SUGi: Restoring native forest of Belgium

Over the past 24 months, together with Nicolas, we’ve created 8 Pocket Forests (22,000 trees) throughout Belgium. From a pocket forest at Tour & Taxis in the heart of Brussels to depaving a car park in Mechelen, and from Outdoor Classrooms to Parks, Nicolas has been transforming urban spaces — bringing back the Temperate Forests of Europe, one pocket at a time. “Planting trees and watching them grow together to form a thriving ecosystem is an inspiring message for the future” — Nicolas de Brabandère, SUGi Forest Maker, Founder Urban Forests Belgium Discover all the forests we have built with Nicolas: Nicolas has been passionate about the natural world ever since he was a child growing up in Africa. Countless hours were spent walking through the woods, looking at trees, ferns and animals trying to grasp the magic, the functioning of forests, the infinite intricacy and interrelationships. It was while studying biology in Tasmania that Nicolas got conscious that ecosystems and species are sometimes unique to one area and found nowhere else. “I saw trees so tall and so old that nobody even knew their age. I discovered that our natural heritage is as rich and diverse than our cultural history.“ In 2015, Nicolas traveled to India to learn about the Miyawaki method with Afforestt. It’s there that he realized how much he wanted to revive forests like the ones he had seen. One evening, walking through a Miyawaki forest at dusk, he could hear creaks and rustles all around him. Birds and animals had moved into the forest. It was clear to Nicolas that this new habitat was now full of life and miracles. Nicolas created the first Miyawaki forest in Belgium and founded Urban Forests on his return from India. This first forest is a success. It is now tall and healthy. Many more have followed. Nicolas wishes to reconcile the economy with ecology by bringing innovative and natural solutions to environmental challenges. #miyawakimethod #urbanforest #rewilding #biodiversity #pocketforest