Concerned about stormwater flowing from distant land to the sea, carrying pollutants and heat, the City of Attleboro responded to the Ocean River Institute’s concern for the plight of right whales with plans for a pocket forest, demonstrating they truly understand the land-sea-whale connections.
Right whales face threats from ship strikes, fishing gear entanglements, and water pollution in the waters they rely on to build up blubber after winter in nutrient-poor, warm waters. While much is being discussed and tested regarding the first two issues, little is understood about how our land-based actions are harming whales and marine life.
We have passed the tipping point of removing vegetation and replacing soil with hard surfaces and heat islands. Warmer air has drawn more than a Lake Huron volume of water from the world’s soils. Moisture retains heat in the atmosphere, intensifying the ferocity of storms, and rising storm waters are more destructive to the land.
Hotter waters are washing more pollutants into the sea. As a result, phytoplankton, tiny floating plants in the Gulf of Maine, are 60% less productive than they were 25 years ago, when Monsanto developed glyphosate-resistant seeds and applications of Roundup increased tenfold. Copepods, the zooplankton that make up the largest portion of the right whale’s diet, are declining in caloric value. This requires right whales to eat more for the same nutritional value.
Because of stormwater damage and limited capacity to expand green spaces, Attleboro is committing to more vegetation and deeper soils by planting pocket forests, also known as Miyawaki forests. This type of forest is a dense planting of saplings consisting of 35 different native woody plant species from all successional stages, ranging from sumacs and junipers to oaks, maples, and hickories. Plant diversity fosters a more robust mycorrhizal network that connects all plants through fungal strands to a galactic array of bacteria and one another. A Miyawaki forest has approximately ten times the biomass growth and soil development of a stand of a single tree species.
O’Connell Field, a former baseball field adjacent to Capron Park Zoo and the high school, was selected for the first 2,000-square-foot pocket forest. The site is close to water for irrigation, and, if there is sufficient interest and support, space is available for up to five pocket forests, with one planted each year. Each forest would have a pathway encircling it with benches. People could observe migratory birds that favor different trees. Over time, the community could watch forests of different ages develop.
In the spring, the conservation agent went out to O’Connor Field to test the soil. He was surprised to find the track team hurling javelins and decided to postpone the soil augering. The team was all for the proposed pocket forest, and there was joking about Attleboro having its own Green Monster looming over the old ball field.
Plants that cooperate are more fit to thrive than are those that compete. For the pocket forest to retain and slowly release the most rainfall, it must be made up of native trees. Native stock is rarer and more costly than the garden variety of trees. Ocean River Institute, a nonprofit organization, is part of the team that includes the Planning/Conservation department, Parks department, the Marine Science Class at Attleboro High School, the local chapter of Mass Audubon, and the Attleboro Sustainability Commission, and is tackling the challenge of securing sufficient funding.
A family foundation has stepped up to match individual donations dollar for dollar. Your gift will go directly to the purchase of saplings. What is not spent this year will be used next year for an adjacent pocket forest. The field has space for five forests. The donation page lists 35 native tree and shrub species. Recommendations for other native woody plants are welcome. Thank you for whatever you donate; it will add up and take root.
Donate Today It takes a city to build a pocket forest in the old ball field. Sustainable Attleboro is organizing and highlighting many civic and community groups. There is much interest in having a turn with the shovel to plant a tree. Hopefully, individuals and businesses will dig deep into their pockets to support the growth of Miyawaki forests in Attleboro. More pocket forests will likely follow with less destructive stormwater and more Green Monsters acting shady.
Steady on,
Rob
