Mini Forest, Big Environmental Impact: Winery Heroes Chamisal & Tablas Creek

From Edna Valley to Paso Robles, wineries implement innovative farming practices in bid to protect Mother Earth.

From Winter 2023 issue of Edible San Luis Obispo magazine

In the Edna Valley, a first-winery-in-the-world mini forest is helping to heal the climate. Chamisal Vineyards’ Miyawaki mini forest is a sustainability effort that’s having a big impact on the environment.

“We planted in spring of 2021, and it’s grown quite a bit,” says Winemaker Brianne Engles. “The manzanitas are already overhead. It’s exciting! This is our last year of irrigation. There are tons of hummingbirds, butterflies, insects, and animals. The ground squirrels love it!”

A long time leader of sustainability in the region, Chamisal took the leap In 2021 to pioneer this planning practice coined by Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist and an expert in plant ecology who specialized in seeds and natural forests. Through this technique, the team made soil preparations on a 20-by-200-foot area of the property—amending with their own grape pomace—and planted 400 to 500 small and large native shrubs and trees, including 45 species of native oak woodland. They became the first vineyard in the world to plant a Miyawaki mini-forest. This type of dense planting forces quick growth, as the flora competes for sunlight, and creates a quicker, natural regeneration in a small ecosphere—one that has big benefits.

This little forest helps remediate local soil, air, water and the climate, big time. It grows 10 times as fast and is 30 times denser than a regular forest and is maintenance free after 3 years. These forests also help sequester carbon in the earth, can attract up to 500 different species of birds, insects, and animals, cool the air temperature, and reduce air pollution.

The Miyawaki forest is just one aspect of Chamisal’s efforts to restore biodiversity, conserve water, and reduce carbon emissions. They have also installed a community vegetable garden that’s farmed on behalf of the San Luis Obispo Food Bank. The team is now beginning to find other pockets on the vineyard where they can plant more and expand the forest. The Crimson Group, which owns Chamisal and other wineries, adheres to the same goal as International Wineries for Climate Action: reduce the carbon footprint 50% by 2030, and achieve zero or negative by 2050.

Practices around farming, winemaking and even running a business have many impacts on the soil and terroir, the quality of the plants and grapes, and the health of the larger environment, the ecosystem, and the people that work within it. Becoming sustainable means adopting holistic practices to address all elements of farming, as well as recycling and packaging, and even business management. Nearly 50 wineries in the county have implemented some kind of sustainability solution. Tolosa Winery has also installed a Miyawaki forest. Meanwhile, Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles holds for both its vineyards and wines, the distinction of being 1st Sustainability In Practice (SIP) Certified Winery, which sets the bar for sustainability with strict, non-negotiable requirements. According to the Atascadero-based organization, over 80 SLO County vineyards and wineries are SIP Certified.

To take it even further, sustainability could encompass farmworker health and equality, restoring degraded soil biodiversity, carbon sequestering, animal rights and the entire farm ecosystem. When a global organization reached out to Tablas Creek about a new approach to farming called Regenerative Organic, Viticulturist Jordan Lonborg wasn’t initially convinced they needed a third certification. They winery had already done the work to become certified organic and biodynamic—a more spiritual approach where the vineyard is farmed according to the lunar calendar as a closed system with no imported materials. But as he began to dig into the meat of the system’s requirements, Jordan realized it has even more benefits. “From being both inclusive of and yet more comprehensive than organic and biodynamic, as well as the amazing organizations behind this effort, it became clear that we had to support it,” says Jordan.

The national organizations backing this approach include the Rodale Institute, Patagonia, and Dr. Bronner’s, along with a group of farmers, business leaders, and experts in soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness. Collectively called the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), their shared mission is to promote regenerative organic farming as the highest standard for agriculture around the world.

Tablas Creek focused on Soil Health using no-till farming, cover crops, incorporation of livestock and mob grazing—where animals completely grazing a small area and then move to the next spot—and comprehensive soil tests showing carbon maintenance in the soil. They also certified all livestock on the property as organic under USDA standards. And the livestock receive humane treatment in all aspects of their life. The business also ensured that all farmworkers receive a living wage, understand their rights, and have clean and safe working conditions. Tablas Creek became the first winery in the world to be Regenerative Organic Certified™ in 2020. Today, Villa Creek in Paso Robles is also Regenerative Organic Certified™.

Though the approaches are varied, sustainable farming and production is a priority for local wineries that know our county’s ability to continue growing and making the wine we so enjoy demands a respect and shared responsibility for the land.