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Aspetuck Land Trust highlights fast-growing Miyawaki school forests planted across Bridgeport
Summary
A seven-school Miyawaki forest pilot funded by a Department of Agriculture grant is thriving, an Aspetuck Land Trust official told the board; the program engages fourth-graders, uses native species, and includes a 12,000-square-foot planting at Seaside Park with a ribbon-cutting planned.
The Bridgeport Board of Education heard a presentation on June 8 about a series of Miyawaki-style school forests planted in partnership with the Aspetuck Land Trust and funded by a Department of Agriculture grant.
Mary Ellen Lemay, conservation coordinator with the Aspetuck Land Trust, said seven school plantings'including Clater, Winthrop (transplanted to Blackham), Tisdale, Hooker, Marin and Dunbar'have grown faster than typical urban plantings and provide hands-on learning for students.
"Bridgeport has the lowest tree canopy in the state of Connecticut," Lemay told the board, citing a district-wide canopy estimate of about 20% compared with a state urban average near 49%. She described Miyawaki plantings as dense, native-species clusters that nurture each other underground and mature quickly, offering shade, biodiversity and outdoor learning space.
Lemay said the pilot engaged fourth-grade classes in planting and that Yale's School of Forestry is measuring growth at the sites because the project is one of the first of its kind in Connecticut. She also announced a 12,000-square-foot Miyawaki planting at Seaside Park, calling it "the biggest Miyawaki in the entire Northeast," and said a ribbon-cutting was scheduled.
Board members and administrators praised the partnership and noted positive student engagement during planting days. The district said it appreciated the grants and community donations that made the plantings possible and welcomed further stewardship and grant partnerships.
What happens next: The district will host a ribbon-cutting at Seaside Park and will continue to coordinate maintenance, educational use and stewardship partnerships for school forests.
