🌳 Trees: How to Plant a Pocket Forest

Exploring the method of densely planted saplings

My friends, We’re back with more tree wisdom from our guest, Basil Camu. In today’s post, I’m sharing an excerpt from Chapter 17 of From Wasteland to Wonder, which introduces a tree-planting method called “pocket forests.”

Before we dig into the how-to of that, I’m rounding up a few insights from an earlier chapter—where Basil explains why planting saplings is often a smarter, more effective strategy than planting larger trees.

Why Plant Saplings Instead of Nursery Trees?

In Chapter 10 of Wasteland to Wonder, Basil Camu offers a compelling argument for choosing saplings—young (~1-3 years), naturally grown trees—over the larger, more expensive nursery trees commonly sold in containers or balled-and-burlapped. Here’s the case he makes:

• Healthier Roots: Nursery trees often suffer from damaged or circling roots due to confinement in pots. Saplings grown from seed or transplanted while young develop strong, natural root systems with no root girdling.

• Greater Resilience: Saplings adapt to their environment from the start. They grow stronger and more resilient, especially when not overly coddled with irrigation or fertilizers.

• Lower Cost, Higher Impact: Saplings are significantly cheaper than nursery trees—sometimes even free—and you can plant many of them, increasing the chance that at least some will thrive.

• Natural Appearance: Trees planted as saplings tend to look more like wild, healthy trees over time. Nursery trees are often pruned for visual appeal at the point of sale, which can compromise their long-term structure.

• Easier Planting: Saplings are small and lightweight, making them easier to plant without heavy equipment or digging massive holes.

In short, planting saplings aligns more closely with how trees grow in nature—and the result is often healthier, longer-lived, and more ecologically integrated trees.

Now onto the concept of a Pocket Forest and how to plant and care for one yourself! The following content is an adapted excerpt from Chapter 17 of From Wasteland to Wonder.

The Benefits of Pocket Forests

We know from Chapter 10 that saplings are cheap and easy to plant. We can comfortably plant 20 saplings per hour, and more if we hustle. With approximately the same time and costs necessary to plant one traditional nursery tree in a 10-ft × 10-ft bed, we can fill this entire space with a variety of native trees and shrubs. The saplings do not need to be watered because even in dismal conditions we typically see no more than 30% mortality (this is based on Leaf & Limb experiments in Raleigh, NC). That leaves plenty of trees to continue.

The only maintenance required during the first several growing seasons is to remove other trees and shrubs that take root. For easy reference, a 10-ft × 10-ft area requires around 20 minutes of maintenance each growing season. That is it. Over time, the pocket forest will naturally shade out competing plants and sustain itself.

Compare this to the typical model of planting one traditional nursery tree in the same 10-ft × 10-ft space. We need to water it for several years. Since it is our only tree in that space, we do not want to lose it. Then we need to perform annual bed maintenance practices in perpetuity.

Over the ensuing years, a pocket forest has greater resilience and stability than a single tree. If one tree dies, or if one species is killed by an invasive pest, there are many others still present. From a safety standpoint it is always better to plant more trees versus fewer. Trees that grow together have interwoven root systems, which makes them all collectively more stable in the face of storms and hurricanes. Trees in groups are less likely to fall as compared to individual trees.

This video showcases the pocket forest & other ecosystem-based models of landscaping:

How to Plant & Maintain a Pocket Forest

Pocket forests can be planted almost anywhere in the sub/urban space. Most any size will do, though I typically recommend an area that is at least as large as a parking space for a vehicle. We plant pocket forests using saplings for all the reasons we learned in Chapter 10.

Like many things in this book, what follows are not strict rules. There is plenty of room to experiment and build on these ideas.

Here is the process in a nutshell:

1. Prepare the site.

2. Buy native trees and shrub saplings.

3. Plant the saplings.

4. Perform maintenance.

Before I begin, I want to make note that I’m attempting to teach the easiest way to plant a pocket forest. For a more challenging approach we can grow our own saplings using the Project Pando model outlined in Section 5 of this book. We can also create our own “recipe” of specific species to plant. This is beyond the scope of this book, but here is an example of a pocket forest recipe for those interested.

Before we begin, here are the tools and supplies we need:

• Some way to measure the planting area (measuring tape, measuring wheel, etc.).

