Community
3 July, 2026
Work begins on first pocket forest
ABOUT 500 native trees, shrubs and grasses have been planted at Warrnambool Community Garden, marking the start of on-ground work for Warrnambool’s first pocket forest.
Pocket forests use what is known as the Miyawaki method, which involves intensive soil preparation and dense planting to help young trees and shrubs establish more quickly.
This allows them to provide the benefits of food, shelter and habitat to native wildlife sooner than traditional plantings.
Warrnambool Community Garden convenor Courtney Mathew said the first planting day was a big success.
“We had such an amazing turnout,” she said.
“It’s always hard in winter, when people want to stay cosy inside, but people could see that this project is going to have an amazing impact and lots of people wanted to be part of it.
“We even had a person from Melbourne come down specifically for the plantings. He is doing a PhD on micro-forests so wanted the opportunity to be part of planting one.”
Work will continue with a second planting day tomorrow, Saturday July 4, with Ms Mathew inviting everyone to come along.
“We’ve now planted the larger trees and shrubs, and the next step is to infill with more shrubs, grasses and flowers,” she said.
“Everyone is welcome, and you get a free shared lunch as well, so it’s a nice way to spend some time, meet new people and make an impact.”
Ms Mathew said that students have also played an important role in shaping the project, with primary and secondary students helping to scope different areas of the site.
“They gave us this idea of creating a multi-zone area, so we will have a larger canopy space, a grassland space and then a flower patch,” she said.
“We’re really excited to have some students come back in term three to do some of the planting and help design the signage.
“It’s great to have those learning outcomes built into the project as well.”
Warrnambool City Council and the Warrnambool Community Garden successfully applied for a Bupa Healthy Cities Landcare Grant to fund the project.
Mayor Cr Ben Blain said the pocket forest would help create more habitat in Albert Park while trialling a new approach to revegetation.
“This is a new method of planting that is being tried, and if it’s successful, it could be rolled out in other areas,” he said.
“Albert Park is an important wildlife corridor and we’re excited to be working with community partners to be boosting native vegetation in the area and creating more habitat in our green spaces.
“It’s really exciting to see work begin on this pocket forest, and if you’re interested in joining in, it’s not too late to get involved.”
The next pocket forest planting day will be held at Warrnambool Community Garden tomorrow, Saturday July 4, from 10am until noon.
Another planting day in Albert Park will also be held on Saturday August 8 from 10am until noon.
