What We've DOne
Our Timeline
The Celery Fields
The founding partners of SURF collaborate with Sarasota County's Neighborhood Environment Stewardship (NEST) program to plant the Suncoast's first high-performance microforest.
Read MoreOctober 2020Stoneybrook I
After several false starts, SURF plants its second microforest at the Stoneybrook Golf and Country Club thanks to Stoneybrook's welcoming and participating Natural Asset Committee
Read MoreNovember 2021Stoneybrook II
Thanks to some leftover plants from Stoneybrook I and a perfect site nearby, the team plants its third microforest the just a half-mile away
Read MoreJanuary 2022Colony Cove aka Equity Lifestyle
SURF installs its largest microforest -- just under an acre on a peninsula into the Manatee River. This microforest, commissioned by the Sustainability Department of Equity Lifestyles, opens the door to a promising partnership that will transform presently unproductive turf-land into ecologically high performing microforests and living walls.
Read MoreJune 2022Heritage Harbor
The Heritage Harbour Master Assocation establishes a half-acre microforest into its central park, beautifully situated between a parking lot, baseball diamonds, and a playground. This microforest makes the playground a cooler, quieter, and more natural place, plus it includes great trails for kids to explore.
Watch Planting DayJanuary 2023Mangrove School
Students, Veterans, and Rotarians work shoulder to shoulder to plant 800 trees into a 0.3-acre microforest on the property of the Mangrove School of Sarasota. This forest was Step One in converting an open field into a beautiful center for outdoor learning, plus it helped drain the site's puddled soil.
SURF and The Mangrove School are grateful to the Sarasota Bay Esturary Program for partial funding toward the successful completion of the project.
Heron's Nest
Our 0.3-acre microforest in Community Development District One of Lakewood Ranch is the first with a solar-powered irrigation system to help the trees through the first dry season.
A 100-water panel powers a submersible pump that lifts and drips water to the roots of our 800 treees, shrubs, and ground covers. The forest was funded in large measure and guided in its planning by the Lakewood Ranch Rotary Club.
Why the Next Microforest should be in YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
A high-performance microforest is a win-win-win for any neighborhood. First and foremost, it’s a cool and shady place for everyone to go.
Second, it reduces flood risk and, once grown, calms damaging winds. It also engages the whole neighborhood in a activity to fight back on climate change and learn about the climate crisis in the course of doing so.
If you have a 200-water PV panel for a microforest — a quarter-acre field of turf where the planted tres will never be cut down– please contact charles.c.reith@gmail.com and we’ll start the process of seeing if a microforest makes sense for you.