• Enough cardboard to cover the planting area, preferably reused from packages. Avoid cardboard treated with wax or other preservatives—we want the cardboard to rot.

• Optional: enough leaf mold to cover the area in a 2-inch layer.

• Enough arborist wood chips to cover the area in an 8-inch layer (if no leaf mold) or a 6-inch layer (if using in conjunction with leaf mold).

• A sapling planting tool.

• A sufficient number of durable markers to indicate the location of each plant. I recommend driveway markers. Landscape flags are also an option, but not as good since the plastic flags tend to fall off during the first or second growing season.

• A variety of native tree and shrub saplings.

Step 1: Prepare the Site

To begin, we measure the available planting space. Once we have the total space, divide by 4. This tells us how many saplings we will need to buy to plant them approximately 2 feet from each other, which is our ideal target.

Example: We have a 4,000-ft² area where we want to plant a pocket forest. 4,000 divided by 4 is 1,000 total plants.

This spacing is not strict. We can increase the distance to 3 feet, or even to 4 feet if we must. However, spacing modifications will change the math:

• If we use a 3-foot spacing, divide the total area by 9. This results in a total of 445 plants in the previous example.

• If we use a 4-foot spacing, divide by 16. This results in a total of 250 plants.

Or we could change our approach and use 20 plants per 100 square feet, which is a tad more than a 2-foot spacing, but not quite 3 feet. Using the prior example, this would require 800 trees instead of 1,000.

Please keep in mind that changes in spacing affect the time necessary for maintenance, both in terms of duration for each maintenance session and the number of seasons for which maintenance will be necessary. More open space means there will be more competing plants to remove, and it will take more time for the pocket forest to shade the gaps. Using the previous example, a change from 1,000 to 800 plants would result in a minor increase in maintenance. But a change to 250 plants would result in a substantial increase in maintenance.

Next, we need to kill competing herbaceous plants. This work should begin during the middle of the growing season and is very important—inadequate control over existing weeds can stunt a pocket forest and add substantial maintenance time. Please note that the instructions outlined next will not suffice for sites where there are invasive trees, shrubs, and vines. If they exist, eliminate them using targeted strategies covered in previous chapters before proceeding.

Invasives aside, start by laying down 1–2 layers of cardboard across the entire area, then add 2 inches of leaf mold followed by 4–6 inches of arborist wood chips on top. The leaf mold is not critical; it simply enhances the health of the planting bed. We can substitute the leaf mold with an additional 2 inches of arborist wood chips instead, for a total of 6–8 inches of arborist wood chips. Do not exceed 8 inches of depth, since doing so can make planting more challenging. These layers will rot, control competing herbaceous weeds, and create the perfect environment in which to plant our saplings during the dormant season.

This video outlines the site prep process:

Step 2: Buy Native Tree & Shrub Saplings

We need a variety of species, including large shade trees (e.g., oaks), small- to medium-sized trees, and shrubs. We want a range of sizes at maturity so that the end result has many vertical layers of leaves from near the ground to high above. I recommend using at least 25 different native species, but more is better. In some pocket forests I have used close to 90, which is excessive (but fun!). Using around 50 species should be more than sufficient.

We can contact our local native nursery, an online native nursery, and/or the state forest service to ask them for a list of what they have available. Ask them for their favorite recommendations, pick 25–50 species at random, or make informed decisions based on research. So long as these species are native to our area and generally appropriate for the site (revisit Chapter 10 for guidance), it is hard to make a bad decision.

Buy enough saplings to fill the area based on the math in Step 1.

Step 3: Plant the Saplings

We start by subdividing the area into 1,000-ft² sections. If the area is less than 1,000-ft², we can skip this step. Next, we divide each species by the number of 1,000-ft² sections. We should create a collection of all the saplings we will plant in each 1,000-ft² section.

Example: We have a 4,000-ft² area. This yields four 1,000-ft² sections. We already know we need 1,000 total plants. Assume we are using 50 different species.

• 1,000 total plants divided by 50 species = 20 of each species

• 20 plants of each species divided by four 1,000-ft² sections = 5 of each species per 1,000-ft² section

• The end result should be 4 collections of 200 saplings, each containing 5 saplings of each of the 50 species

Once we have our collection of saplings for each 1,000-ft² section, we plant the saplings in that space.

