Enhancing Resilience and Habitat in Ayer and Devens by creating small, dense forests.
The aim of the Ayer/Devens Pocket Forest Project was to find the most suitable and impactful sites for planting small, dense, and diverse forests that will store and filter stormwater, cool and clean the air, increase habitat connectivity for wildlife, act as a seedbank for diverse tree species, and enhance human habitation in the Town of Ayer and the Devens Enterprise Commission.
After a robust community engagement, planning, and design process, we joined with the people of Ayer and Devens in April of this year to install one of the first pocket forests in the Northeastern US. More than 50 community members helped us prepare the soil and plant a diverse collection of trees and shrubs near downtown Ayer.
Ayer and Devens will be carrying on the momentum of this pilot project to install four more pocket forests next year (two in each town). Sites were selected based on a number of criteria that considered ecological and social factors to point towards high impact locations. We collaborated closely with BSC Group and Linnean Solutions as a consultant team to carry out this project.
Client
Town of Ayer, MA
Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program, 2022
Partners
- Linnean Solutions
- BSC Group
Services
- Stakeholder engagement
- Pocket forest design
- Soil testing and enhancement recommendations
- Print + digital educational materials
- Town-wide analysis of ecological and social implications
- Organization of a community planting day
