Wilderness Schools
Planting trees for a sustainable legacy.
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Youth Impacted
This initiative has created a sustainable legacy of four outdoor classrooms across Belgium: two in Flanders and two in Wallonia.
Through the planting of these SUGi Pocket Forests, schoolchildren have had the opportunity to learn about the importance of conservation, biodiversity, and ecosystems through interactive learning activities. With emphasis placed on the awareness of environmental issues and sustainable practices, the projects have offered education, nourishment, and inspiration.
This project, as a whole, has drawn an indelible connection between hundreds of students and Nature, supporting their wellness for many years to come.
Forest Maker
Herman & Nicolas
Forest Partner
Outdoor Classroom Design
The pocket forests are meticulously crafted to seamlessly integrate with the surrounding urban environment, whether at a grand or intimate scale.
Embracing a multitude of advantages, this verdant oasis not only offers a plethora of benefits but also serves as an ideal setting for students to forge meaningful connections and acquire knowledge inspired by the natural world.
Forest Update: 2025
Leefschool De Wollewei
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A mouse, multiple spiders, and other small creatures were observed on leaves. Pupils use the forest islands for play and to cool down in warm weather. The trees improve air quality and provide a peaceful view.
GO! Atheneum Geraardsbergen
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Our pocket forest is truly coming to life, with more pupils using it during outdoor lessons and in their free time as they enjoy the peace, natural surroundings, and the increasing shade provided by the young trees. Reactions have been very positive, as pupils appreciate the opportunity to work outside or relax among the greenery, and the forest has created a more pleasant atmosphere around the outdoor classrooms. These areas are now used more often, with the natural setting providing coolness, inspiration, and a stronger connection to nature. It is encouraging to see how the forest is not only growing, but also positively supporting pupil wellbeing and outdoor learning.
Ecole Saint-Joseph-aux-Champs
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Some trees have developed brown spots beneath their leaves. Many trees have survived, but dock plants are growing densely around them.
Ecole Internationale Le Verseau
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Children visit the forest every Wednesday throughout the year to observe changes and use the space for writing and learning activities.
Forest Report: 2024
Leefschool De Wollewei
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This is an interesting forest, as it is composed of three, separate sections, each of 60 square meters. They experience slightly different conditions, and as a result, have been growing at different rates. The sunniest section has experienced some of the faster growth - but also the greatest rate of weeds appearing in the forest. The school has been extremely enthusiastic about the forest and the students regularly visit it, rain or shine!
GO! Atheneum Geraardsbergen
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This pocket forest has been growing very well - nearly all the saplings have survived and will soon reach a height of two meters, even if the site had some mature trees already standing on it and shading some of the planted area.
Volunteers from the school carried out a maintenance session in the forest towards the end of June. During the maintenance visit, we spotted a good number of funghi growing in the forest - including white dung mushrooms, which typically grow in nitrogen-rich soil that’s been visited by many herbivores. Overall, this means that the soil in the forest is rich, healthy, and functions well as a support system for plant life.
Ecole Saint-Joseph-aux-Champs
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This young forest is doing well. It has a perfect survival rate so far, with all saplings planted last year having survived - and some of them, especially the hawthorns, already reaching over two meters of height. The school children continue enjoying the forest and the regular classroom activities in nature.
Ecole Internationale Le Verseau
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This is still a young forest, planted only a year ago - and the trees have had a successful first growing season, with the maples and sycamores already exceeding two meters’ height. Interestingly, this forest has been planted on a sloped site, and we observed that trees planted towards the bottom of the slope have grown taller - showcasing how site topography can have a powerful influence on the growth of various parts of the forest.
“The forest is like the brain of children, when seeds are sown there, ideas blossom abundantly.”
Sylvain Tilman, Director of the school Saint-Joseph-aux-Champs
Planting
Leefschool De Wollewei
With its two lobes, this forest is woven into the physical - and educational fabric - of Leefschool De Wollewei. As it grows, it will continue to bring ecological richness to the biodiversity desert that is currently the school grounds, whilst also serving as a resource that supports the curriculum, as well as the wellbeing of students.
GO! Atheneum Geraardsbergen
This pocket forest will provide a smooth transition from the domestic context to the school situation. “Learning Leaves” will become a learning ground for our children — our citizen scientists — where they can experience the cycles of life firsthand.
Ecole Saint-Joseph-aux-Champs
On this one-hectare plot of land, formerly used for hay production, biodiversity is beginning to be restored.
As part of the "School Outdoors" program, this collaborative project with schoolchildren is seen as the central element of an extensive and ambitious long-term educational initiative that engages the entire school community.
Ecole Internationale Le Verseau
This is an ambitious school seeking to tackle the ecological crisis head on. The nearby highway is a concern, and the hope is that the forest not only brings tranquility, nourishment, and educational value to the school community, but also improves local air quality. This is a forest to support both mental and physical health.
Native species
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