Creating a pocket forest: over 1,500 plants, including shrubs and perennials, planted in Luboń in collaboration with GSK and schools on March 11, 2025.
In the heart of Luboń, a once neglected urban space has been transformed into a thriving pocket forest, thanks to the collaborative efforts of GSK volunteers, the City of Luboń, and local residents.
On April 11, 2025, Luboń hosted two environmental actions aimed at greening the urban space and bringing the community together. The result was the planting of 140 tree seedlings, including elder, sessile oak, common hornbeam, wild pear, wild apple, sycamore maple, Norway maple, small-leaved lime, and Japanese quince, on Ogrodowa Street.
Pocket forests, a compact and adaptable solution for urban spaces, are small, densely planted green enclaves that mimic natural forest ecosystems on a smaller scale. They are characterized by their high biodiversity, multifunctional green spaces, and community-focused design.
These urban green spaces offer numerous benefits. They enhance urban biodiversity by attracting pollinators, birds, and beneficial wildlife, improving climate resilience by providing shade and reducing local temperatures, and improving air quality by absorbing air pollutants. Additionally, pocket forests help manage stormwater through green infrastructure techniques like rain gardens, promote health and wellbeing, strengthen social ties and community pride, and enhance urban aesthetics and property values.
The pocket forest on Ogrodowa Street, with its native species of trees and shrubs, supports local fauna and flora. By providing a refuge from city noise, it aims to play an important ecological role in the future.
Participants in the Luboń actions included children from local schools and kindergartens, as well as adult volunteers, including employees of GSK. The event was a success, bringing the community together and promoting a greener urban space. The results included hundreds of new plants, countless smiles, conversations, and memories.
In essence, pocket forests transform small urban areas into multifunctional green spaces that bolster urban ecology, climate resilience, community wellbeing, and aesthetics. They are scalable, adaptable solutions to enriching city environments where space is limited.
In the continuation of Luboń's greening efforts, a series of workshops were organized on April 12, 2025, focusing on blending science and lifestyle in the creation of home-and-garden ecosystems that mirror pocket forests. These activities aimed to engage more residents in environmental-science principles and empower them to make sustainable changes at home.
Participants learned about suitable native plants for Luboń, their care, and benefits, ultimately creating mini pocket forests in their homes and gardens, enhancing local biodiversity and contributing to a greener, more resilient urban lifestyle.
