Forest Farming

Forest Farming Ken Mudge CY ROSE N NA Many sections of the Northeast have been reforested over the past century. Extensive forest cover is seen in this view from Wachu- sett Mountain in central Massachusetts. armers harvest crops from their fields, and agroforestry—a multidisciplinary approach to loggers harvest trees from their forests, agricultural production that achieves diverse, Fbut what do forest farmers harvest? The profitable, sustainable land use by integrating answer is an eclectic collection of non-timber trees with non-timber forest crops. forest crops like maple syrup, medicinal herbs, While some other agroforestry practices begin fruits, gourmet mushrooms, and nuts. with planting young trees that take years to Forest farming is an approach to forest man- mature, forest farming involves planting non- agement that combines some of the manage- timber forest crops beneath the canopy of an ment practices of conventional forestry with established forest. In other words, other agro- those of farming or gardening to achieve forestry practices bring the forest to the crops, an environmentally and economically sus- whereas forest farming brings the crops to the tainable land-use system. It is one of several forest. In this regard it is helpful to consider related practices that fall under the domain of the role of forest farming in overall forest man- Forest Farming 27 agement. A forest farm should be designed to bearing trees including walnuts and peaches, emulate as much as possible a natural forest. but there is no evidence of deliberate culti- This includes characteristics of a healthy forest vation of useful crops beneath the canopy of ecosystem such as species diversity, resilience established forest. to disturbance, soil health, and a relatively wide Although some types of forest farming and tree age distribution. other agroforestry practices have been going on for centuries, the terms “agroforestry” and Forest Farming Through the Ages “forest farming” are of relatively recent ori- Although this article will focus on modern gin. Agroforestry—as a concept that recognized temperate region forest farming, similar prac- the integration of trees, crops, and people—was tices have been used in tropical regions by introduced in 1973 by John Bene, and led to the indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. In establishment of the International Council for a classic paper from the agroforestry litera- Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Nairobi, ture, Fernandez et al. (1984) described an agro- Kenya which is now the World Agroforestry forestry practice called home gardens, used Center . It was not until 2000 that the term by the Chagga people who live on the slopes forest farming was introduced by Hill and Buck of Mt Kilimanjaro. Home gardens are highly (2000) to describe the cultivation of non-timber integrated, multistory collections of overstory forest crops beneath an existing tree canopy. forest trees valued for timber, an intermedi- One factor contributing to the growing popu- ate layer of small trees including coffee and larity of forest farming in northeastern North banana, and a diverse array of understory America is the gradual increase in the extent herbs and vines used for food and medicine. of privately owned forest. Using the state of In North America, during and prior to the New York as an example, forest cover was at seventeenth century, native peoples are known a minimum of about 15% in 1880 because of to have planted and managed various food extensive conversion of forest to farmland. Farming or Wildcrafting? CY ROSE Although there is no anthropological N or archeological evidence that Native NA Americans practiced forest farming per se, unquestionably they were highly skilled at gathering and utilizing wild forest products, including food, medicines, and ceremonial plants. Prospective forest farmers today frequently ask if the collection of wild forest products like edible mushrooms, wild leeks (ramps), ginseng and other medicinals, and decoratives like pine cones for wreaths and vines for basketry can be considered forest farming. These practices, known collec- tively as wildcrafting, are certainly com- patible with forest farming, particularly when done on a sustainable basis, but don’t qualify as forest farming (i.e. cultivation) unless they are practiced in combination with deliberate cultivation of non- timber forest crops. Wild-collected morel mushrooms. 