Designing “Tiny Forests” as a lesson for transdisciplinary urban ecology learning

Abstract

The sustainability and livability of urban areas call for the next generation of scientists, practitioners and policy makers to understand the benefits, implementation and management of urban greenspaces. We harnessed the concept of "Tiny Forests©" – a restoration strategy for small wooded areas (~100-400 m2) – to create a transdisciplinary and experiential project for university forestry students that follows an ecology-with-cities framework. We worked with 16 students and a local municipality in the Munich, Germany metropolitan region to survey a community about its needs and desires and then used this information alongside urban environmental features and data collected by students (e.g., about soil conditions) to design a Tiny Forest. In this article, we describe the teaching concept, learning outcomes and activities, methodological approach, and instructor preparation and materials needed to adapt this project. Designing Tiny Forests provides benefits to students by having them approach authentic tasks in urban greening while experiencing the challenges and benefits of transdisciplinary communication and engagement with community members.