How to grow a forest in your backyard | Shubhendu Sharma

譯者: Nan Liu 審譯者: SF Huang

This is a man-made forest.

這是一片人造森林。

It can spread over acres and acres of area,

它的面積可以大到數英畝，

or it could fit in a small space --

或小到 --

就像你家的花園那麼小。

as small as your house garden.

Age of this forest is just two years old.

這些森林都僅有兩年之久。

I have a forest in the backyard of my own house.

在我自家的後院也有一片森林，

It attracts a lot of biodiversity.

它帶來了可觀的生物多樣性。

(Bird call)

（鳥鳴）

I wake up to this every morning,

我每天早上聽著這個聲音起床，

like a Disney princess.

像個迪士尼的公主一樣，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I am an entrepreneur

我是一個企業家，

who facilitates the making of these forests professionally.

我用專業的方式幫助營造這些森林。

We have helped factories,

我們幫助過工廠，

farms,

schools,

農場，

學校，

homes,

家庭，

resorts,

度假勝地，

apartment buildings,

公寓，

public parks

公園，

and even a zoo

甚至動物園，

to have one of such forests.

讓他們擁有這樣一片森林。

A forest is not an isolated piece of land where animals live together.

森林並不是一片只有動物群居 但與世隔絕的土地，

A forest can be an integral part of our urban existence.

森林可以與我們的城市融為一體。

A forest, for me,

森林，對我而言，

is a place so dense with trees that you just can't walk into it.

是一個有著茂密樹木的地方， 樹木多到你沒有辦法走進去。

It doesn't matter how big or small they are.

面積的大小並不重要。

Most of the world we live in today was forest.

現今，絕大部分我們生活 居住的地方都曾經是森林。

This was before human intervention.

這是在人類干預自然以前。

Then we built up our cities on those forests,

之後，我們在森林上建造了我們的城市，

like São Paulo,

比如聖保羅，

forgetting that we belong to nature as well,

忘記了就像地球上其他 八百四十萬個物種一樣，

as much as 8.4 million other species on the planet.

我們也同屬自然。

Our habitat stopped being our natural habitat.

我們的棲息地不再是我們的自然棲息地。

But not anymore for some of us.

但是對於我們中的一些人，這種情況在改變。

A few others and I today make these forests professionally --

我和一些人現在以專業的方式建造森林 --

anywhere and everywhere.

在世界各地的任何地方。

I'm an industrial engineer.

我是一個工業工程師，

I specialize in making cars.

我專門從事汽車製造，

In my previous job at Toyota,

當我以前在豐田工作的時候，

I learned how to convert natural resources into products.

我學會了如何把自然資源變成產品。

To give you an example,

舉例來說，

we would drip the sap out of a rubber tree,

我們收集橡膠樹中流出的汁液，

convert it into raw rubber

轉變成生橡膠，

and make a tire out of it -- the product.

然後做成了輪胎這項產品。

But these products can never become a natural resource again.

但是這些產品永遠都不能再變回自然資源了。

We separate the elements from nature

我們從大自然中分離出各種元素，

and convert them into an irreversible state.

將它們轉變成一種不可逆的狀態。

That's industrial production.

那就是工業生產。

Nature, on the other hand, works in a totally opposite way.

這與大自然的運作方式， 有著天壤之別。

The natural system produces by bringing elements together,

大自然的系統是透過一個一個的原子，

atom by atom.

把各種元素匯集起來而製成產品。

All the natural products become a natural resource again.

所有大自然的產品又會成為自然資源。

This is something which I learned

這是當我在自家後院 創造那一小片森林的時候，

when I made a forest in the backyard of my own house.

所學到的東西。

And this was the first time I worked with nature,

這是我第一次順應自然與其同工，

rather than against it.

而不是違背自然而行。

Since then,

從那以後，

we have made 75 such forests in 25 cities across the world.

我已經在全世界25個城市 創造了75片這樣的森林。

Every time we work at a new place,

我們每到一個新的地方工作時，

we find that every single element needed to make a forest

便會發現創造森林所需的每個元素，

is available right around us.

就在我們身邊。

All we have to do is to bring these elements together

我們需要做的就是把這些元素放在一起，

and let nature take over.

然後，讓大自然展現它的鬼斧神工。

To make a forest we start with soil.

