Overview
A multi-day gathering bringing together those planting, studying, and supporting miniforests across the Northeast U.S. and beyond.
The 2026 Northeast Miniforest Summit is a multi-day gathering bringing together the people planting, studying, stewarding, teaching, measuring, and documenting miniforests across the Northeast U.S. and beyond to share experiences, exchange knowledge, and explore emerging questions through presentations, panel discussions, and community conversations.
Bringing together practitioners, researchers, educators, landscape architects, municipal leaders, and community organizers, the Summit creates space to share experiences, exchange knowledge, and learn from projects unfolding across diverse ecological and social contexts.
Building on the momentum of the inaugural 2025 Summit, this year’s program includes two virtual half-days, an in-person bus tour of Massachusetts miniforests, and a special pre-Summit screening of filmmaker Angelina Lee’s documentary Making a Mini-Forest.
The Summit will feature keynote presentations by Ethan Tapper, forester and author of How to Love a Forest, and Mio Urata, a leading practitioner of the Miyawaki Method in Japan.
Grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and care for place, the Summit brings together a growing network of people working to restore ecological function, strengthen community stewardship, and deepen relationships with the living systems that sustain us.
Learn more at miniforests.bio4climate.org
Schedule:
- Virtual Documentary Screening: July 15
- In-Person Bus Tour: Saturday, July 18
- Virtual Summit Day 1: Wednesday, July 22
- Virtual Summit Day 2: Thursday, July 23
Who Should Attend?
Practitioners, researchers, educators, students, landscape architects, municipal leaders, nonprofit professionals, and community members interested in miniforests, ecological restoration, urban forestry, and community stewardship.
What is the Miyawaki Method?
Developed by Japanese ecologist Dr. Akira Miyawaki, the Miyawaki Method creates dense, diverse miniforests using native trees and shrubs. By preparing the soil and planting at high density, these forests can establish quickly—even in urban environments—supporting biodiversity, improving soil health, retaining water, cooling neighborhoods, and creating opportunities for community stewardship.
This event is organized by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate.For more information, visit miniforests.bio4climate.org or email miniforests@bio4climate.org with any questions.
About Biodiversity For a Livable Climate
For more than a decade, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate has worked to raise awareness about the vital role of biodiversity and nature-based solutions in regulating the Earth’s climate.
A pioneer of the Miyawaki Method in the United States, the organization helped bring this approach to New England, launching the region’s first miniforest in 2021 in collaboration with SUGi and the City of Cambridge. Since then, it has supported the planting of eight miniforests across Massachusetts, demonstrating how this approach can take root across diverse urban sites. In 2025, Bio4Climate convened the inaugural Northeast Miniforest Summit—mobilizing a regional network of practitioners to exchange knowledge, build relationships, and support the continued emergence of miniforests across the region.