The first in-depth guide for farmers and gardeners who have access to
an established woodland and are looking for productive, innovative ways
to create a natural forest ecosystems that produces a wide range of
food, medicinals, and other non-timber products.
"What a joy to read! Nice pictures, great case studies, and well
organized. . . . Farming the Woods is the source for temperate
climate agroforestry."--Jonathan Bates, Owner of Food Forest Farm
While this concept of "forest farming" may seem like an obscure
practice, history indicates that much of humanity lived and sustained
itself from tree-based systems in the past; only recently have people
traded the forest for the field. The good news is that this is not an
either-or scenario; forest farms can be most productive in places where
the plow is not: on steep slopes, and in shallow soils. It is an
invaluable practice to integrate into any farm or homestead, especially
as the need for unique value-added products and supplemental income
becomes more and more important for farmers.
Farming the Woods covers in detail:
- How to cultivate, harvest, and market high-value non-timber forest
crops
- Comprehensive information on historical perspectives of forest farming
- How to mimic the forest in a changing climate
- Cultivation of medicinal crops
- How to create a forest nursery
- Harvesting and utilizing wood products
- The role of animals in the forest farm
- How to design and manage your forest farm once it's set up
Forest crops covered include
- American ginseng
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Ramps (wild leeks)
- Maple syrup
- Fruit and nut trees
- Ornamental ferns
- And many more!
This book is a must-read for farmers and gardeners interested in
incorporating aspects of agroforestry, permaculture, forest gardening,
and sustainable woodlot management into the concept of a whole-farm
organism.
