In fall 2023, Western Washington University’s Learning, Environment, Action and Discovery (LEAD) restoration group began restoring a portion of Western’s forested north campus using the unique Miyawaki planting method.
Nearly two years, roughly 200 volunteers and over $22,000 later, this budding enterprise at the corner of Billy Frank Jr. and East Ivy Street is LEAD’s largest project in recent memory and is on its way to becoming a dense, biodiverse and self-sustaining mini-forest.
LEAD, which is run by graduate students through Western’s College of the Environment, rotates its co-directors on a two-year cycle.
Former Co-Director Brandon McWilliams said that the site had originally been discovered in 2023 with the help of Heidi Zeretzke, Western’s head gardener at the time.
“[It was] a good time for LEAD to get in coordination with the grounds folks to be like, ‘Where do you all need support? Where are some areas that we could do projects?’” said McWilliams, who recently completed their Master of Arts in environmental studies.
Zeretzke directed LEAD to the plot of land they’re now restoring, explaining that it was co-owned by both the City of Bellingham and Western. There had been apparent confusion over who would maintain it, and it remained overgrown for nearly 20 years until LEAD stepped in.
“By the time we got there, it was entirely overrun and pretty intimidating,” McWilliams said.
This was far from LEAD’s first restoration project. In over 25 years, the program has hosted numerous work parties, restoring areas all over Whatcom County.
However, this specific project is not only unique in size but in implementation and historical context as well. The Miyawaki method, conceived by the late Japanese Botanist Akira Miyawaki, mimics and hastens the way forests naturally regenerate by planting native flora densely together. McWilliams said that LEAD’s restoration project is the first time that the five-step Miyawaki method has been implemented in the region.
Ant Vandenbroucke, a LEAD intern and Western student, explained that the first step in the process is to choose a site and secure funding.
“[Step] two is to determine the potential vegetation for that site that is native to the area. Three is preparing the soil. Four is planting, and five is maintaining,” Vandenbroucke said.
According to Gabrielle Lund and Beau Jay, the current co-directors of LEAD, the first step was completed in part with the help of a $22,772 Sustainability, Equity and Justice Fund grant from Western’s Sustainability Engagement Institute.
Step two involved the planning of the proposed ecosystem. It was imperative to remove harmful plants and choose native plants that would not only thrive in western Washington’s climate but would also face minimal competition for resources when planted together.
Once the soil had been composted, aerated and flushed of harmful invasives, plants like the red-flowering currant, deer fern, sword fern, evergreen huckleberry and snowberry replaced the non-native Himalayan blackberry and English ivy that were found on the site.
In tandem with these shorter plants, over 900 cedar, maple and Douglas fir trees were planted to eventually grow into the upper canopy.
The implementation of these plants culminated in a work party of over 170 volunteers from LEAD, the Whatcom Million Trees Project (WMTP) and the greater community on Earth Day in April 2023.
Now, almost two years later, the project remains in step five, maintenance.
“It will continue to be less hands-on as time goes on,” McWilliams said. “The rough estimate based on previous projects of this type is that it'll take five-ish years of some loose maintenance before it's pretty well self-sustaining.”
McWilliams cited the book “Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World” by Hannah Lewis as a huge inspiration and source of technical information for the project.
Lewis, who has a Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies, explained that she was inspired to write the book to communicate the importance of understanding ecology, as well as protecting and restoring ecosystems.
“At regional and global scales, ecosystem function is essential for helping to stabilize the global climate system,” Lewis said in an email. “Locally, small projects like mini-forests are an important way to adapt and boost resilience to extreme weather caused by global climate breakdown.”
Lewis has also been personally involved in a handful of events using the Miyawaki method, including the planting day of the current project and a speaker series on the topic at Western.
“I’m grateful that [Mini-Forest Revolution] was well received and useful to people, especially in an educational context like at WWU,” Lewis said. “I think the Miyawaki Method offers a really unique and practical opportunity to create a living laboratory that can be used in conjunction with ecology courses.”
While maintenance for the site, like weeding, remains ongoing, LEAD work parties continue to develop the site and plan for its future use.
"We're actually working on a signage project,” Lund said during a work party on Feb. 27.
In cooperation with the WMTP, LEAD has plans for a bench, a trail that runs through the site and a visually and audibly accessible sign explaining the Miyawaki method and its role in the project.
“It'll be both a practical walking trail, as well as a meditative space as part of, hopefully one day, the greater [Sehome Hill] Arboretum,” said Lund.
Students interested in participating in the maintenance of this site or the restoration of other sites with LEAD can join the program through Western’s College of the Environment page, found here.
While surrounded by hard-working volunteers, Lund explained that their dedication and enjoyment made this project very special to her.
“It's easy to be in my own head about my skills and about what I can contribute to LEAD, but seeing the impact reflected back through how much the volunteers enjoy is what makes it really meaningful for me,” said Lund.
Jae Ranney (they/them) is a campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. They are a second-year journalism news/ed major. When they’re not hounding you for a quote or chasing a lede, they enjoy playing the drums in their metal band, or making folk music with their guitar and banjo. You can reach them at jaeranney.thefront@gmail.com.
