St. Growing G’wood and Natuur en Milieufederatie Flevoland (NMFF) plant 650 trees at Roggebotstaete Estate on Friday, Nov. 18. Together with students from the Wood and Furnishings College Amsterdam and Aventus Apeldoorn, a Miyawaki Forest is thus created.

A Miyawaki Forest is a dense, native forest the size of a tennis court. This forest is not only a pleasant place for butterflies, birds, bees and small mammals, but also for people. Dr. Akira Miyawaki, professor of botany, developed this technique since 1980. His work was awarded the Blue Planet Prize, the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in ecology, in 2006.

The Miyawaki forest we are planting is about 200m2 and is located a short distance from “slot Roggebot.” An area has been left free in the middle: the perfect place for undisturbed enjoyment, or as a gathering place for (a.k.a. educational) nature-based events.

Over the next 3 years, St. John’s will be the main focus of the project. Growing G’wood and NMFF planted at least 400 trees annually, under the banner of the Plan Tree project. A tree is planted annually for every student who graduates. The first planting campaign was last year. NMFF, through Plan Boom, is planting 10 million trees in gardens, roadsides, parks, business parks and in outdoor areas.

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