Microforest | Upper South Side
A microforest is a small, native, diverse urban forest. This forest will cool this area in the hottest summer months, provide homes for birds and beneficial insects, absorb and clean water when it rains, clean the air, and help us fight climate change.
All photos by Alexandra Ionescu
Microforest Sign – Design by Jacq Hall
Mothers Day Card – Design by Cristiane Caro
Laying out plants – Photo by Jeff MatteisPlant List
The Pearl Street Microforest features 270 trees and shrubs planted within a 1,000 sq. ft. area. Species were chosen for their ecological value, providing food and habitat for pollinators and birds, resilience to urban conditions, and layered seasonal interest.
Pagoda Dogwood — Swida alternifolia
Staghorn Sumac — Rhus typhina
Canada Serviceberry — Amelanchier canadensis
Umbrella Magnolia — Magnolia tripelata
American Persimmon — Diospyros virginiana
Atlantic White Cedar — Chamaecyparis thyoides
Black Willow — Salix nigra
Grey Birch — Betula populifolia
Hophornbeam — Ostrya virginiana
Eastern Red Cedar — Juniperus virginiana
American Holly — Ilex opaca
Black Tupelo — Nyssa sylvatica
Larch — Larix laricina
Black Cherry — Prunus serotina
Sweet Birch — Betula lenta
American Elm — Ulmus americana
Red Maple — Acer rubrum
White Oak — Quercus alba
Black Oak — Quercus velutina
American Linden — Tilia americana
Virginia Rose — Rosa virginiana
White Spiraea — Spiraea alba
Fragrant Sumac — Rhus aromatica
Silky Dogwood — Swida amomum
Winterberry — Ilex verticillata
Black Elderberry — Sambucus nigra
Beach Plum — Prunus maritima
American Hazelnut — Corylus americana
Red Chokeberry — Aronia arbutifolia
Witherod — Viburnum nudum
Pussy Willow — Salix discolor
Spicebush — Lindera benzoin
Witch Hazel — Hamamelis virginiana
Scrub Oak — Quercus ilicifolia
Nannyberry — Viburnum lentago
A Pocket Forest for Your Neighborhood
The Pearl Street Garden Collective believes even the smallest lot can be reborn as an ecosystem.
If you’re in Providence or anywhere near Rhode Island and want to transform your schoolyard, backyard, or community lot into a thriving Miyawaki microforest, we’d love to help.