Grow forests: Grow food and medicine in forests
Contrary to popular belief, forestry and agriculture are NOT mutually exclusive. Growing food, medicines and other non-timber products such as mushrooms and ginseng in forests helps escalate self-sufficiency and maintains a vigorous forest.
Farm the Woods: Finding the Perfect Spot
Apart from mushrooms, if we consider most food crops in a forest farm, most are woody trees and shrubs that produce fruits and nuts. Anyone looking into their potential will notice that many plant profiles claim that the plants are “shade tolerant”, but it is occasional to see any mention of such plants growing in the shade. It’s just because the production of fruit and nuts is biologically energy-intensive. So, while many plants store wood on the trunk, grow, and photosynthesize in surprisingly low lithe conditions, most need access to direct sunlight to produce decent crops.
Delicate and forest
Raspberries fruit well in almost full shade. At Edible Acres in Trumansburg, Up-to-date York.
The need for sunlight for fruiting plants is often emphasized in the literature, although there are examples of high-yielding currants (Ribes), blackberries, pawpaws and other fruits found in the forest. No emphasis was placed on selection for shade tolerance during cultivar breeding and release; in fact, in many cases plants are selected for their performance in open sun.
This is another justification for forest farmers who plant seedlings in different locations so that selection can be made to maximize yield in more forested areas.
That said, there are many directions in which the “tender regime” concept should be taken; that is, the amount of lithe available and its effect on both plant growth and fruiting. The good news is this vigorous forests need to have a range of lighting systems, and it is our job as forest farmers to facilitate them through the different stages.
Defining lithe regimes
Defining differences in lighting regimes will facilitate in understanding their relationship to crop production. In the most basic sense The classification is made based on the percentage of tree crown cover; that is, the percentage of shadow cast on the forest floor.
Please remember that not all closed canopies are created equal. Even with tree canopy coverage ranging from 80 to 100 percent, both tree type and canopy height can influence lithe reaching the lower layers of the forest. For example, in the MacDaniels Nut Grove, an area called Walnut Island was named after a miniature area with a seasonal stream dominated by several 80-year-old eastern black walnut trees.
These trees reach heights of 50 to 80 feet and cast shade over the site while allowing significant amounts of secondary lithe to penetrate. This amount of lithe proved acceptable for many species, including pawpaw and elderberry, but fruit production on the raspberries planted there was insufficient from a crop perspective. This contrasts significantly with the forest at Wellspring Forest Farm, which is 100% sugar maple. This type produces a very dense shade where none of the above crops will do well. Of course, the conditions are ideal for growing mushrooms.
Gaps, gaps and edges
Another way to exploit the natural forest system (disturbance) is Apply (or create) spaces in and around the forest that receive additional sunlight throughout the day and season. It happens all the time in wild forests: a tree falls in the forest and creates an opening where more sun-loving species can thrive.
Furthermore, the exploit of forest edges (including ancient hedgerows) can be seen as a form of forest management that also provides some flexibility in terms of lithe access. Table 4.2 shows some plant suggestions depending on lithe conditions.
Criteria for selecting plants
There are at least a dozen potential plants to choose from in temperate agroforestry. Here are some criteria that guided the selection of this book:
- There is evidence (literature, breeder advice or other expert advice) of successful cultivation in the forest niche.
- The natural habitat of this plant is the forest.
- There is potential for both residential and commercial applications.
- There are proven cultivation techniques, even if they are underdeveloped.
- There are health and nutritional benefits for humans.
With the exception of walnut and papaya trees, elderberries and wood syrups, none of the foods in this collection are currently seriously grown as forest crops for commercial sale. Ribes (gooseberries and currants), Rubus (raspberries and blackberries), pecans, Chinese or hybrid chestnuts, and hazelnuts are commercially available, but are usually grown in bright orchards. Landowner goals should guide design that includes these species at a scale that suits personal goals.