Author: Leah Kuhne

Little Forests Durham will be celebrating Earth Day 2026 with the Whitby Sustainability Advisory Committee and Green Communities Canada by participating in the next Climate Justice Durham‘s Learning Circle webinar.

The “Little Forests in Durham Region and Beyond” webinar features speakers Ingrid Janssen of Little Forests Durham and Jenn McCallum of Green Communities Canada. Ingrid and Jenn will discuss,

• What are little forests.
• The amazing work Little Forests Durham is doing in Durham Region.
• How Green Communities Canada is implementing little forests across the country.
• How you can get involved in growing the little forests movement.

This FREE event is open to everyone. Please register below.

🗓️: Wednesday, April 22nd (Earth Day!)
🕑: 7:00-8:30 pm
🔗: Zoom
https://trentu.zoom.us/meeting/register/PiiYyNStR5WdsGXibsBa6g

Hope to see you there to celebrate Earth Day and learn about little forests!

Ingrid Janssen is a director with Little Forests Durham, a relatively new non-profit in Durham Region, that focuses on planting mini forests in urban parks and other public spaces around Durham. The group has already helped to plant 4 of these mighty mini forests.

Jenn McCallum is the Green Infrastructure Programs Lead at Green Communities Canada, and is based in Nogojiwanong (Peterborough), Ontario. She leads the monthly Mini Forest Community of Practice, which covers topics on mini forest site prep, installation, maintenance, and monitoring.

Little Forests Durham is proud to announce that we have been selected as a recipient of the Rotary Paul Harris Award by the Rotary Club of Whitby. This prestigious award is named after Rotary International’s founder, Paul Harris, and is given to individuals and groups who exemplify the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”

“Your outstanding commitment to service and dedication to making a positive impact in our community have not gone unnoticed. The Paul Harris Award is a testament to your unwavering contributions and the exceptional leadership qualities you have consistently demonstrated. Your organization’s selfless efforts…have truly made a difference, inspiring others and embodying the values of Rotary.” – Deidre Newman, President | Rotary Club of Whitby

Little Forest Durham members Ingrid and Norine accepted on behalf of the organization. The Rotary Paul Harris Award ceremony was held on the evening of March 25, 2026 at the Centennial Building in Whitby.

Little Forests Durham is truly grateful to be recognized by Rotary and the community for our work partnering with municipalities, conservation authorities and community groups to establish little forests in Durham Region.

Ingrid Janssen, founding member of Little Forests Durham joins Joanne Shaw on her podcast, Down the Garden Path. 

➤ TOPICS COVERED

• Ingrid’s background as a Durham Master Gardener, seed collector, and advocate for native trees
• How Little Forests Durham was founded in 2024 and inspired by Little Forests Kingston
• What a Miyawaki mini forest is and how the method aims to compress forest succession into 20-30 years
• Why these forests are planted using dense layers of native trees and shrubs to mimic a natural forest community
• The importance of soil preparation, including cardboard, compost, and mulch to suppress weeds and build fungal-rich soil
• How sites are chosen through collaboration with municipal staff, parks departments, and local partners
• Why publicly accessible land is a priority for Little Forests Durham projects
• The logistics behind site prep, including access for trucks, compost delivery, mulch spreading, and volunteer coordination
• How volunteers help with planting days, often in large numbers, making it possible to plant hundreds of trees and shrubs in a short time
• Why planting design still matters, even in a more naturalized system, with careful placement of canopy trees, understory trees, and shrubs
• The realities of maintenance, including weeding, invasive species removal, tree protection, fencing, and monitoring for drought
• How mini forests help address climate change by increasing biodiversity, cooling urban spaces, and creating habitat for wildlife
• The role of partnerships with organizations such as Rotary Clubs, conservation authorities, Green Communities Canada, Greenbelt Foundation, and Trees for Life
• The group’s ambitious goal of planting 30 mini forests by 2030 in Durham Region
• How listeners can support the effort through volunteering, joining the team, donating, or helping bring projects to their own communities
• The idea that homeowners can create smaller-scale versions in their own yards, known as pocket forests
• Ingrid’s love of native trees, with a special mention of her flowering dogwood, grown from seed she collected herself

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes.

We’re honoured to share that Little Forests Durham has been featured in the Town of Whitby Mayor’s Monthly Newsletter for February 2026!

The newsletter highlights the growing impact of our community-led work to plant Miyawaki-style mini forests across Durham Region. Little Forests Durham was recognized for its mission to empower communities with the tools and knowledge needed to plan, plant, and care for these dense, fast-growing native forests.

