Mini Forest, Big Environmental Impact
Granola dates back to the 1900s and it’s become a breakfast and snack favorite among people in San Luis Obispo Couny and beyond. This Edible story includes a recipe from Cal Poly.
Story by Liz Dodder
Photography by Heather Daenitz
In the Edna Valley, a winery’s first-in-the-world mini forest is helping to combat climate change. Chamisal Vineyard’s Miyawaki small forest is a sustainability effort that’s having a big impact on the environment.
“We planted in spring of 2021, and it’s grown quite a bit,” says Winemaker Brianne Engles. “The manzanitas are already overhead. It’s exciting! This is our last year of irrigation. There are tons of hummingbirds, butterflies, insects and animals. The ground squirrels love it.”
A longtime leader of sustainability in the region, Chamisal took the leap in 2021 to pioneer this planting practice coined by the late Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist and plant ecology expert who specialized in seeds and natural forests. Through this technique, the Chamisal team prepared the soil on a 20-by-200-foot area of the property — amending it with their own grape pomace — and planted 400 to 500 small and large native shrubs and trees, including 45 species of native oak woodland. This type of dense planting forces quick growth, as the flora competes for sunlight, and creates a quicker, natural regeneration in a small ecosphere. The forest grows 10 times faster and is 30 times denser than its typical counterpart, plus it’s maintenance free after three years.
Miyawaki forests like the one at Chamisal help remediate local soil, air, water and climate. They also help sequester carbon in the earth; attract up to 500 different species of birds, insects and animals; cool the air temperature and reduce air pollution.
This mini forest is just one aspect of Chamisal’s efforts to restore biodiversity, conserve water and decrease carbon emissions. They have also installed a community vegetable garden that’s farmed at the benefit of the SLO Food Bank. The team is now beginning to find other pockets on the vineyard where they can plant more and expand the forest. The Crimson Group, which owns Chamisal and other wineries, targets the same goal as International Wineries for Climate Action: reduce the carbon footprint 50 percent by 2030, and achieve carbon zero or negative status by 2050.
The activities of farming, winemaking and even running a business affect the soil and terroir; the quality of plants and grapes, and the health of the larger environment; the ecosystem and the people who work within it. Becoming sustainable means adopting and carrying out holistic practices to address all components of the enterprise, including recycling and packaging, even business management. Nearly 50 wineries in the county have implemented solutions for sustainability. Tolosa Winery has also installed a Miyawaki forest. Meanwhile, Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles holds for both its vineyards and wines the distinction of first Sustainability in Practice (SIP) Certified Winery, which sets the bar for sustainability with strict, non-negotiable requirements. According to the Atascadero-based organization, over 80 SLO County vineyards and wineries are SIP Certified.
Taking it even further, sustainability can encompass farmworker health and equality, restoring degraded soil biodiversity, carbon sequestering, animal rights and the entire farm ecosystem. When a global organization reached out to Tablas Creek Vineyard about a new approach to farming called regenerative organic, Viticulturist Jordan Lonborg wasn’t initially convinced they needed a third certification. The winery had already worked to become certified organic and biodynamic, involving a more spiritual approach, where the vineyard is farmed according to the lunar calendar as a closed system with no imported materials. But after digging into the substance of the system’s requirements, Jordan realized it has even more benefits. “From being both inclusive of, and yet more comprehensive than organic and biodynamic, as well as the amazing organizations behind this effort, it became clear that we had to support it,” says Jordan.
The organizations backing this approach include the Rodale Institute, Patagonia and Dr. Bronner’s, along with a group of farmers, business leaders and experts in soil health, animal welfare and social fairness. Collectively called the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), their shared mission is to promote regenerative organic farming as the highest standard for agriculture around the world.
Tablas Creek focused on soil health using no-till farming, cover crops, incorporation of livestock and mob grazing — where animals completely graze a small area then move to a new spot — and comprehensive soil tests showing carbon maintenance in the soil. They also certified all livestock on the property as organic, according to USDA standards. And the livestock receive humane treatment in all aspects of their life. Tablas also ensured all farmworkers receive a living wage, understand their rights and have clean and safe working conditions. Tablas Creek became the first winery in the world to be Regenerative Organic Certified in 2020. Today, Villa Creek in Paso Robles also earned the designation.
Though the approaches are varied, sustainable farming and production is a priority for local wineries as they know that the ability to continue growing and making the wine we so enjoy demands respect and shared responsibility for the land.
