Farming the Woods: An Integrated Permaculture Approach to Growing Food and Medicinals in Temperate Forests

ISBN: 1603585079

Author: Mudge, Ken

Condition: New

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 FarmWhile 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 its set upForest 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.