The feature also spotlights the first mini forest planted in Whitby at Heber Down Conservation Area in October 2025.

Together, these efforts are contributing to healthier green spaces that grow faster, support more biodiversity, and help mitigate climate change impacts compared to conventional urban tree plantings.

Read the Full Feature

We’re grateful to Mayor Elizabeth Roy and the Town of Whitby for highlighting the role community volunteers play in building a greener future.

👉 Read the full feature in the Mayor’s Newsletter here:
https://www.whitby.ca/news/posts/mayors-monthly-newsletter-february-2026/#MakingaDifference:LittleForestsDurham

We’re excited to share that Little Forests Durham has been featured in a new video highlighting the growing movement to bring dense, biodiverse mini-forests into communities.

The video, from Tree Canada, shines a light on how small-scale, community-led planting projects can create meaningful environmental impact — improving biodiversity, strengthening climate resilience, and reconnecting people with nature right where they live.

Through our work across Durham Region, Little Forests demonstrate that restoring ecosystems doesn’t require vast land or massive infrastructure. Even small urban spaces can become thriving pockets of habitat.

We’re proud to be part of this growing global movement and grateful to everyone who has helped bring these forests to life — from planting day volunteers to community champions and supporters.

Together, we’re proving that little forests can make a big difference!

About: Using the Miyawaki method, this Community Tree grant project creates pocket forests that grow quickly, support biodiversity, and address climate change resilience challenges. Led by the Uxbridge Rotary Club, more than 600 native trees and shrubs were planted in layered formations that mimic natural forest structure, encouraging competition for light and rapid vertical growth. Supported by Tree Canada, LCBO, local conservation authorities, municipalities, and volunteers, the project highlights how small, community-driven forests can create cooling islands, wildlife habitat, and long-term environmental impact. This project is led by the Rotary Club of Uxbridge, Ontario and Little Forests, Durham.

We’re delighted to share that Ingrid Janssen, one of Little Forests Durham’s dedicated members and community champions, is featured in a recent episode of The Garden Shift, a podcast about becoming a guardian of your garden with host Tina Cesaroni and friends.

In the episode, Ingrid discusses her journey with Little Forests Durham – from discovering the Miyawaki method to helping organize community planting days across the region. She speaks about what drew her to the work, the sense of connection that forms when communities come together with shovels in hand, and the joy of watching a tiny forest take root and thrive.

Listeners will also hear about the broader vision behind Little Forests Durham:

• creating biodiverse pockets of habitat in urban and suburban spaces,
• empowering residents to become stewards of the land, and
• fostering a deeper relationship between people and the natural world.

Ingrid’s conversation is warm, thoughtful, and full of the grounded optimism that fuels this movement. Her reflections offer a wonderful window into the heart of our organization – the people who care deeply and act locally to make a lasting ecological impact.

Click below to listen now! Following a chat about Ingird’s love of peonies, the discussion on Little Forests Durham starts at minute 8:32.

We’re incredibly proud to see Ingrid’s voice featured and hope the episode inspires more residents to learn about Little Forests Durham and join us in planting the next generation of community-grown forests.

🌲🌲🌲

[Excerpt]

By Chenelle Richards

Durham residents are fighting climate change by planting little forests that are nurturing nature and communities.

Little forests or mini-forests are comprised of diverse native plants packed closely together at a designated site.

The soil is prepared with layers of cardboard, compost and mulch. After three or four months, the plants are put in at different levels and depths to replicate a natural forest.

This method has been coined the Miyawaki Method, after the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki who designed… [read full article here]

 

The Chronicle is created and produced by students of the Journalism – Mass Media program at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. The publication covers stories from across Durham College, Ontario Tech University, Durham Region and beyond.

Green Communities Canada (GCC) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) are excited to release a new report. The first of its kind, Seeds of Change: Cultivating Mini Forests Across Canada, investigates the rapid growth of the mini forest movement in Canada. The report shares lessons, challenges, and best practices to help municipalities, practitioners, and communities advance greener, healthier, and more resilient cities. The report also proposes ideas for the future development and study of mini forests.  

Read the complete report here.

Prof. Devisscher is the lead author and principal investigator of the report. Co-authors of the report include Kylie Clark and Jennie Zhou (Research Assistants working with Prof. Devisscher), as well as Tianna Mighty and Emily Shimon from Green Communities Canada.

