Can you imagine an entire forest nestled within a university campus? At Tec de Monterrey, this vision has become a reality through the “Tiny Forest” project, which employs the Miyawaki Method to promote the rapid growth of hundreds of trees, shrubs, and grasses. Additionally, the forest will be equipped with sensors to monitor humidity and plant growth.

This “little forest” is located on the Monterrey campus, occupying a mere 10 square meters and situated alongside two busy avenues. Around 350 trees and plants have been planted there, with expectations to increase that number to 600. This unique approach aims to capture more CO2 and airborne pollutants than a typical forest.

Rob Roggema, a distinguished professor at the School of Architecture, Art, and Design (EAAD), a member of the Faculty of Excellence initiative at Tec, and an expert in regenerative design, explained to TecScience that this method involves planting trees in close proximity to one another, enabling them to grow up to ten times faster as they compete for space.

“We want it to grow to the point where, in two years, it won’t need maintenance because it will have transformed into a natural forest with 30 times more trees. It will capture 30% more CO2, achieve a noise reduction of over 3,000%, and host 300% more species of animals and insects,” Roggema stated.

For this project, native species from the region were planted, including three types of oak, mezquite, ebony, anacua, huizache, and anacahuita, as well as shrubs like cenizo, lantana, and horse grass, among others.

A Miyawaki Forest at Tec

The Miyawaki Forest concept was developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, who aimed to enhance the growth of trees and plants, conserve water, and improve soil quality.

A key feature of these forests is the exclusive use of native plants from each region where they are established. In this case, species from northern Mexico were selected, with the participation of collaborators from Tec’s Physical Plant team.

“We have about 150 trees, and the rest are various types of plants. There’s a variety of around ten tree species and three shrub species. We still need to plant the smaller species, like grasses and herbs,” said Giorgio Samaniego, the campus Gardening Supervisor.

In a natural vegetation environment, a process called ecological succession occurs: first, grasses colonize the soil; then, conditions become favorable for shrubs to grow, and finally, trees emerge. With this method, all three stages happen simultaneously, creating competition for space and accelerating the natural process.

In the “Tiny Forest,” the trees were planted randomly within a ten-square-meter area, where a grid was designed to organize the vegetation and install an irrigation system.

In a couple of years, the forest could reach heights of two to three meters and host various types of wildlife: starting with insects, followed by birds, and eventually some mammals.

Mario Adrián Flores, Vice President of the Monterrey Region at Tec, emphasized that, beyond greening the city, this initiative contributes to climate change mitigation.

“If this Japanese methodology proves effective, we can replicate it in the Tec District and other parts of the city. The CO2 absorption, reduction of vehicular noise, and benefits for insect, bird, and animal species can help regenerate this space,” the vice president noted.

He also highlighted the experience of planting a tree alongside professors, researchers, and students, fostering awareness about environmental stewardship.

A Small Forest Where Nature and Technology Coexist

The “Tiny Forest” is an interdisciplinary project that will feature sensors for various indicators. These devices will be monitored by research teams from the School of Engineering and Sciences (EIC) and members of the Faculty of Excellence, including distinguished professor Francisco Falcone.

The sensors embedded in the forest measure humidity levels, temperature, CO2 concentration, air quality, and particulate matter; they also assess tree growth and leaf surface area. Additional devices will be placed around the trees to monitor noise levels, as explained in an interview by Professor César Vargas, who leads research groups in Telecommunications.

“Once the trees are planted and begin to take root, we will conduct the initial measurements; thereafter, we can take readings every six months to allow for their growth,” the researcher added.

Roggema noted that the future goal is to develop an application that receives and processes all this information in real time, allowing remote access via any internet-enabled device. The data collected could be useful for other research projects examining the impact of “Tiny Forests” in their surroundings.

“With our students and faculty, we have the capacity to go beyond simply planting a tree. The forest can also become a living laboratory that helps us better understand the behavior of plants and trees through the use of technology,” commented Mario Adrián.

Did you find this story interesting? Would you like to publish it? Contact our content editor to learn more at marianaleonm@tec.mx