Support a Tree Canopy

Rapidly gaining global popularity this will be the first Mini Forest at a Zoo in the United States! This project at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will create a small, yet powerful native habitat for flora and fauna that will benefit the local ecosystem and the zoo’s over 1 million annual visitors alike.

We are grateful to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for their partnership and this very important project. Expect planting to take place September 26 and 27, 2024.

Please consider a Donation to Rooted in Trees. If you Donate at $1,000 or more we will send you a beautiful Coffee Table book on  produced by the Smithsonian.

Our Mini Forest will be approximately 276 yards in total and located close to the popular tiger exhibit. Once completed, it will offer a full sensory experience for visitors, providing a shady area with picnic tables for families and visitors alike.

Essentially, after remediation of the current land, we will be planting 3 to 4 trees or shrubs per square yard. We will be planning a canopy layer, tree layer, sub tree layer, and a shrub layer all within the 276 square yards. The overall dimension of the Mini Forest and the protection fence will be approximately 50’  X  60’. We are honored to have the Urban Community School’s  8th graders actually do the planting with assistance from The Holden Arboretum’s Tree Corp.

The concept of a Mini Forest was popularized by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki  PhD, who developed a method for creating dense, native forests that grow quickly and require minimal maintenance. Ecological impact will be achieved by boosting biodiversity, access to a new green space,  promoting health and well-being, enhancing urban life, and offering strong water management. The Mini Forest will grow at a very rapid rate.

We are passionate about revitalizing northern Ohio’s tree canopy. And no better place to build the Mini Forest than the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

See ClevelandZoosociety.org/donate or Call (216) 635-3368