2025 Pocket Forests

By Claire Seybold

 

We had another successful season helping people transform their lawns into thriving native habitats that restore biodiversity in the Kingston area. We helped people plant at least 31 Pocket Forests, including approximately 185 trees and 310 shrubs.

 

For the first time, during the 1000 Islands Master Gardeners front yard garden tour we gifted Kingston residents with several hundred of trees and shrubs. If we offer this popular option again, we'll implement better documentation to more accurately track where these additional pocket forests were planted.

 

As with last year, one of the most frequent goals of our Pocket Forest participants was to attract and support birds. This is especially relevant for the 2025 season, as Kingston was recently certified as a Bird Friendly City. As one person said:

 

“I chose to plant a pocket forest to bring more nature and especially more habitat for birds into an underused space in my backyard… Watching this little forest start to grow feels meaningful. Thank you!”

Other factors driving people to transform their lawns included taking action in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss. As Jillann put it:

 

“I contacted Little Forests Kingston volunteers for help with planting trees in my backyard as a way to combat the effects of climate change. With help from the amazing volunteers, there is a new evergreen forest taking root that will one day provide habitat for birds and animals, as well as absorb greenhouse gases. The work of Little Forests Kingston is inspiring and is helping to create a healthier and more resilient city.”

Food security was another factor, with some people converting their lawns into miniature food forests, planting popular food-bearing plants like Red Mulberry, Pawpaw, Black Raspberry, Wild Black Currant, Aronia Berry, Asian Pear, Persimmon, Black Walnut, Basswood, Haskaps and Wild Plum. As these trees and shrubs mature, homeowners will be able to enjoy delicious and nutritious fruits, berries, leaves and nuts harvested in their own yards.

We also had the opportunity to check in on some of our 2024 plantings, and were encouraged to see them thriving! One planter reported:

 

“The trees are bringing me lots of joy! I visit them every day to see how they’re doing.”

 

Although some pocket forests experienced predation from bunnies and other small mammals, we are encouraging use of organic deterrent sprays, plastic tree wraps and, in extreme cases, chicken wire cages.

This year, we planted fewer of our Pocket Forests in the spring which meant that we had to care for our potted trees and shrubs throughout the summer. The hot, dry conditions that stretched well into autumn were very stressful for these potted plants and more of them died than expected. Next year, we plan to do less spring ordering to reduce the plants we need to care for over the summer. This means more time driving to and from nurseries, but less time watering. We are also exploring establishing a native plant nursery at Lakeside Community Garden, the site of one of our first Little Forests.

One of our biggest constraints is volunteer time and expertise. For each Pocket Forest, a trained volunteer conducts a site visit, recommends a planting strategy and helps plant the trees and shrubs. To see if we could support more homeowners keen on converting their turf grass lawns, we collaborated with the 1000 Islands Master Gardeners in facilitating two workshops:

• Pocket hedgerows for the birds: On World Migratory Bird Day, 25 participants joined us as we helped two homeowners transform the fenceline between their properties into a pocket hedgerow to support breeding and migratory birds. The design included a pocket meadow (a soft landing) of flowers, sedges and grasses.
• Reimagine your lawn: During the 1000 Islands Master Gardeners front yard garden tour, 25 participants joined us as we helped a homeowner reimagine their lawn with a sunny boulevard pocket meadow and a pocket food forest.

Next year we're planning up to five workshops as—in addition to providing people with the information, skills and confidence they need to transform their lawns—they help people connect with their neighbours. If appropriate, we'll also gift participants with plants to support their lawn transformations.

While we didn’t quite reach our planting goal of 50 Pocket Forests, we connected with an inspiring number of community members who helped us make meaningful progress in increasing multispecies connectivity in Kingston. Watch for our 2025 Annual Report to see how these new plantings are helping to increase habitat and connectivity for our wild kin—including the endangered Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee.

 

Over the winter, we’ll reflect on the year’s lessons and refine our strategies so we can continue to evolve. We look forward to beginning again next spring, with renewed energy and excitement!