Climate Week Kicks-Off With 1-Year Anniversary Celebration of "Manhattan Healing Forest"
In an effort to celebrate the growth of the 2024 milestone planting of New York’s first pocket forest, an achievable solution to restoring green spaces within cities, three organizations — iDig2Learn, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and the Lenape Center — collaborated to host a New York City birthday celebration of the SUGi-funded Miyawaki Method teeny forest on Roosevelt Island. The forest, planted in April of 2024, was the first "pocket forest" of its kind planted in New York City and has seen exponential growth in just 17 months.
September 20, 2025: SOUTHPOINT PARK, ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NEW YORK — In an effort to celebrate the growth of the 2024 milestone planting of New York’s first pocket forest, an achievable solution to restoring green spaces within cities, three organizations — iDig2Learn, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and the Lenape Center — collaborated to host a New York City birthday celebration of the SUGi-funded Miyawaki Method teeny forest on Roosevelt Island. The forest, planted in April of 2024, was the first "pocket forest" of its kind planted in New York City and has seen exponential growth in just 17 months.
“Now seventeen months old, the Manhattan Healing Forest - Tekenink atàm — which means “Let us go to the forest” in the Lenape language — boasts native trees over sixteen feet in height. The pocket forest is growing into a lush habitat for birds such as Warblers, Northern Cardinals, Northern Flickers and the American Kestrel with multiple sightings of the now endangered Monarch butterfly,” shared iDig2Learn Founder, Christina Delfico. She added, “This 2024 planting was SUGi’s 200th forest and New York City’s first. It is an absolute joy to watch neighbors and visitors come check on their tree or discover the pocket forest for the very first time. It is truly a proud moment for all the humans who had the will and the knowledgeable relationships to come together and lead the way to rebuilding city soils and restoring the land.”
“As we prepare to celebrate Climate Week 2025, it’s only fitting that we come together on September 20th to mark the one-year anniversary of the planting of the ‘Manhattan Healing Forest,’ the first pocket forest of its kind in New York City. We need to use every tool at our disposal to combat climate change, particularly in densely populated urban centers that often favor hot asphalt and concrete over green spaces. This is where the Miyawaki Method of planting pocket forests can truly be transformative,” said B.J. Jones, President and CEO of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. “Working with Christina Delfico and our partners at SUGi and the Lenape Center, we’ve already shown in just one short year that you can make a big difference in a small space right here on Roosevelt Island. The creation of our mini forest — with dense growth that will provide shade, oxygen, natural beauty, and refuge for wildlife for many years to come — can serve as a template for other neighborhoods across the city and beyond. I’m delighted to celebrate this milestone and join in our call to do whatever we can to adapt to a changing climate.”
“Lenape Center is thrilled to see this new forest flourishing — a place to connect with beauty and a positive example of what is possible: bringing life, and all of us, together in harmony”, shared Co-Founder and Executive Director, Joe Baker and Co-Founder & Deputy Director, Hadrien Coumans. “Happy birthday to the Manhattan Healing Forest and to all who helped bring our 200th SUGi Pocket Forest to life. It has truly become a vital, life-giving force for ecosystem restoration, community connection, and biodiversity right in the heart of one of the greatest cities on earth and a perfect illustration of how we can reimagine urban life by working together," stated Elise Van Middelem, Founder & CEO SUGi.
Support for this event was provided in part by NYC Green Fund, City Parks Foundation, Partnership for Parks, TRIBA, RIOC Public Purpose Funds, The City Gardens Club of NYC and individual donors supporting iDig2Learn’s work.
This nature-based solution to restore ecosystem loss uses native plant species which have interconnected systems proven to support mutual growth; in corresponding fashion, multiple local organizations join in to support this forest with in-kind donations, including the following: “Big Reuse was thrilled to have provided the foundational compost for the original 2024 Manhattan Healing Forest planting and is happy to provide compost to take home for the birthday celebration. The event compost was made locally from food scraps at Earth Matter, a community and educational compost site on Governors Island," added Justin Green, Executive Director and Founder, Big Reuse.
"The Miyawaki pocket forest on Roosevelt Island is a unique and vital part of New York City's urban forest. I congratulate everyone involved, including Christina Delfico from iDig2Learn, for creating meaningful ways for New Yorkers, both youth and adults, to connect with the urban forest. The environmental benefits extend far beyond Roosevelt Island — improving air and water quality, providing crucial habitat for animals, and creating a space that helps promote positivity all around! Trees New York is a longtime partner with iDig2Learn, providing education and resources to expand New York City's urban forest through stewardship and tree plantings," said Nelson Villarrubia, Executive Director of Trees New York.
About SUGi:
SUGi are pioneers in creating green infrastructure, reimagining urban life, and restoring the human connection to nature. Their signature strategy for building biodiversity, climate resilience and wellbeing is based on the proven Miyawaki Method of planting ultra-dense, biodiverse forests of native species only. Since launching in May 2019, they have created 250 SUGi Pocket Forests in 54 cities on 6 continents and reconnected almost 100,000 youth & community members to Nature. SUGi has evolved from a grassroots movement to become a leading voice on civic rewilding, from the World Economic Forum, 1t.org, and UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, to numerous highly visible public projects and iconic brand collaborations.
About iDig2Learn:
iDig2Learn's programming aims to transform the way humans see and connect with the living breathing life surrounding us outdoors. We invite the young and young-at-heart to explore nature and rediscover the origin of food through plant life. Spotlighting smart waste reduction practices brings neighbors together to form deep bonds while supporting a healthy environment. Celebrating thirteen years of service, iDig2Learn is a project of Open Space Institute, Inc. – a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity – which serves as our fiscal sponsor as part of its Citizen Action Group Program.
About the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC):
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) was created in 1984 by the State of New York as a public benefit corporation with a mission to plan, design, develop, operate, and maintain Roosevelt Island. With a focus on innovative and environmentally friendly solutions, RIOC is committed to providing services that enhance the island's residential community. RIOC manages the two-mile-long island's roads, parks, buildings, a sports facility, and public transportation, including the iconic aerial tramway. Additionally, RIOC operates a Public Safety Department that helps maintain a safe and secure environment for residents, employees, business owners, and visitors.
About Lenape Center: LENAPEHOKING, HOMELAND OF THE LENAPE
Lenape Center is a nonprofit organization fiscally sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts. For over seventeen years, our work has been the creation and development of exhibitions, public art, symposia, music, opera, theater, education (workshops, lectures, curricula). We are currently in our fifth season of seed growing in partnership with Hudson Valley Farm Hub. Lenape Center proudly acknowledges that the Lenape diaspora includes three federally-recognized nations in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Lenape Center does not speak for these nations and recognizes they have active thriving tribal governments that speak for themselves.