When planting, we should follow three broad guidelines:

• We should generally attempt to be random. We must not create a planting plan or neat rows—this defeats the purpose. Natural ecosystems are not planned and they do not occur in neat rows.

• Attempt to meet the targeted space between plants. But do not be exact—approximations are encouraged.

• This last one is optional: avoid planting species of the same type near each other. Spread them out across the space.

If there are structures and sidewalks nearby, we can plant as close or far away as we please. I have pocket forests planted right next to the sides of buildings and others where I left 6 feet of space so I can maintain a gap through pruning. Some only have shrubs near the sidewalks. Others have oaks near the sidewalks. There is no right or wrong decision.

It is crucial that we add a marker next to each plant. This will make maintenance very easy later since we will know which saplings we planted and which we did not—this can become confusing as the plants age. Four-foot driveway markers are ideal but there are many options we can choose from, including landscape flags.

Final options to consider—but do note that none are necessary.

• If we have access to compost or compost tea, per Chapter 14, we can spread it around these saplings or spray it directly onto the plants.

• If deer or rabbits are abundant in our area, we may need protection. See this video for a practical and safe fencing method.

• Add a sign with a QR code to engage and educate passersby.

• Add labels on or near plants indicating their species names.

Now comes the best part: watching these plants grow over the coming years!

Step 4: Perform Maintenance

Our primary maintenance objective is to keep other trees and shrubs from taking over our pocket forest. Seeds will enter our pocket forest via bird poop, wind, and squirrels. It does not matter whether these saplings are native, non-native, or invasive—we want none of them. Sometimes we may have to keep aggressive vines out as well, such as English ivy. We can ignore herbaceous plants, since the trees will eventually outcompete these plants. But for the perfectionists among us (myself included) it does not hurt to remove these if we desire to do so. It simply requires a little extra time.

We should allocate three to five maintenance sessions per growing season spaced one to two months apart. Time for each maintenance session varies, but is typically in the range of 5 minutes per 100-ft². This assumes that we (A) controlled competing vegetation in advance, (B) clearly marked each tree, and (C) planted saplings approximately 2 feet apart. Without these, maintenance time can easily balloon well beyond this figure.

Continue this practice for two to four growing seasons, to the point at which the pocket forest has fully shaded the ground below and other plants are not able to easily gain a foothold in this ecosystem. More time may be necessary, especially if we planted trees further than 2 feet apart.

Here is a video providing some additional thoughts, tips, and insights regarding maintenance:

Watering is unnecessary. Yes, some plants will die. That is ok. We should expect to see death in the range of 5–30% in the early years. Sites with ideal conditions often have mortality around 5%. Sites with especially harsh conditions might be closer to 30% mortality. This assumes adequate control over weeds and other competing vegetation. Without this control, we could see mortality approach 80%, especially on sites with very aggressive weeds (e.g., old farmland). If a sapling dies, leave it—they often make a comeback the next growing season. Saplings are impressively tough.

The best part? No bed maintenance required! We do not need to add any arborist wood chips, compost tea, or treatments of any kind. We certainly can—compost tea especially can be a helpful addition. But none of this is necessary. We also no longer need to worry about pest control services since this is a healthy ecosystem. There are exceptions, of course, especially in regard to invasive pests. For example, we may need to protect ash trees against the emerald ash borer… (continued in Chapter 17 of From Wasteland to Wonder)

Pocket forests remind us that big change can begin with small steps—and small trees! The pocket forest model invites us to move away from rigid landscaping norms toward interconnected, resilient ecosystems. It’s a method rooted in nature’s wisdom.

Whether you have space for a single parking-spot-sized grove or a much larger patch of land, the tools are simple, the cost is low, and the impact is profound. I hope this post inspires you to think differently about how we plant trees—and perhaps to try your hand at starting a pocket forest of your own.

Feel free to drop any queries below and I’ll do my best to get them answered!

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About our Guest

Photo Credit: Chris Hildreth - Rooster Media

Basil Camu

• Co-Founder, Leaf & Limb

• Founder, Project Pando

• Author, From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape

From Wasteland to Wonder is a gift from Basil! It is available for free as an e-book and a hard copy can be purchased for just the cost of printing and shipping. Get your copy here and consider making a donation to Project Pando!