It was just days between the time Rooted in Trees founder Paul Abbey learned about the Japanese concept of urban forests and his discovery that Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Executive Director Christopher Kuhar had just visited one of the world’s urban forests in the Netherlands. The men hadn’t yet met, but both had the same idea at the same time: establishing an urban forest at the Northeast Ohio zoo. The synchronicity of that idea underscored the men’s belief that the time to implement the urban forest was now. “It was meant to be,” said Abbey, of Kirtland, who began Rooted in Trees a few years ago when he realized that the vast tree canopy over Cleveland neighborhoods had diminished by half in his lifetime. Although they’re often taken for granted, trees provide the oxygen that makes life on earth possible, along with countless other benefits. Once in finance, Kirtland’s Paul Abbey dedicated to cause with Rooted in Trees The mini forest will be the first at a zoo in this country, according to the zoo. Rooted in Trees founder Paul Abbey with grand-daughter Samantha, at right, were joined in planting an urban forest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo by his wife, Connie, from left with grandson, Tyler, and son-in-law Kevin Langenstrauss who were visiting from Chicago. (Courtesy of Rooted in Trees) Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, who pioneered the urban forest concept in the 1980s, had discovered that a tennis court-size plot densely planted with a variety of native trees would become a forest in about six years — eight to 10 times faster than a random grouping of trees could achieve forest status. “Although there are several around Europe and in Canada, urban forests aren’t mainstream in the U.S.,” said Kuhar. “When I was in Amsterdam, I decided to visit one I’d read about in The New York Times. It was about 6 years old, and I could see its potential. I thought it would be worthwhile for our zoo.” It was just days after his return to the U.S. when Abbey contacted him about the same thing. The work began, and now the only urban forest in a U.S. zoo is enriched by compost from the zoo’s many animals. Kuhar joined students from Holden Arboretum’s Tree Corp, members of the Student Conservation Association and 30 eighth graders from Cleveland’s Urban Community School in planting about 800 native trees on a 270-square-yard plot. Abbey and his wife, Connie, also were joined in the effort by their son-in-law Kevin Langenstrauss and grandchildren Tyler and Samantha Langenstrauss, who were visiting from Chicago. Young workers, seen from above, plant a variety of trees that in a few years will become an urban forest near the Rosebrough Tiger Passage at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. (Courtesy of Rooted in Trees) “The competition among the trees is one reason the forest grows so quickly,” Abbey said. The trees, each planted in the middle of one square foot, at first need to be nurtured with regular watering and weeding, which the zoo’s horticulture team does. After a few years, the trees will be left alone to develop into a forest. Ecological benefits provided by a miniature forest include boosting biodiversity by creating habitats for a variety of plant and animal species; managing stormwater runoff by absorbing rainwater to reduce the burden on drainage systems and lowering flood risks; improving air quality; reducing noise pollution; and lowering temperatures. “A canopy of trees keeps our homes cooler, makes our air cleaner, buffers noise and pollution and increases wildlife habitat,” Abbey said. “A walk in the woods lowers the heart rate and is a natural stress reducer.” Because a successful urban forest is based on a combination of native trees, Abbey collected the organically grown young trees from resources ranging from Michigan to Maryland. Until the zoo site was prepared and it was time to plant them, the trees were nurtured in 1- to 2-gallon containers in Madison Township by Meadow Beauty Nursery, wholesale nursery division of JF Krizman Landscaping. This map shows the location for the Zoo’s newly planted urban forest. (Courtesy of Rooted in Trees)\ “The zoo site had been covered with blacktop, which had to be removed, and needed lots of compost,” Abbey said. “It’s beneath the Fulton Road bridge at Interstate 71 and the zoo’s Rosebrough Tiger Passage near Big Creek. It’s a quintessentially Cleveland-looking place, and the zoo has put in picnic tables so people can come have lunch and see the forest grow.” A nursery worker marks where young trees will be densely planted to create an urban forest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. (Courtesy of Rooted in Trees) Rooted in Trees experts took soil samples of the site before it was planted to measure the carbon dioxide levels and will continue to track how much carbon dioxide the new trees are sequestering as they grow. According to the National Forest Foundation, a mature tree can absorb half a metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent in one year. U.S. forests offset about 16 percent — or three decades’ worth — of greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and power plants, the Foundation claims. Climate change is believed to be caused by the world’s increase in levels of carbon dioxide. Trees that live for decades and grow to create an overhead canopy are favored for planting by Rooted in Trees, which forges partnerships with groups of young people and leads the effort to plant and care for them. The organization has planted trees at Mentor Public Library, Lake Erie College, at an Orchard Hills park trailhead in Chester Township and around a village-owned field in Kirtland Hills that’s now growing corn. A Rooted in Trees project in June planted 25 trees at the edge of Mentor Marsh to help prevent further contamination by salt from the adjacent Morton Salt mine, which covers 12 square miles beneath Lake Erie. Trees planted in the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s urban forest include Ironwoods, Ohio Buckeyes, Red Oaks, Tulip Trees, Viburnums, Dogwoods and Witch Hazels. To learn more about the importance of trees and to join the efforts by Rooted in Trees, visit RootedinTrees.org. Primate Forest Forests are firmly in focus at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where ground was broken in September for the Primate Forest — the zoo’s largest-ever capital improvement project. It will expand the Zoo’s RainForest into a 140,000-square-foot indoor destination with three distinct animal habitats: Tropical Forest, Orangutan Forest and Gorilla Forest, according to information from the zoo. This is a rendering of the exterior of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Primate Forest, the successor to its RainForest. (Courtesy of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo) When its $60 million initial phase opens in 2026, more than 63,000 square feet of the former RainForest will have been transformed into the Tropical Forest and 33,000 square feet of new construction will be the CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home and the Orangutan Forest. A future phase will include the construction of the Gorilla Forest, which will create a new home for the zoo’s growing gorilla troop habitat. An elevated trail, first of its kind at the zoo, will provide a new viewing experience, and a two-story room will give orangutans a choice between indoor and outdoor habitats as it brings guests closer to them. The entire project is due for completion for the Zoo’s 150th anniversary in 2032.