In less than ten years, mini forests have been transforming urban spaces across Canada. The country’s first mini forest was planted in Stratford, Ontario, in 2016. Since then, communities have embraced this innovative approach to restore degraded land, increase biodiversity, and build climate resilience.

“Our findings reinforce that mini forests provide multiple benefits and are an alternative approach to green cities in the Canadian context. We also found several levers in terms of municipal policies and strategies,” says Professor Tahia Devisscher with the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry.”

 

The report highlights both the promise and the practical realities of mini forest planting: 

Across the country, municipalities are recognizing mini forests as a tool for climate risk management, biodiversity conservation, canopy expansion, and equity in green space access. The report identifies opportunities to embed mini forests into local planning and proposes strategies for scaling.

Canada’s mini forest movement has accelerated quickly in a short time. This movement also has a vital role to play as we address the climate crisis and build sustainable, inclusive communities. Mini forests are more than trees—they are living classrooms, climate solutions, and community hubs.

The following has been an excerpt from “Seeds of Change: Celebrating the Growth of Mini Forests Across Canada” by Tianna Mighty | Green Communities Canada | Sep 29, 2025

We’re excited to share that Little Forests Durham will be part of some amazing community events this fall! Come connect with us, learn more about Little Forests, and join in the movement to bring more biodiversity and climate resilience to our region.

📅 Mark your calendars:

Thursday, October 9
🌿 Oshawa Environmental Advisory Committee’s Fall Film Night
6:30 PM | Regent Theatre, 50 King St. E, Oshawa

Get tickets here

Saturday, October 18
🌱 Heber Down Mini-Forest Planting
9:30 AM | Heber Down Conservation Area – North Entrance
5000 Cochrane St., Whitby

Register here

Saturday, October 25
🌱 Uxbridge Pocket Forest Planting
9 AM | King Street Parkette, 233 King St. W, Uxbridge

Register here

Saturday, November 1
🌱 Uxbridge Mini-Forest 2.0 Planting
9 AM | Fields of Uxbridge, 335 Durham Regional Rd. 1, Uxbridge

Register here

Saturday, November 15
🌍 Durham Climate Fall Forum
10 AM – 2 PM | Durham Region Headquarters
605 Rossland Rd. E, Whitby

Register here

We’d love to see you at one (or all!) of these events!

Whether you want to get your hands in the soil, learn more about climate action, or connect with other community members, there’s something for everyone this fall.

A powerful new green space is coming to Heber Down Conservation Area in Whitby. Little Forests Durham, in partnership with Trees for Life, the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) and the Town of Whitby, is proud to announce the planting of a new Mini Forest – a dense, fast-growing native forest designed to restore biodiversity, improve climate resilience, and connect communities with nature.

Mini Forests (also known as Little Forests), based on the Miyawaki Method, are tiny, fast-growing ecosystems, small enough to be planted almost anywhere land is available – parks, schools, community spaces and neighbourhoods. Mini forests emphasize the use of dense plantings, diverse locally native plant species, soil restoration and preparation, and a multilayered design to mimic the features of a native forest which over time, will create a wildlife-rich woodland.

Community members are invited to be part of this forest from the very beginning.
The first public event will be a Site Preparation Day on:

📆 Saturday, August 9, 2025
🕙 9:00 a.m.
📍 Heber Down Conservation Area, 5000 Cochrane St, Whitby, ON
🌱 Register here: HeberDownMiniForestSitePrep.eventbrite.com

Volunteers of all ages will help get the mini-forest site ready by clearing out debris and making the area ready for planting.

“The Town of Whitby is very excited for Whitby’s first official ‘Little Forest’. The creation of the Little Forest at the Heber Down Conservation Area is one of many actions the Town is taking this year towards the following action in our Climate Emergency Response Plan 3.1 – Conserve, expand, and protect natural spaces and urban forest for flood risk reduction, cooling and improved human well-being.” – Sarah Shields, Project Manager – Sustainability & Climate Change & Strategic Initiatives at the Town of Whitby.

Project Highlights:

• Location: Heber Down Conservation Area, 5000 Cochrane St, Whitby, ON
• Site Prep Date: August 9, 2025
• Number of species: Over 600 native tree and shrub species in 200 square metres
• Planting date: October 18, 2025
• Community partners: Little Forests Durham, Trees for Life, the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA), the Town of Whitby, the Region of Durham, and the Rotary Club of Whitby-Sunrise.

 

Click to learn more.