Student volunteers are creating a micro forest on campus which will foster biodiversity, 增加固碳，节约用水.
This article was written for and originally published in 西方的, the independent student-run newspaper at 十大正规网赌平台. 阅读本文 更多在线报道请访问 theoccidentalnews.com.
文/亚诺里·弗格森
An untraveled nook between the Norris Hall of Chemistry and Arthur G. Coons Administrative Center will soon be transformed into a thriving, 参与“植物形态与功能”课程的学生志愿者的互动微森林. 麦克梅纳明生物学教授 格雷琴北. 根据North的说法, planting this micro forest involves novel and effective methods for fostering biodiversity, increasing carbon sequestration and saving water.
The micro forest will also provide respite for students, build community and educate students on the importance of green spaces in LA, 北说. Following approval from facilities and administration, 然后让它们的护根物分解, student experts are getting their hands dirty with Occidental community members Nov. 19 to catch the rainy season and begin planting, according to North.
为什么微型森林在L很重要.A.?
Micro forests were designed by botanist and plant ecologist 彰Miyawaki 以反映日本寺庙和神社周围的本土树木独特的气候适应能力. This emulation is done through densely packing small squares of land with native plants, 这反过来又节约了水, 固碳, 降低温度，重建植物, 真菌与动物生物多样性, 北说.
根据 《十大正规网赌平台》, L.A. 需要这种类型的气候变化干预, 因为它有着加州最严重的城市热岛效应——路面和建筑物聚集热量的现象. 26岁的奥利维亚·普拉姆说的, 植物形态与功能专业的学生, 西方的微型森林可以作为缓解气候变化影响的起点.
“我们住在洛杉矶的一个地区.A. that does have more green spaces relative to the rest of the city, 我们真的很幸运有这样的人, 但洛杉矶还有其他地方.A. 普拉姆说. “微型森林可以对其他没有这种特权的社区产生很大的影响.”
Plumb也说过L.A. 生物多样性异常丰富, so it is particularly important to reverse the disruption caused by urbanization.
“加州植物省是世界上七个生物多样性热点地区之一，”普拉姆说. “There are a lot of endemic plants in this area that are not found anywhere else...[so] Southern California is [especially] impacted by climate change.”
的动力
经济学副教授 贝文Ashenmiller said she saw potential in the barren, unused turf outside of her office window in Fowler. 诺斯说，Ashenmiller通过尽可能多的渠道重新想象空间，在使微型森林制度化方面发挥了至关重要的作用, connecting and gaining approval from facilities, members of administration and other necessary contributors.
Ashenmiller说，她认为微型森林将为学生的研究提供一个机会.
“We could engage a lot of different classes,阿什米勒说. “收集有关碳封存的数据, shade and other measures can help further the science around [micro forests].”
Ashenmiller说，微型森林也意味着为公立学校的校外干预提供灵感.
“我们的城市学校已经被铺上了马路. 他们热, they’re crowded and they’re super noisy because natural barriers create noise suppression,阿什米勒说. “So you can really change students’ lives dramatically by changing the schoolyard.”
Ashenmiller在 LAUSD Greening Schools and Climate Resilience Committee 她说，由于后勤方面的考虑，她在争取学校的绿地时遇到了阻力.
“其中大部分与缺乏知识和担心必须提供维护有关,阿什米勒说. “党的路线是，如果我们在校园里种树，孩子们就会撞到它们. 这是一种错误的叙述.”
Ashenmiller说，校园里的微型森林可以成为一个可衡量的案例研究，表明微型森林是如何负担得起和低维护的.
“如果我们能说, “这就是它有多大, this is how much it costs and this is how easy it is maintain,’ it’s a lot harder for [LAUSD public schools] to be like, “我们负担不起,’”阿什米勒说. “It’s an opportunity to show that this is actually really beautiful.”
学生专家
On the lookout for the next plant to put in the micro forest, 在摩尔动物实验室外，26岁的园艺专家Graham Luethe正试图从一株特别芳香的蜂鸟鼠尾草上撕下一片叶子.
“As the name [suggests], they attract hummingbirds,Luethe说.
Luethe说他目前正在研究如何重新美化城市与环境政策研究所(UEPI)大楼外的草坪. 根据Luethe, 它将作为一个示范花园，提供教育材料，告诉社区成员如何将他们的草坪变成原生景观, 自 主流景观美学 可能是有害的.
“The traditional way of viewing landscaping [is] boxing hedges, 在需要的时候使用肥料, 然后在需要的时候使用除草剂,Luethe说. “但随着时间的推移，这会导致土壤退化，并增加对肥料的依赖.”
