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A PurpleAir air quality sensor was installed near the forest in September to continuously monitor fine particulate matter, or PM2.5. These microscopic airborne particles are small enough to travel deep into the respiratory system and are commonly used as an indicator of air quality.

The goal of the project is to establish a baseline that can be compared with measurements collected in future years. Babson’s Miyawaki forest was planted in spring 2026 with approximately 200 native trees and shrubs. While the planting is still young, it is expected to become substantially denser as the plants grow and the forest develops.

Vegetation can interact with airborne particulate matter in several ways. Leaves, stems, bark, and other plant surfaces can capture particles from the surrounding air, while the size and density of vegetation can also influence airflow and the movement of pollutants. Because these interactions depend heavily on local conditions, measuring changes at the site over time will help Babson better understand what is happening around its own planting.

Establishing a Baseline

The first phase of the study is focused on observation rather than drawing conclusions.

The sensor, affectionately named “Breezy,” collects measurements throughout the day, creating a detailed record of changing conditions at the site. Data collected during the forest’s first year will serve as a baseline for comparison as the planting develops.
Future monitoring can examine whether patterns in particulate matter change alongside increases in the forest’s height, density, and vegetative surface area. Repeating measurements over multiple years will also help distinguish potential long-term changes from the normal fluctuations in air quality caused by weather, seasonal conditions, and nearby sources.

Learning Alongside the Forest

The air quality study is part of a broader effort to monitor the Miyawaki forest as a living campus project. In addition to tracking plant survival and growth, long-term monitoring provides opportunities to investigate how the planting interacts with its surrounding environment.

The project also gives students and the Babson community an opportunity to see environmental research happening in real time. As more data are collected, the study can support conversations about urban vegetation, air quality, biodiversity, and the role that small-scale ecological restoration projects can play in developed landscapes.

For now, Breezy is doing what good baseline research requires: watching, measuring, and building a record. As the forest grows, that record will allow Babson Greenworks to return to the same question year after year: What changes as a tiny forest takes root?

From mature trees and meadow plants to birds, insects, fungi, and other wildlife, the Babson campus supports a wide range of species. Until now, however, we have not had a comprehensive baseline for understanding that biodiversity or how it may change over time.
This fall, Babson Greenworks launched a campus-wide Biodiversity Survey to begin building that baseline.

Surveying the Campus

The Biodiversity Survey is designed to document the plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms observed across Babson’s grounds. Rather than focusing only on landscaped areas or known natural spaces, the survey looks across the campus as a whole.

To make that possible, the campus has been divided into five survey zones. Student sustainability interns rotate through these zones, recording observations using a standardized fieldwork process. For each observation, they document information such as the species observed, quantity, habitat, location, and field notes, along with photographs when available.

Each observation becomes part of a growing biodiversity database that will provide a snapshot of campus ecological conditions.

The goal is not to identify every organism on campus in a single semester. Biodiversity changes with the seasons, weather, migration, plant life cycles, and countless other factors. Instead, repeated surveys will gradually build a more complete picture of the species and habitats found at Babson.

Why Establish a Biodiversity Baseline?

You cannot easily measure ecological change without first understanding where you started.

Establishing a biodiversity baseline gives Babson a reference point for future surveys. As observations accumulate, the data can help us examine questions about species diversity, habitat use, seasonal patterns, and differences among areas of campus.

It can also help us better understand the ecological effects of changes to the campus landscape.

Babson has already begun expanding its approach to campus habitat through projects such as the pollinator meadow and Miyawaki forest. Continued biodiversity monitoring can provide another way to observe how campus ecosystems develop alongside projects like these.

Just as importantly, the survey creates opportunities for students to participate directly in campus sustainability work. Collecting observations requires students to slow down, look closely at familiar spaces, identify what they find, and consider the relationships between the built environment and the ecosystems around it.

A Dataset That Grows Over Time

The first survey rotation began in September, but the initial observations are only the beginning. As the survey continues, repeated observations across the five zones will create a richer dataset representing different seasons and conditions. Over time, that information can support student research, academic projects, campus planning, habitat initiatives, and future biodiversity monitoring.

The value of the survey will grow with each rotation. A plant flowering in September may be nearly invisible in March. Migratory birds may appear for only part of the year. Insects emerge at different times, while fungi may respond quickly to changes in temperature and rainfall. Returning to the same areas again and again helps capture some of that variation.

Ultimately, the Biodiversity Survey is about learning to see the campus as more than buildings, lawns, paths, and landscaped spaces. Babson is also a living environment shared with hundreds of other species.

By documenting what is here today, we are creating a foundation for understanding how that living campus changes in the years ahead.