DoomsdaysCW‘#Microforest’ takes root amid city streets of #ProvidenceRI, reflecting worldwide trend
“As more and more people see it, they’ll be inspired,” said Jeff Matteis of the Pearl Street Garden Collective. “It’s just like one little point, but it just radiates benefits out.”
By Edward Fitzpatrick, September 27, 2025
PROVIDENCE — "The asphalt grid of South Providence is lined with multifamily homes and concrete sidewalks. But along Pearl Street, one lot stands out.
"It’s lush and green, with nearly 270 trees packed into a 1,000-square-foot lot. Officially called the Pearl Street Garden, it contains a tiny forest in the middle of the urban jungle.
" 'Microforests' like this one are cropping up in places ranging from #ElizabethNJ to #CambridgeMA, to #Pakistan. South Providence has two, both along Pearl Street, created by #GroundworkRhodeIsland and the #PearlStreetGardenCollective. The goal is to combat climate change and bring cooling shade to urban areas that lack the leafy boulevards of wealthier neighborhoods.
" 'This isn’t habitat restoration on the scale that is needed in terms of the world,' said Jacq Hall, director of special projects at Groundwork Rhode Island, an environmental group that works to create healthier, more resilient urban communities in Rhode Island. 'But it is a really great way, especially in a city, for people to become very in close touch with biodiversity and why it’s important and why it’s also beautiful.'
"In May, more than 100 people came out to plant the microforest.
" 'There’s microforest momentum happening around the world right now,' said Jeff Matteis, cofounder of the Pearl Street Garden Collective, a group of artists, gardeners, and educators championing #ecological land #stewardship. 'I think as more and more people see it, they’ll be inspired.' "
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