First-of-its-kind Japanese ‘mini-forest’ coming to BK this spring – set to revamp ‘dilapidated’ waterfront
Brooklyn is branching out.
The Borough of Trees is getting a first-of-its-kind Japanese mini-forest this spring – which is slated to improve air quality, prevent flooding and beautify a “dilapidated” section of waterfront Williamsburg.
The collection of river birch trees is modeled after Miyawaki pocket forests, which are distinguished by their particularly dense planting of native trees in a small area.
The mini-forest set to open at the end of North 4th Street by late May to beautify the area and provide shade to nearby benches during the summer months, city council member Lincoln Restler told The Post.
“We wanted to replicate, and bring this model, to New York,” Restler said, noting that he drew inspiration for the plan from a similar forest in Boston.
The park will be partially paid for through $35,000 in funding from his office, and will fund ongoing maintenance, irrigation and purchasing of small vegetation, a NYC Parks rep said.
Another $150,000 in additional funding will come through an existing city tree planting contract, the rep said. Plantings include serviceberry, sassafras, bearberry, narrow leaf mountain mint and hayscented fern. It wasn’t clear what would happen to the half-dozen or so trees that currently occupy the mostly bare, dirt area.
New York City’s first Miyawaki forest opened last year on Roosevelt Island.
The North 4th Street waterfront — lined with multi-million dollar hi-rise condos and juxtaposed with piles of trash and a dirt lot frequently used by residents to relieve dogs — is already in desperate need of some TLC, locals told The Post.
“I think this part of the community definitely needs some foliage, especially with all the construction going on,” said local Julian Thomas.
“Habits are going to be hard to break,” Thomas, 34, said of the overused dog relief area. “There’s already signs where it says, ‘curb your dog.’ So it’s just like, are you going to respect it? I don’t know.”
While Thomas wondered if the mini-forest could become a rat haven, Brooklyn Heights resident and retired herbalist Linda Melisano, 72, told The Post she predicts the forest’s dense foliage could actually deter rodent visitors.
When asked about quality-of-life concerns, Restler said his office will “adjust as we go.”
“If it makes sense to create a path for the middle or to do different things in the future, we can absolutely look into it,” he said.
Restler said his office will monitor local input, environmental impact and, if all goes well, “continue to support it for many years to come.”
“We have to maximize every inch of park space that we can,” the council member added, “and we’re going to transform [the site] into something that people hopefully love.”
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