要創造一片森林，我們從土壤開始。

We touch, feel and even taste it

我們觸摸、感受、甚至品嚐土壤，

to identify what properties it lacks.

從而確定它缺少什麼特質。

If the soil is made up of small particles it becomes compact --

如果土壤是由小顆粒組成的，它會變得密實--

so compact, that water cannot seep in.

特別密實，以至於水都不能滲入。

We mix some local biomass available around,

我們把當地可用的生物量混合在一起，

which can help soil become more porous.

這可以幫助土壤變得更疏鬆多孔。

Water can now seep in.

水這時就可以滲入了。

If the soil doesn't have the capacity to hold water,

如果土壤沒有涵水能力，

we will mix some more biomass --

我們就混入更多的生物量 －

some water-absorbent material like peat or bagasse,

一些吸水的生物量，比如泥碳和甘蔗渣，

so soil can hold this water and it stays moist.

然後土壤就可以留住水分 並且保持濕潤了。

To grow, plants need water, sunlight and nutrition.

植物需要水、陽光和養份才能生長。

What if the soil doesn't have any nutrition in it?

如果土壤裡沒有養份怎麼辦？

We don't just add nutrition directly to the soil.

我們不是簡單地把養份直接加到土壤裡。

That would be the industrial way.

那是工業的方法。

It goes against nature.

它是違背自然的。

We instead add microorganisms to the soil.

相反地，我們把微生物加到土壤裡。

They produce the nutrients in the soil naturally.

它們會自然地在土壤中製造養份。

They feed on the biomass we have mixed in the soil,

它們以我們混到土壤中的生物量為食，

so all they have to do is eat and multiply.

它們所需做的就是進食和繁衍。

And as their number grows,

隨著它們數量的增加，

the soil starts breathing again.

土壤又開始呼吸了。

It becomes alive.

它恢復了生命力。

We survey the native tree species of the place.

我們調查當地的土生樹種。

How do we decide what's native or not?

我們如何確定樹種是不是土生的？

Well, whatever existed before human intervention is native.

任何存在於人類干預自然以前的植物 都是土生的。

That's the simple rule.

這是一個簡單的法則。

We survey a national park

我們勘查了一個國家公園

to find the last remains of a natural forest.

找到最後一片自然森林的殘跡。

We survey the sacred groves,

我們調查了神聖的樹林，

or sacred forests around old temples.

或是古老寺廟旁邊神聖的森林。

And if we don't find anything at all,

如果我們什麼都沒有找到，

we go to museums

我們就去博物館

to see the seeds or wood of trees existing there a long time ago.

去看種子或者很久以前就在那裡的樹木木材。

We research old paintings, poems and literature from the place,

我們研究那個地方的古畫、詩歌和文學作品，

to identify the tree species belonging there.

來確定屬於那裡的樹種。

Once we know our trees,

一旦我們了解了樹種，

we divide them in four different layers:

我們就把它們分成四層：

shrub layer, sub-tree layer, tree layer and canopy layer.

灌木層，亞喬木層，喬木層和樹冠層。

We fix the ratios of each layer,

我們確定每一層的比例，

and then we decide the percentage of each tree species in the mix.

然後我們確定混合森林中 每一個樹種的百分比。

If we are making a fruit forest,

如果我們要創造一片果樹森林。

we increase the percentage of fruit-bearing trees.

我們就增加果樹的百分比。

It could be a flowering forest,

它可以是一片鮮花盛開的森林，

a forest that attracts a lot of birds or bees,

一片吸引了很多鳥和蜜蜂的森林，

or it could simply be a native, wild evergreen forest.

或者它只是一片土生的、野生的長青森林。

We collect the seeds and germinate saplings out of them.

我們收集種子，使其發芽長成幼樹。

We make sure that trees belonging to the same layer

我們確保屬於同一層的樹木

are not planted next to each other,

不會彼此種在一起，

or they will fight for the same vertical space when they grow tall.

否則，當它們生長的時候， 它們會爭奪相同高度的空間。

We plant the saplings close to each other.

我們把幼樹一棵挨著一棵地種植。

On the surface, we spread a thick layer of mulch,

在土壤上，我們鋪一層厚厚的護根物，

so when it's hot outside the soil stays moist.

