An Ottawa charity is planting urban forests in the nation’s capital that grow at 10 times the speed of conventional ones, a strategy it says can fight climate change.

Forêt Capitale Forest is a registered charity operating in Ottawa, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change by planting so-called “tiny forests” on unused parcels of land. The group planted their first forests in 2022 at the Just Food Community Farm in Eastern Ottawa. Now, their forests are popping up all over the city and turning heads.

“In the first year, we were reaching out to groups and organizations to work together,”Shelley Lambert, a director at the non-profit, said. “Now, people come to us because they know what we can deliver.”

The charity is establishing itself as many are growing concerned about the federal government’s commitment to climate policy. As part of the 2025 budget, Ottawa announced it was ending the 2 Billion Trees program. Understanding the importance of trees, communities across the country from Nanaimo to Wiarton, have taken things into their own hands, coming together to plant tiny forests.

These forests sequester and store greenhouse gases, preventing them from polluting the atmosphere.

With record-breaking temperatures hitting Ottawa in the summer, the extra shade provided by the trees is also needed — and the soil in which they are grown helps absorb rainwater, reducing the flood risks that come with increasing levels of extreme weather.

The City of Ottawa recently announced a program to expand tree growth throughout urban areas in the municipality. As part of their 2026 budget, the city committed $17.5 million for tree and forest maintenance and $2.3 million for tree planting programs. Forêt Capitale Forest says that they plan on creating 1,000 hectares of tree coverage throughout the city, which would complement the city’s goals.

“What I see as really exciting about the mini forest method is that it helps to create a forest area in a matter of decades versus a matter of centuries,” Jenn McCallum, manager of green infrastructure for Green Communities Canada, said.

The city has thus far focused solely on funding traditional planting methods, but is planning to conduct a study on the effectiveness of tiny forests this coming year.

Miyawaki forests

As of now, a large chunk of the funding for Forêt Capitale Forest comes from the Josette Robertson and Joan Johnston Family Foundation. They have also received grants from organizations such as Tree Canada, Green Communities Canada and Trees for Life. In some cases, the entire bill has been footed by the owners of the land on which the forests grow, with Collège La Cité and the National Capital Commission paying for the forests on their property.

Forêt Capitale Forest says that after obtaining permission from landlords that they can plant, they follow local bylaws, avoiding growing on boulevards, areas under or over existing utilities, protected habitats and in areas with a risk of soil contamination. They also try to avoid planting in areas that may impact visibility too much, as they worry that dense forests may lead communities to worry about safety.

The organization follows the Akira Miyawaki method of creating urban forests. Miyawaki was a Japanese botanist who devised a technique of growing forests in urban areas as a response to the common practice of planting single non-native trees.

His method has become popular globally, with different organizations worldwide vouching for its effectiveness, especially as they can grow 10 times faster than normal plantings. The method employs dense planting to cause the plants to grow at a higher speed as they compete for sunlight.

According to Lambert, the smallest a tiny forest can be is four by four metres. The group’s Tiny Forest Dashboard shows that some plots have more than 1,200 plants incorporating more than 50 native species.

These tiny forests feature densely planted native growth and soil that has been carefully prepared. Unlike standard plantings, Miyawaki forests are required to be layered, containing towering trees, natural canopies, and low-to-the-ground plants, creating a fully-fledged ecosystem.

“What I see as really exciting about the mini forest method is that it helps to create a forest area in a matter of decades versus a matter of centuries,” Jenn McCallum, manager of green infrastructure for Green Communities Canada, said. “It’s a way to quickly re-naturalize a site.”

The careful preparation of Miyawaki forests makes them easier to care for in the future.

Jodi Newman, the forestry program manager at Forêt Capitale Forest, compares traditional growth to a person growing up eating oatmeal exclusively.

“You’re not getting the nutrients you need to do things effectively. You might survive, but you’re not thriving,” Newman said.

According to Forêt Capitale Forest’s Tiny Forest Guide, the cost of a Miyawaki forest can range from $14,000 to $50,000. This cost factors in excavation, fencing, water and equipment, as well as other expenses. The process also requires 300 hours of labour.

“The costs are high, but the survival rates are high,” Lambert said.

Community benefits

The fast growth of tiny forests leads to a quicker impact — and one that goes beyond just environmental upsides, McCallum says.

“There’s research showing that having trees around your property increases property value,” McCallum said. “Trees also provide a number of services, including helping slow traffic with how people perceive roadways.”

Additionally, urban forests can serve as food sources for nearby communities. Blueberries, pears and apples are often grown in urban forests.

“At the Ottawa community housing sites, people have requested, ‘Hey, can you plant edible trees?’” Lambert said. “So we do what’s called an ‘edible fringe’, a feature around the edges of the tiny forest that’s easy to harvest and gets a little more light.”

The community involvement demonstrated in these requests from the forests’ neighbours is another benefit.

“We plant with the people who live around those spaces, so it’s helping build community,” Lambert said. “Neighbours get to know each other and rally around a project they all care about.”

Forêt Capitale Forest recently launched the Tiny Forests Together program, in which community organizations can submit applications to grow Miyawaki forests in their desired site.

Ottawa’s Westboro Beach, located west of the downtown core along the Ottawa River, is home to a popular Miyawaki forest. It was planted in May by a community team. This came after the National Capital Commission redeveloped the property, removing invasive buckthorn plants that the community replaced with growth from the area.

“We’re always excited when there’s an opportunity to rip up the buckthorn and bring in native species,” Len Fardella, co-president of the Westboro Beach Community Association, said.

One volunteer, Leslie Farmer, says if the weather permits, she regularly checks in on the forest and is impressed by its progress.

“I was flabbergasted at how lush and beautiful things looked this summer,” Farmer said. “We had flowering and fruit-bearing strawberries, rose bushes blooming and trees shooting up. It’s already exceeded my expectations.”

The community investment in these forests reflects the core premise of the Miyawaki model.

“You don’t have a baby and put them in a corner and expect them to thrive on their own,” McCallum said. “Yet, we do that with trees in urban areas spaced widely apart and expect them to thrive, and they don’t. What they need is to have community and have relationships with each other.”