Green spaces and trees full a wide range of socio-economic and ecological functions in urban areas. These include influencing the microclimate, reducing noise and dust, regulating water and material flows and providing habitat and food source for animals. Plantings often consist of only one species or one variety, and the trees planted are several metres high, making them susceptible to transplant shock. A further challenge is that, due to drastic climate change, the traditional species and varieties planted today may not necessarily be suitable for the future. In
response, we launched the URMNI project in 2024 to evaluate the use of a range of potentially climate-fit tree species as an alternative to the traditional, costly and sometimes unsustainable approach to green space management. On the one hand, the planting follows established forestry concepts: the trees and shrubs are planted young, bare-rooted, in a mixed stand, close together. The design aims to create more resilient, diverse and self-developing island-like ecosystems in a short period of time. This is important in urban areas where space is limited, growing conditions are extreme and there is a need for diverse, less vulnerable ecosystems. In times of extreme
climatic conditions, urban mini forests are expected to oer advantages over the traditional single-tree plantings. URMINI will monitor the growth and survival of woody plants and how they affect fauna, flora and microclimate, as well as their potential for sequestering carbon. In addition, URMINI forests will be designed and communicated in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to the local community. Community responses are documented throughout the process. Our presentation will outline the methods, design and layout of the URMINI forests and present the preliminary results of the project.