所以當外面的天氣很熱的時候， 土壤仍然可以保持濕潤。

When it's cold,

當天氣很冷的時候，

frost formation happens only on the mulch,

霜凍只在護根物上形成，

so soil can still breathe while it's freezing outside.

所以當外面很冷的時候，土壤仍然可以呼吸。

The soil is very soft --

土壤很柔軟 --

so soft, that roots can penetrate into it easily,

非常柔軟， 所以樹根可以很容易地扎根深入土壤，

rapidly.

而且非常迅速。

Initially, the forest doesn't seem like it's growing,

最初，森林似乎沒有生長的動靜，

but it's growing under the surface.

但是在土壤下面，它正生長著。

In the first three months,

在前三個月裡，

roots reach a depth of one meter.

樹根可以達到一米深。

These roots form a mesh,

這些樹根形成一個網，

tightly holding the soil.

緊緊地抓牢著土壤。

Microbes and fungi live throughout this network of roots.

微生物和真菌生活在樹根形成的這個網裡。

So if some nutrition is not available in the vicinity of a tree,

所以假如樹木無法獲取某些養份，

these microbes are going to get the nutrition to the tree.

這些微生物就會把養份供應給樹木。

Whenever it rains,

每當下雨的時候，

magically,

就像變魔術一樣，

mushrooms appear overnight.

蘑菇一夜之間就長出來了。

And this means the soil below has a healthy fungal network.

這意味著土壤下面有一個健康的真菌網。

Once these roots are established,

根系一旦成形穩固，

forest starts growing on the surface.

森林就開始在地面上生長了。

As the forest grows we keep watering it --

隨著森林生長，我們不停地給它澆水 －

for the next two to three years, we water the forest.

在接下來的兩年到三年裡，我們持續地澆水。

We want to keep all the water and soil nutrition only for our trees,

我們想讓樹林充分得到 所有的水份和土壤養份，

so we remove the weeds growing on the ground.

所以我們除掉地上的雜草。

As this forest grows, it blocks the sunlight.

當森林不斷地生長，它會擋住陽光。

Eventually, the forest becomes so dense

最終，森林變得很茂密

that sunlight can't reach the ground anymore.

以至於陽光不能照射到地面。

Weeds cannot grow now, because they need sunlight as well.

雜草這個時候就不能生長了， 因為它們也需要陽光。

At this stage,

在這個階段，

every single drop of water that falls into the forest

每一滴落入森林的水珠

doesn't evaporate back into the atmosphere.

都不會蒸發回大氣中。

This dense forest condenses the moist air

這片茂密的森林凝聚了濕氣

and retains its moisture.

並且保持它的濕度。

We gradually reduce and eventually stop watering the forest.

我們漸漸減少澆灌森林， 最終停止澆灌。

And even without watering,

即使沒有澆灌，

the forest floor stays moist and sometimes even dark.

林地也可以保持濕潤、甚至成深色的沃土。

Now, when a single leaf falls on this forest floor,

現在，當一片葉子落在林地上時，

it immediately starts decaying.

它立刻開始腐爛。

This decayed biomass forms humus,

這腐爛的生物量形成腐殖質，

which is food for the forest.

成為供給森林所需的養分。

As the forest grows,

隨著森林不斷生長，

more leaves fall on the surface --

更多的葉子落在地上 --

it means more humus is produced,

這意味著更多的腐殖質產生，

it means more food so the forest can grow still bigger.

也意謂著更多的食物， 可以讓森林不斷地茁壯生長，

And this forest keeps growing exponentially.

而且是迅速地生長。

Once established,

一旦植林成功，

these forests are going to regenerate themselves again and again --

這些森林就可以一遍遍地自我繁衍--

probably forever.

也許能永續進行。

In a natural forest like this,

在這樣的自然森林裡，

no management is the best management.

沒有管理就是最好的管理。

It's a tiny jungle party.

這是一個小型的叢林派對。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This forest grows as a collective.

這片森林是群聚生長而成的。

If the same trees --

如果同樣的樹木--

same species --

同樣的樹種 --

would have been planted independently,

被獨立種植，

it wouldn't grow so fast.

它就不會長得這麼快了。

And this is how we create a 100-year-old forest

這就是我們僅在十年內，

就能創造出百歲森林的方法。

in just 10 years.

Thank you very much.

非常感謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）