Lead a microforest
Turn an overlooked patch of ground into a dense native forest that cools your streets, brings back wildlife and brings neighbours together. You bring the people and the local know-how. We bring the guide, the tools and the experience of six forests.
Our leaders are young parents, working professionals and long-time locals. Most had never led anything like this before. What they shared was a patch of ground they couldn't stop thinking about, and the willingness to see a project through.
It's real work, but it's structured and it has an end. And you're not carrying it alone.
You don't need special skills. You'll do well if:
A specific patch of park, reserve or community land you could show us on a map. At least 100 square metres, about half a tennis court.
You've spoken to your council or whoever manages the land, or you know exactly who to ask.
At least three people who've said yes. Teams share the load, and the project doesn't depend on one person.
Your team can give 3 to 4 hours a week for 12 to 18 months, from the first conversation to planting day.
A small microforest costs $18,000 to $25,000. You don't need it today, but you need to believe you can raise it.
A residents' group, a club, a school community, a street full of neighbours. Planting day needs 50 or more hands.
A microforest is a partnership. Here's who does what.
Seven steps from reading this page to starting your forest. We only ask for more of your time as it becomes clear you're a good fit.
Read this page and watch the videos. Be honest with yourself about the time and the team it takes.
Answer eight quick questions. You'll find out straight away whether you're ready, nearly there or not yet.
Tell us about your site, your team and your plan. It takes about 15 minutes.
We read every application and reply within five working days.
If it's a good fit, we'll invite you to a 30-minute call to choose the right way to work together.
Accept the partnership guide and pay your $250 commitment deposit.
Wayfinder opens for your team, and you're on your way.
Both include Wayfinder, our guidance and the schools program resources. The difference is who holds the money and the paperwork. We'll help you choose on the call.
Pathway 1
Your forest runs as a Microforest Collective project. We provide the insurance and tax-deductible donations, and hold your project's money for you. Best for groups without their own organisation.
Nothing upfront.
10% of grants and 5% of donations, as they come in.
Pathway 2
Your group keeps its own organisation, insurance and bank account, and we guide you all the way. Best for established groups, P&Cs and councils.
$1,500 flat fee.
Your $250 deposit counts towards it.
The $250 commitment deposit
When we invite you to start, you pay a $250 deposit. It isn't a fee: we hold it for you and give it back once your project has raised $5,000. It's how leaders show they're in it for the long haul, and how we make sure our time goes to forests that get planted.
Where it started
After the 2019–20 bushfires, Edwina Robinson wanted to do something real about a warming climate. She found a bare, compacted patch of park in Downer, Canberra, and asked her neighbours to help. They raised more than $23,000 and planted 1,800 native plants in 2020.
Six years on, the forest is taller than the people who planted it. Five more have followed, each led by locals who'd never done it before.
See our forestsNo. Most of our leaders had never led anything like this before. They're parents, professionals and long-time locals who care about where they live. What matters is that you'll take a steady, supported project from start to finish.
No, and we won't ask you to. You need at least two other people who've said yes before you apply. Leaders who go it alone burn out, and the forest suffers.
A Foundation forest of about 500 plants costs $18,000 to $25,000. A Signature forest of about 1,500 plants costs $55,000 to $65,000. Most projects combine a grant, local business support and a community crowdfund, and we help you with all three.
Usually 12 to 18 months from your first conversation with the land manager to planting day. Then the forest needs watering and weeding for its first two to three years, until it can look after itself.
It happens, and it's why we ask you to talk to them early. We'll help you make the case or look at another site. Finding a new site is progress, so it won't count against your deposit.
We keep holding your deposit while your project is moving. It only becomes non-refundable if a project goes 12 months with no progress and no reply to two notices from us, and we'll warn you at 30 and 60 days first. If we end a project, we refund the deposit.
No. It's your money, held by us and returned to you. That's why there's no tax receipt for it. If you'd like to donate it to your project when it comes back, you can, and you'll get a receipt then.
We're based in Canberra and work with leaders across Australia. Our forests are in the ACT and New South Wales, with new sites underway in Victoria.
Schools have their own, faster way in. Find your school on our map and send us its details in a minute. Find your school.
Start with the check. Or talk to us first.