Small Pocket Forest

The Background Ashe Conrad-Jones and Catherine Cleary are two friends who founded Pocket Forests in response to a the Covid lockdown in Ireland's most nature-starved neighbourhood. The original concept of Miyawake-style forests captivated them as it seemed a great solution to this problem. They combined the concept with proven permaculture methods to include recycled local materials and explore ideas of greening urban areas with urban waste. Pocket Forests have been planted in more than 40 locations around Ireland with more than 2,000 trees and shrubs combined in this innovative way. Why it Matters Pocket Forests is a nature-based enterprise tackling nature deprivation in urban communities. As cities become more dense in population the need for healthy natural spaces becomes more acute. Children, the elderly and people in low socio-economic groups have been shown to suffer most from unequal access to quality green spaces. Pocket Forests also tackle a lack of knowledge about soil restoration needed to grow healthy ecosystems and knowledge of native trees and shrubs. Their aim is to make all this learning fun and empowering.