I just watched a webinar on building a Miyawaki forest in Berkeley CA. It is the basis for 'rewilding' urban areas by planting trees, mostly, very close together to stimulate rapid growth of a diverse forest ecosystem.
I understand the basic concept, but it seems a bit over-planted and somewhat wasteful. Planting trees that reach 50-100 feet tall and at least 1/3 as wide on spacing of 3 per sq meter doesn't seem efficient. Most of them will eventually be crowded out and have to be removed in a few years. So why not take into consideration eventual sizes and plant accordingly with fewer trees and more undergrowth of shrubs, perennials and annuals? It can be designed to mimic an established forest with normal species diversity and density.
Any thoughts and ideas?
