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Earthwatch Europe have partnered with MINI UK to create the last Tiny Forest of the planting season in Coleshill, Warwickshire, with the support of North Warwickshire Borough Council. Children from High Meadow Community Primary and staff from the local BMW Group manufacturing site which produces engines for many MINI models, joined forces to plant hundreds of trees on Thursday 30th March.

A Tiny Forest is a dense, fast-growing, native woodland made up of 600 trees planted in a tennis court-sized plot. They are not only an attractive location for wildlife but are great for people to enjoy as well, and can provide a range of benefits in the fight against climate change.

This Tiny Forest in Coleshill will provide a space for local residents to connect with nature and help biodiversity to thrive. The forest was planted on an underused plot of land and will provide additional green space to the area as well as help to screen out noise from a nearby road.

The MINI UK partnership with Tiny Forest was born from an initial interest in Tiny Forest’s potential for boosting biodiversity and bringing communities together, as well as the project’s innovative scalability to match forests with their retailers across the UK.

The partnership has developed from one Tiny Forest in Oxford to bringing 14 Tiny Forests to communities across the UK. Both organisations look forward to where these super tiny, super powerful forests can take them next planting season and beyond.

Federico Izzo, Director of MINI UK & Ireland said “MINI are thrilled to continue our partnership with Earthwatch Europe and see another Tiny Forest come to life, this time in our local community of Coleshill, Warwickshire. Our shared values of promoting sustainability and bringing people together is what makes this such a great partnership.”

Steve Maxey, Chief Executive of North Warwickshire Borough Council; “Coleshill was identified by the Council’s Green Spaces team as an ideal location for the borough’s first Tiny Forest. We’re delighted to see so many members of the local community come out to help create this fantastic forest which will create a home for wildlife, connect people with nature in their local area, and help us tackle some of the issues faced by urban settings.”

Georgina Sturgeon, Science Coordinator at Earthwatch said: “We’re so pleased to have planted 14 Tiny Forests with MINI UK. This last Tiny Forest of the planting season is the first in North Warwickshire Borough Council; the Council’s Green Spaces Team did a fantastic job helping to find this location. We had a great time with the school children and staff from the local BMW Group production plant who helped to create this forest. Each Tiny Forest that we plant has a positive impact on its community and we’re looking forward to coming back to Coleshill in years to come to help the local school and community monitor and enjoy their new Tiny Forest.”

Tiny forests are based on an established forest management method developed in the 1970s by Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki. To create new Tiny Forests, Earthwatch identifies suitable sites in locations where nature is most needed, working with partners, local councils, community groups and schools to plan, design, prepare, plant, maintain and monitor their local forest. Earthwatch has now planted nearly 200 Tiny Forests; with a goal to plant 500 Tiny Forests across Europe by 2030.