# SUGi

> Dense native 'pocket forests' planted with communities in cities on five continents

Source: https://treerm.org/org/sugi · Updated 2026-11-07 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: Global
- Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom
- Founded: 2019
- Website: https://www.sugiproject.com
- Volunteer sign-up: https://www.sugiproject.com/events
- Donate: https://www.sugiproject.com/about?donate=true
- Events calendar: https://www.sugiproject.com/events
- Countries where they plant: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Cameroon, United Kingdom, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Thailand, United States, South Africa
- Activity types: Urban forestry (primary), Education & advocacy, Research & monitoring
- Trees on record: 40,213 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

SUGi was founded in 2019 by Elise Van Middelem and creates small, dense, native-species 'pocket forests' in urban areas using the Miyawaki method, working through a network of local 'Forest Makers' and funding from corporate partners and donors. Its website describes it as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; its largest concentration of forests is in London. Its 2025 Impact Report counts 263 pocket forests in 62 cities across 28 countries since 2019, covering 215,020 square metres, and reports monitoring of survival, plant height and birdlife.

## Programs

- **SUGi Pocket Forests London** — Urban forestry (2021–present): Network of 33 Miyawaki pocket forests across London boroughs including Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Lambeth and Kensington and Chelsea, the second-largest concentration of SUGi forests worldwide. https://www.sugiproject.com/blog/sugi-pocket-forests-london-2024-impact-report
- **SUGi Academy** — Education & advocacy: Training and resources for communities and schools to create and maintain their own pocket forests. https://www.sugiproject.com/academy

## Metrics

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Hectares restored | 2025 | 22 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Estimated | [source](https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyzyxja8/v2/fb2bc8597cc32a5098a079e1e641a05ffc6798e8.pdf) Converted from '215,020 m2 of pocket forests worldwide' since 2019 in the 2025 Impact Report |
| Survival rate (%) | 2025 | 86 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyzyxja8/v2/fb2bc8597cc32a5098a079e1e641a05ffc6798e8.pdf) SUGi 2025 Impact Report: mean plant survival rate 86.0% across 91 forests not yet self-sustaining |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 40,213 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://cdn.sanity.io/files/oyzyxja8/v2/fb2bc8597cc32a5098a079e1e641a05ffc6798e8.pdf) SUGi 2025 Impact Report, p.10 'Data & Monitoring': Native Trees Planted '+40,213 since 2024' (31 new forests in 2025) |

Confidence: self-reported is the organization's own published figure; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM derived it and the note says how.

## Upcoming events

- 2026-11-09 — Sleeping Beauty Webinar | From ideas to implementation (Other), London — register: https://www.sleepingbeauty-project.eu/events/from-ideas-to-implementation-a-marketplace-for-neb-nbs-solutions/ — https://treerm.org/events/sugi/sleeping-beauty-webinar-from-ideas-to-implementation-2026-11-09.md
- 2026-11-19 — Generation Hope: Climate Action Together (Other), London — register: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/events/generation-hope-climate-action-together.html — https://treerm.org/events/sugi/generation-hope-climate-action-together-2026-11-19.md

## Links

- x: https://twitter.com/sugiproject
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugiproject/
- facebook: https://facebook.com/sugiproject/
- linkedin: https://pk.linkedin.com/company/sugiproject
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Ii-sttjNbkKBq2-Fpw6vg

JSON: https://treerm.org/api/v1/organizations/sugi