28 Arnoldia 67/3 Reforestation since then has gradually increased forest cover to 65%, and about 60% of that is CY ROSE privately owned. At the same time average N parcel size has decreased, making timber extrac- NA tion a less economically feasible option. This transition from “industrial” forestry to “invest- ment” forestry by owners who consider forestry a part-time activity or even a hobby makes forest farming an attractive management alternative. Those interested in forest farming include conventional farmers, many of whom have woodlots on their farm, but also private forest owners with non-farm day jobs who want to use their forest productively while preserving or restoring the natural ecosystem. In either case, supplemental The banana-custard-flavored fruits of pawpaw (Asimina tri- income associated with sale of non-timber forest loba) are a potential forest farming product. crops can be the deciding factor, although many forest owners pursue forest farming as a source forest canopy rather than along its perimeter of non-timber forest products for the family, or generally have not been successful. simply as a source of personal satisfaction. While light is an environmental factor that can be managed, others, including soil pH, fer- Becoming a Forest Farmer tility, slope, and water availability, cannot be Before starting, the forest owner should con- modified in forests as easily as in field agricul- sider site issues beyond just “Can I grow gin- ture. Irrigation, fertilization, and modification seng (and/or any other crop) at this site?” A of soil pH are not realistic management options successful forest farm should be seen as an inte- in most forest situations. It makes more sense grated agro-ecosystem that satisfies the owners to select crops that are naturally well-suited to goals while sustaining ecosystem components the site characteristics. including soil, water, trees, and wildlife. A forest farm often begins with a more or less Types of Non-Timber Forest Crops natural (unmanaged) stand of trees. To make it There are three major categories of non-timber suitable for forest farming, some degree of man- forest crops used in forest farming: medicinal, agement is necessary, including management of food, and ornamental. Ginseng and mush- the forest light environment. For the medicinal rooms, in the medicinal and food categories herb ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), up to 70% respectively, have the greatest proven income shade is necessary, and for mushrooms like potential but there are others in each category shiitake (Lentinula edodes), the more shade well worth considering (see Chamberlin et al. the better. On the other hand, fruit crops like 2009). While cultivation of ornamentals in blackberries (Rubus spp.) and pawpaw (Asimina forest farming systems is less frequently prac- triloba) perform best under moderate shade. ticed it does have considerable potential. Light management practices include pruning, In traditional farming, crop diversification selective tree removal, utilizing natural gaps in was considered insurance against the failure of the forest canopy, and planting less shade-toler- any one crop. Species and temporal diversity ant crops along the forest perimeter. Observing are characteristics of a natural forest ecosys- the natural distribution of wild relatives can tem which forest farms ideally should seek to inform decisions about appropriate placement of emulate. For example, in a forest farm grow- candidate non-timber forest crops. For exam- ing mushrooms, maple products, and ginseng, ple, wild brambles like black raspberry and diversification makes good sense from a produc- blackberry typically occur along the ecotone tion standpoint; maple is tapped yearly, mush- (interface) between field and forest. Attempts rooms yield a harvest for several years, while to grow cultivated brambles beneath a dense ginseng will take eight years to mature. In this Forest Farming 29 E G D U M case, the maples also provide shade for both N other crops and additional calcium (in fallen KE leaves) needed by the ginseng. Medicinals The forests of North America have been reposi- tories for a wide range of herbs and other plants and mushrooms gathered for use in traditional medicine. The pallet of medicinal plants collected and used by Native Americans and others was and is extensive, but only a few of these species are cultivated as non-timber forest crops today. To a very great extent, this is due to economic factors, including lack of markets and concomitantly low potential for income American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). generation. Ginseng and goldenseal (Hydrastis E G D canadensis) are the two medicinals most often U M cultivated by forest farmers. N American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is KE a shade-loving perennial herb that produces a valuable below-ground storage root. It occurs in hardwood forests throughout most of eastern North America. Although wild popula- tions have declined somewhat because of har- vesting, it is still relatively common. American ginseng has been highly valued in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine since it was first exported from North America in the seventeenth century. Most commercial demand today is from China and Korea. Ginseng is valuable as a forest farming product, but potential Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). growers should use Beyfuss’s site assessment techniques (see listing under Additional Read- looks like a stem, but is in fact a sympodium ing) before jumping in. consisting of the fused petioles (leaf stalks) of American ginseng is reputed to function in its 3 or 4 palmately compound leaves. Ginseng the human body as an “adaptogen,” increasing develops a narrow underground rhizome—about the body’s resistance to stress.

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