, black gum, river birch, and persimmon.
Complementing them is a lush mix of shrubs, ferns, wildflowers, and grasses like narrow-leaved mountain mint, flat-topped goldenrod, sweet fern, aromatic aster, butterfly weed, little bluestem, and hay-scented fern.
Council Member Lincoln Restler’s office contributed $35,000 to the project, while the Parks Department provided roughly $197,000 in funding. Restler told the New York Post that his office will monitor community feedback and environmental impact, and if all goes well, will continue to support the initiative.
“I’m thrilled that we’re bringing the first ever mini forest to Brooklyn!” Restler said. “The new mini forest in the Northside of Williamsburg will have an outsized impact on our community by enhancing biodiversity, improving air quality, preventing flooding, and beautifying a rundown, underutilized park space.”
Williamsburg’s mini forest is the second of its kind in the five boroughs, following Roosevelt Island’s “Manhattan Healing Forest,” which debuted in March 2024. Conceived by global platform SUGi, the pocket forest spans just 2,700 square feet in Southpoint Park and features 1,000 native trees, shrubs, and plants.
The Manhattan Healing Forest marks SUGi’s 200th forest, with an average cost of $200 per 10 square feet. Though each forest is often no larger than a tennis court, cities around the world have planted Miyawaki-style forests, which offer a wide range of benefits, including floodwater absorption, natural cooling during hot weather, and the return of bird species that had long vanished from the area.
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