LEAD Reforestation Demonstration Project

Amount Awarded: $20,772.00

Academic Year: 2022-2023 

Implementation: April 2023 – ongoing 

Full Application: Link

Categories: Curriculum and Research Grounds Student Life

The LEAD Reforestation Demonstration Project brings environmental, social, and educational benefits to the WWU community through the planting of a native climax mini-forest on campus following the Miyawaki method. LEAD (Learning Environment Action Discovery) is a longstanding eco-restoration and service-learning program at WWU that has been directed by College of the Environment graduate students since the 1990s. They provide service-learning and volunteer opportunities for WWU students, and many students involved with LEAD have gone on to find jobs and careers in related fields. 
 
This grant helped the team plant a mini-forest just north of parking lot 3R and adjacent to the Arboretum in efforts of restoring the local environment. The Miyawaki Method is based on recreating the conditions needed for a native forest to arise in decades, rather than centuries. This method is focused on planting forests rather than trees, the benefits of which include improved ecosystem function, carbon sequestration, habitat creation, temperature regulation, and low maintenance costs once established.