Transition Derby

Derby – Forest Garden City

 What is a Forest Garden?

A garden that is deliberately planted to mimic a natural forest ecosystem, except that the species chosen are mainly edible rather than (or as well as) decorative. Some will be chosen for other reasons though – for example firewood, nitrogen fixing or medicines.

Why Forest Gardens are good for Derby

• Global Benefits – Climate change poses a very real threat.  Trees enable the soil to hold more water then release it slowly preventing flooding and drought, they protect the soil from wind and water erosion, give shelter from wind and Sun and help moderate extreme temperatures.  Much of the carbon dioxide produced comes from the destruction and burning of forests.  Growing new trees is an obvious ecological benefit.
• Local food at low cost.  The most sustainable way to grow food is to mimic the natural vegetation of that area.  In Britain it is woodland.  In the Forest Garden the plants used are food plants using the different layers of the forest.  Working with nature in this way saves energy.  Natural ecosystems do not need high inputs of fossil fuels or other materials to sustain them.
• Increased human health in the City – the three main products from a forest garden are fruit, nuts and leafy vegetables which have obvious benefits for the human diet.  Mental and physical health is also improved through working in the natural environment of the Forest Garden.
• Increased biodiversity across the city through the creation of natural habitats for plants and animals.  Increased diversity brings greater stability and more resistance to pests and diseases. The plants are chosen because they have beneficial relationships with each other and are therefore not in competition with each other.
• Improved soil fertility in the City through the natural system of the Forest Garden e.g accumulation of biomass – falling leaves and other organic matter.
• Increased opportunities for creating resilient communities through reconnecting people to the natural world within the urban environment.

Why Forest Gardens are good for schools

Forest Gardens in Schools would give a series of practical demonstration and skills sites across the city providing opportunities for –

1.        Communities to interact and learn from the Forest Garden and its natural systems in the planting/picking/preserving/cooking/eating/meeting/skills sharing/connecting with nature/ etc

2.     Increasing knowledge and skills about a natural food growing system that is sustainable and the wider implications of this at neighbourhood, city, national and global levels

3.     A productive local food system with a low maintenance and energy input requirement

4.     Furthering the schools’ links and status with the Healthy Schools, Eco Schools and Soil Association frameworks

5.     Outdoor education and enrichment activities

6.     Increasing the biodiversity within the school grounds

7.     Increasing the physical attractiveness of school grounds

8.     Provision of  wildspace areas for children

Forest Garden City project

Is a fantastic opportunity for Derby to take the lead on Climate Change.  There are 103 schools within the city serving over 38,000 children and their wider communities.  If each of these schools signed up to the project the repercussions and benefits would be immeasurable.  It is an opportunity for the City to demonstrate to all people at neighbourhood, city, regional, national and global levels that Derby is doing something to leave the planet in a better condition for the next generation.  These local small scale actions provide a solution that is easy and acceptable to all.  It would be the first Forest Garden City in the world and a great example to others of positive solutions that can be made in difficult times.