See how dedicated volunteers are using the innovative Miyawaki method to transform Ross Lake Park into a high-impact micro-forest that will filter 30,000 gallons of rainwater annually and restore our local ecosystem.

by Matt Vicari, Chris Chambers, Mike Petriello

(Photos by Faith Teitelbaum, Andrea Phox)

At Ross Lake Park, Long Branch, New Jersey, a group of volunteers is preparing the ground for planting a micro-forest in the Spring of 2026. Ross Lake Park is along the north shore of Whale Pond Brook where it provides critical riparian and freshwater habitat to this watershed ecosystem.  

When the Whale Pond Brook Watershed Association (WPBWA), a non-profit group based in Long Branch, heard of a grant opportunity from American Water in early 2024, WPBWA founder Faith Teitelbaum began looking for ways to bring more green infrastructure practices to the city. The initial concept was to install a rain garden just south of Ross Lake Park on Red Oaks Drive. The rain garden hit a number of road blocks throughout the design phase which led Teitelbaum to seek alternative green infrastructure practices.    

In March of 2024, the book From Wasteland to Wonder by author and arborist Basil Camu was published. It described the concept of “pocket forests” (Chapter 17) which was pivotal for Teitelbaum’s inception of a micro-forest at Ross Lake Park following the setbacks with the original rain garden proposal. “What if we installed a micro-forest at Ross Lake Park?” Teitelbaum said to Ross Lake Park volunteer and curator, Matt Vicari.

  Both Teitelbaum and Vicari are Rutger’s Certified Green Infrastructure Champions (GIC) and have learned about the many ways to implement green infrastructure in residential, commercial, and public spaces. Although micro-forests are not traditionally taught as one of these tools, Teitelbaum’s forward thinking inspired the pair to further research micro-forest feasibility and benefits to the area.

Prior research from the U.S. Forest Service has shown that a 1,000-sq ft micro-forest can intercept 30,000 gallons of rainwater per year from its canopy footprint alone. This is in addition to absorbing and filtering runoff from surrounding semi-impervious surfaces, such as mowed turf. The benefits a micro-forest can have in a riparian watershed are many but include improved water quality, lessening erosion, reducing impacts of floods, and enhancing resident biodiversity through a dense, multi- layered planting structure.

The data were clear and the plan started to gain traction. Teitelbaum and Vicari started researching different types of forest ecosystems, determining where to source the plant species, and choosing the species-specific microsites within Ross Lake Park for plantings. Luckily, Teitelbaum and Vicari were not alone in this endeavor.

The Garden Friends of Ross Lake Park is a volunteer group of other GICs, Monmouth County Master Gardeners, retired ecologists and educators, and faithful land stewards. Teitelbaum and Vicari rely heavily on the advice, creativity, expertise, and dedication of these group members. Together, they are proud to share their 2025 accomplishments:

• Secured a $750 grant from the Native Plant Society of New Jersey and used it to plant a 150-square-foot area featuring riparian shrubs, forbs, grasses, and sedges
• Established a 200 sq ft garden planted with a variety of native flowering perennials—among them swamp milkweed, grass-leaved goldenrod, beebalm, anise hyssop, and smooth oxeye
• Hosted its first Native Plant Sale, where the Garden Friends of Ross Lake Park grew and sold more than 500 native plants to raise over $1,400 for the WPBWA
• Planted more than 200 locally and sustainably collected oak acorns, which will be distributed as first-year saplings at Long Branch’s 2027 Arbor Day event
  

The team aims to create an Oak-Hickory ecosystem in the micro-forest. This kind of ecosystem is typically found in the Inner Coastal Plain of the Mid-Atlantic biome. Land disturbance, mostly due to development and overgrazing, has significantly threatened these ecosystems and their restoration and protection is vital. The dominant trees in this ecosystem are White and Red Oaks as well as Pignut and Mockernut Hickories. Other common woody plants of this forest include Red Maple, Black Walnut, Sassafras, Flowering Dogwood, Paw Paw, and many other trees and shrubs.

Predating the publication of Camu’s (2024) book, Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki advanced the concept of reforestation using small, densely planted areas to decrease maturation times and increase biomass. These micro-forests are aptly known as ‘Miyawaki forests’. Miyawaki’s method includes planting at a density of 3-5 plants per square meter. Based on this guidance, the Ross Lake Park Micro-Forest will include about 250 plants from over 20 different plant genera in 1,000 sq ft. According to Miyawaki (1999), a densely planted micro-forest can reach maturity within 20-30 yr which is long before the century or more required through natural succession. This brings the maturation date for the Ross Lake Park Micro-Forest forward to about 2050. It will also become self-sustaining; free from watering and regular weeding in 2-3 yr.

Thanks to a generous $3,000 donation from the New Jersey Road Runners Youth Foundation in October 2025, an 8 ft tall fence now protects and defines the micro-forest. This measure is designed to limit overgrazing by the resident deer population and to provide the developing woodland with sufficient time to establish the resilience needed to endure light grazing as it matures. The groups’ intention is to remove the fence after 5-6 yr, but will continue to research the impact of grazing in the understory and make a formal plan once enough data are collected.

The Ross Lake Park Micro-forest will be one of a number of examples in New Jersey of the large and positive impact that can be made in small spaces. Beyond their many inherent ecological benefits, micro-forests are also valued educational tools when planted in public spaces.

The Garden Friends of Ross Lake Park hope to inspire visitors to take similar steps in their communities and in their own home landscapes.