Meet Liza Ketchum

Q: Liza, you are part of a team that is bringing a Miyawaki forest to the Lowell School.  In a nutshell, what is a Miyawaki forest? 

It’s a tiny forest comprised of native trees planted very close together. They are named for Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese ecologist and weed expert who studied groves of ancient, native trees growing at Japanese shrines. He realized that these tiny forests could help to clean the air in urban areas. With the help of other botanists and volunteers he began planting small forests across Japan and around the world. I first heard about a Miyawaki forest planted at Danehy Park in Cambridge. After I visited, I wondered if we could plant one in Watertown. I mentioned it to Anita Roy Dobbs, who said, “Let’s do it!” 

Q: What ecological benefits do they create? 

Trees take up carbon and release oxygen into the atmosphere, so these small groves clean the air in urban areas. As the planet warms, these groves sequester carbon, provide shade and act as buffers against the warming climate. And our forest will be made up of native New England trees and shrubs, so they’ll attract and support local wildlife, birds, and beneficial insects. To learn more about Miyawaki Forests, please come to the October 5 drop-in event at the library. 

Q: I know folks are excited that the forest will be at the Lowell School. Why there, and how are the teachers getting involved?

The Lowell School site is blessed with abundant sunshine and easy access to water. We hope to involve the whole school community in planting. Students will learn more about trees and forest communities as they help to care for the trees and watch them grow. We hope that teachers can use the forest as a laboratory for lessons in ecology and natural science.

Q: How can folks get involved in the planting?  

Community members of all ages are essential to our success! Our planting day is Saturday, October 26th (rain day the 27th) and we will need many volunteers of all ages to dig holes, set the trees in place, and water. We will also need volunteers to maintain the forest: to weed, water, and remove trash as the young trees grow. You can sign up for the planting here.

Q: Liza, I was moved by your essay on the death of a sugar maple at Mt. Auburn Cemetery.  Why are you such a fierce champion for the trees?

I lived in Vermont as a young child and spent every summer there with my grandmother after we moved away. My dad built a small platform in a maple tree, beside a stream, where I could sit and read. As an adult, I raised my sons in Vermont where we owned a small woodlot. We tapped our maple trees every spring and transported the sap to a sugar house nearby. We also heated our home with wood, so the trees were essential for their practical uses as well as for their beauty. As our climate warms, I value trees for their ability to cool our streets and homes. And yes: I have been known to hug my favorite trees—white oaks and sugar maples.

Q: What else are you passionate about?  

I’m the author of seventeen books for children and young adults. I also taught writing at the graduate level. During that time, I connected with two other wonderful writers, Jackie Briggs Martin and Phyllis Root.  The three of us have now written three books for young readers about the natural world, including “Begin with a Bee,” and two books that will be out next year: one about the sea turtle rescue program in Massachusetts, “Turtles Heading Home,” and a book about Miyawaki forests, “Green Heart Tiny Forest.” 

My son and his wife are climate scientists, so I’m very concerned about the climate crisis and glad that the Miyawaki forest will help to address that issue in Watertown.

Q: Liza, as a long-term resident, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Watertown is developing and changing. What are you excited about in the community's future? 

My husband John Straus—a pediatrician with a special interest in child mental health—and I moved to Watertown’s East End in 1997.  We love the vibrant community feeling of the shops and restaurants in our neighborhood.

We’ve seen many changes in Watertown (now a “city”) since we arrived. We are alarmed by the construction of so many biolabs, particularly at a time of falling demand for these facilities. The increase in traffic, combined with the lack of reliable public transportation, is probably our biggest disappointment.

However, we feel that the City Council and the Manager are more accessible than in the past, as shown by their willingness to involve residents in the planning process for Watertown Square. Most important: Watertown’s DPW, with the help of Tree Warden Mike Micielli, has been incredibly helpful with every step of planning and preparation for the Miyawaki forest. The Miyawaki forest project couldn’t have moved forward without that assistance.