The Miyawaki method is an ecological engineering technique that is transforming urban landscapes around the world, from Paris to Tokyo. The method is named after Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, who observed that protected forests on Japanese temple grounds—known as chinju-no-mori—were significantly more resilient and biodiverse than commercial forest plantations. The secret lay not in technology, but in biology and natural competition mechanisms.
But how exactly does it work? The Miyawaki method breaks with traditional gardening, in which trees are planted with ample space and order. It is based on three principles: first, the soil is fertilised by incorporating natural organic compost; second, only native plant species, seeds and trees that are naturally adapted to the area are used; third — and most counterintuitive — planting is carried out at extremely high density, with between 3 and 5 trees per square metre.
The result is fascinating: planted so close together, the trees enter into a frantic race to reach the sunlight. Instead of spreading out into wide branches and canopies, their energy is concentrated on accelerated vertical growth. The data speaks for itself: a forest planted using the Miyawaki method grows up to 10 times faster than a conventional plantation, reaches 30 times greater density and is home to 100 times more biodiversity. As if that weren’t enough, after 2 or 3 years of watering and care, the forest becomes completely self-sufficient.
With this beautiful and simple method, vast tracts of land are not needed; its scalability and accessibility are evident. Mini-forests have been successfully created in spaces as small as a tennis court or a parking space. This method reminds us that, if we collaborate with nature, it has an innate wisdom to heal itself at an astonishing speed after an initial impulse.
By David González Molina, BIM manager in the Architecture Department at Amusement Logic