Luethe说，对于人类来说，这种微型森林的审美可能不是凭直觉产生的，因为人类有一种根深蒂固的愿望，那就是丢弃落叶.
“[It] is one of the dumbest human desires in the world. 植物做了一件伟大的事情, 他们自己制作模具的地方, 他们自己做肥料, 增加水分的蒸腾作用,Luethe说. “And we’ve decided that it looks better if we blow it away.”
Luethe说，超越传统景观观点的一部分是寻找土著土地使用的资源.
“Every plant has had a use or has had a reciprocal relation,Luethe说. “Native plant knowledge comes from Indigenous people, and if it doesn’t, then it should.“
一个15-20人的团队, there are many different responsibilities to take on to make the micro forest happen, 26岁的露西·约翰斯顿说, 植物形态与功能的另一名学生. Johnston is bringing expertise from two years of doing habitat restoration with 绿色柯克兰一个移除入侵植物的群落, planting native plants and restoring parks in Kirkland, Washington—and was the one to suggest sheet mulching. 约翰斯顿说，地膜覆盖是一种通过用湿纸板和地膜覆盖现有杂草和百慕大草来创造更健康土壤的方法.
根据 《十大正规网赌平台》, mulch creates healthier soil by mitigating soil compaction, 保留水分, 调节土壤温度，为腐生生物(如真菌)提供物质, 细菌和蚯蚓——分解. 根据威廉C. Fonteno, a professor emeritus of horticultural science at North Carolina State University, 这种退化 释放腐殖酸 结合土壤颗粒, leaving space for better oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in the new soil.
Bianca Dal Bó ' 24也参加了植物形式和功能，并将研究他们需要的硬件-包括灌溉系统的布线-并计划如何有效地引导降雨.
去年春天, 24岁的凯西·威斯利(Casey wise)参与了微型森林规划，并与南加州动植物学院的其他学生一起列出了植物及其对水和阳光的需求. 他现在就读于植物形态与功能.
劳动
据约翰斯顿说, the process of mulching itself is quite laborious, 最困难的部分是运输生物科学大楼外存放的护根物. After picking the mulch up using shovels and putting it into tarps, 他们必须确保在纸板顶部有6英寸深，以便完全扼杀杂草, 约翰斯顿说,.
根据North的说法, 学生们在校园周围的地方收集回收纸板时，利用了设施的帮助. 诺斯说，相关机构还挖出了一种非本地的、有轻微入侵性的冬青，这种冬青必须被清除.
“(设施)早上6点半就来了.m.诺斯说。. “[The holly] was right in the center of where the oaks have to go.”
场地团队的一名成员迈克尔·雷耶斯(Michael Reyes)说，他对学生的爱驱使着他 提供纸板.
“I care about the students here at Oxy,” Reyes said. “如果我有时间，我就有空.”
这些植物
根据North的说法, the micro forest team intends to put in about 150 plants. 她说，其中一些植物已经从实验室的实验中解放出来，50株植物是从西奥多佩恩本地植物苗圃获得的, but most have been started by students simply collecting seeds.
Luethe说，在微型森林中有四层不同的植物高度，以使其最有效. 根据 洛杉矶微型森林 网站, 随机, 树冠树木的垂直分层, 树, 子树和灌木最大限度地利用空间，同时防止邻近植物之间的竞争.
北说 larger 树 will include two native species of oak. 根据North的说法, 他们将种植大约12棵海岸活橡树和8到10棵恩格尔曼橡树，以及接骨木和黑核桃树, 哪些地方有重要的土著用途.
“Black walnut is a protected species [and] is used to protect land,Dal Bó说, “They’re being used to occupy park lands so that they can’t be taken over by developers.”
根据Luethe的说法，黑胡桃受到威胁，所以让它站稳脚跟尤为重要.
根据威斯利的说法，Toyon更灌木，是土著居民的另一种重要植物.
“My favorite [plant] that we’re planting is called laurel sumac,” Wisely said.
一旦设置好, Wisely said the micro forest will have a sign with all the information about micro forests, 详细介绍本地植物及其用途.
休憩处:休息和社区的地方
Dal Bó说的, 沿着这条线, 在微森林中会有一条小路和长凳，以帮助学生培养一个恢复的地方.
“我认为它最终会成为一个非常好的空间, even if we don’t get to see that complete fruition,Dal Bó说.
根据Plumb, 微森林的目的超越了课程的范围，并将比我们所有人都更长久, 所以她鼓励所有的学生11月11日到学校来. 19开始种植.
“Even if they’re not explicitly involved in biology, I think it’s something that will benefit the entire Occidental community,帕朗柏说. “我希望看到人们参与进来.”
