Like every other mega city of the country, Lahore is following the trajectory to subsume every inch of its open space, be it agricultural or a jungle. At the time of partition, Lahore had relatively well defined boundaries and was covered with vast agricultural lands. Today, these boundaries have almost diminished.

It is claimed that there used to be an ancient forest that stretched from Ichhra to Ferozpur. Majid Sheikh says it began to fade away during the colonial period. First, he says, they built the Ferozpur Road that we know today. Next, they cut through half of the remaining forest when they built the Walton Airport. The rest of the land was used by the housing societies.

Prime Minister Imran Khan recently inaugurated what is being dubbed as Asia’s largest Miyawaki urban forest, as part of the PTI government’s 10 billion tree plantation drive. The forest will be cultivated over 100 kanals with nearly 165,000 plants that will grow 10 times faster than in a normal forest, thanks to the Miyawaki plantation technique.

The forest shall comprise more than 112,000 indigenous trees and plants at China Park, near Saggian Bridge. It is supposed to grow around 290,000 trees at 15 other sites in the city. The spots selected for the purpose include Gulshan-i-Ravi, Karim Park, Data Darbar; Green Town; Ganj Sarkar, Sabzazar; Mehmood Booti and Township.

What is Miyawaki, and what makes it a technique applicable to any environment? The method was developed by Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist, to conserve the city environment by creating urban forests.

Talking to TNS, lawyer Ahmad Rafay Alam lauds Miyawaki technique as an “imitation of nature.” Explaining his point, he says that trees do not naturally follow a linear pattern of growth. Miyawaki therefore emphasises random growth (of forests).

The hallmark of the method is its encouragement of indigenous vegetative growth. But Alam raises the question of indigenousness since with cultural exchanges across millennia many alien trees were introduced to the subcontinent. This makes it a little difficult to identify purely indigenous species. For example, the eucalyptus tree (locally known as sufaida) was brought here in early 20^th Century.

Alam suggests that the trees planted should be a mix of indigenous and foreign species according to the requirement of climate and soil.

The lesson to learn from Miyawaki is to grow a diverse environment. Mono-culture plantation such as 2.2 million conocarpus trees in Karachi, has the potential to cause a drought. The monoculture trees have caused many birds to migrate, as birds have varied nesting capacities. According to the WWF, the monoculture trees will eventually release pollen that can cause severe allergies.

The lesson to learn from the Miyawaki method is to grow a diverse environment. The mono-culture plantation such as that of the 2.2 million conocarpus trees in Karachi has the potential to cause a drought in the city. These trees have caused many birds to migrate, as birds have varied nesting capacities.

Another quality that renders Miyawaki method more favourable for urban forestation is its remarkably fast growth. Before vegetation a proper investigation of the climate as well as soil profile is undertaken to determine the kind of tree and plant species these allow to grow. Adding 20cm of topsoil (with fertiliser such as compost of leaves and straws) above the bare land significantly decreases the growth time.

It would take around 200 to 300 years to grow a forest on bare land. With Miyawaki’s method a similar kind of forest will take two to three decades.

A Miyawaki forest also allows us to peek into our past. As it stresses the growth of environment augmenting jungles, the question arises as to how the forests like Changa Manga have contributed to the environment? Alam takes us back to the time when colonisers had ordered the growth of forests with fast growing trees in every division. They were produced and grown with the goal of providing fuel for trains to run across the subcontinent.

This method promises a better environment for future generations. In his paper, Creative Ecology, Akira Miyawaki provides a great deal of information on why indigenous trees can be grown in greater numbers in the cities. He is of the view that local trees grow deeper than the exotic ones. These deeply-rooted trees can play a fundamental role in times of disaster. For example, in the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 in Japan a large number of exotic trees were uprooted and almost 6,000 residents were crushed to death. The native vegetation stayed rooted in the ground that contained concrete rubble and saved the lives of those who had them planted as they saved the roofs from collapsing.

The government claims that Miyawaki forests will have the capacity to release 30 percent more oxygen and will be able to absorb 40 percent more carbon than random plantation. The secret of the augmented performance lies in the multi-strata growth of the trees. Compatible shrubs and trees are identified and planted close to one another other to have a thick growth. Afforestt, an Indian forestation company inspired by the Miyawaki method, defines it as competitive growth among seedlings that catalyses the growth of a forest.

To achieve such levels of efficient conservation there is a strong recommendation to grow plants that are not used for ornamental purposes (even if they are indigenous). So, one might have to think about the Ashoka tree that looks beautiful along the walls.

Miyawaki forests hold the potential to revive the environment and the ecosystem. It is, therefore, hoped that the birds that migrated with a surge of brick forts shall return to the city.

The obligation also falls on the citizens to take care of their surroundings and grow trees and plants with a sense of responsibility.

The writer has a BS in English literature from University of the Punjab