WORCESTER, Mass. - More than 100 volunteers rolled up their sleeves to help Worcester maintain a healthier environment for the first day of the city's historic planting for Miyawaki Forest.

"The Miyawaki Forest Method is a small densely-packed forest that is an urban environments, so the city of Worcester will be the first city in the region to have two Miyawaki Forests," said Miyawaki Forest Project Community Liaison Guillermo Creamer.  "The forest are fully funded by a grant that came from the Healey-Driscoll Administration to really kind of ensure that Worcester is moving forward with its resiliency goals."

Community Liaison Guillermo Creamer said the Miyawaki Forests are known to help with carbon dioxide absorption and managing stormwater runoff.

Spectrum News 1 spoke with volunteers at Worcester's McGrath Parking Lot Saturday about their desire to keep the community safe, while planting something that can help mitigate pollution.

"I'm just a local Worcester resident and seeing this project really inspired me to get involved," said Alia Pialtos. "Because I think anything we can do to help the environment and also beautify our community is a good thing."

"I love trees and soil and being outside," said Joy Winbourne. "But also it's really exciting, new forest type that we don't have here in Worcester."

Saturday marks the first of four community planting day opportunities.

Plumley Village on Laurel Street will be the city's second forest location.

Creamer says the project's goal is to support vulnerable communities suffering from extreme heat due to lack of trees and other forms of shade.

"We're really bring in some much-needed climate stuff here in downtown Worcester," said Creamer. "When you're taking 6,000 square feet of an asphalt parking lot and turning it into a really strong densely packed biodiverse section."

The community planting day for the Miyawaki Forest at Plumley Village will take place next Wednesday afternoon.