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AFFC Forest Farming Office Hours 2024 We welcome you to join us in our Forest Farming Office Hours Series! Join NC State Extension and friends of the AFFC for Q&A, updates, and conversation about forest farming. All regions and experience levels are welcome! ​ We realiz e that some may not be able to attend a l unch session so we invite you to look through our forthcoming meeting notes of links and resources, as well as bring your questions to our Forest Farming group on FB . These zoom sessions are not recorded at this time. Email questions to Margaret_Bloomquist@ncsu.edu with subject line "Forest Farming Office Hours" or hop on Zoom to join the info session. Forest Farming Office Hours: Email List Forest Farming Office Hours Spring 2024 ​ Join NC State Extension and friends of the AFFC for Q&A, updates, and conversation about forest farming. All regions and experience levelS are welcome! ​ Please send questions in advance to: Margaret_Bloomquist@ncsu.edu ​ Friday, April 12 from 12 noon - 1:30 on ZOOM ​ Friday, May 10 from 12 noon - 1:30 on ZOOM Notes, links and resources from previous Forest Farming Office Hours coming soon!

About the ABFFC The Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition (ABFFC) is a network of forest farmers, forestland owners, universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations that share a common goal of improving agroforestry production opportunities and farming capabilities among forest farmers. ​ Our collective aim is to increase awareness of forest-grown medicinal, edible plants and products (non-timber forest products or NTFPs ) through education and relationship building, and support conservation efforts through stewardship of existing plant populations and forest farming of these native botanicals. DOWNLOAD / READ / PRINT ABFFC Team John Munsell, ABFFC Project Director Professor and Forest Management Extension Specialist, Department of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation Virginia Tech​ Margaret Bloomquist, ABFFC Associate Director ABFFC Associate Director Research Associate, Horticultural Science North Carolina State University Sara Jackson, Website & Admin Maintains and develops this website and its resources. Funding for the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition has been sponsored by The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program ​ ABFFC Partner Organizations ABFFC Partner Universities ABFFC Supporting Organizations

ABFFC New Initiatives These projects-in-development are part of the ABFFC's goal of bringing better forest farming resources to the Appalachians and beyond! Please help us learn more about the needs of forest farmers like you buy filling out our short surveys on each page. Thank you in advance! ARC ARISE ARC ARISE Point of Harvest Program POH American Forest Farming Association AFFA Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant Program EMEF

Forest Farming Footnotes ABFFC's bi-annual newsletter, Forest Farming Footnotes , featuring partners, people, species forest farming stories and events related to forest farming throughout Appalachia and beyond! ​ Have a great story, event or forest farming feature? Let us know by sending us an email ! ​ Current Newsletter Newsletter Archive Forest Farming Footnotes Read, print, download or share our most recent newsletter! Current Forest Farming Footnotes Archive archive Issue 1, Winter 2012 Issue 2, Spring 2013 Issue 3, Fall 2013 Issue 4, Winter 2013 Issue 5, Spring 2014 Issue 6, Fall 2014 Issue 7, Spring 2016 Issue 8, Fall 2016 Issue 9, Spring 2017 Issue 11, Summer 2018 Issue 12, Spring 2019 Issue 13, Spring 2020 Issue 14, Fall 2020 Issue 15, Summer 2021 Issue 16, Fall 2021 Issue 17, Spring 2022 Issue 18, Spring 2023 Issue 19, Autumn 2023 Issue 10, Fall 2017

Forest Farming Community The aim of the Appalachian Beginner Forest Farmers Coalition is to connect the various agencies, groups, people and resources with an interest in agroforestry. What better way to do that than creating an inclusive Forest Farming community, as diverse as our forests themselves? Comprised of forest farmers at every level, from beginners to experts, that span the Appalachian mountains and beyond, our community is part of the main trunk of our forest farming resources. ABFFC Facebook Group FB Group Forest Farming YouTube Channel Video Library Forest Farming on Pinterest Pinterest Forest Farming Flickr Albums Albums

Forest Farming Introduction Forest farming is an agroforestry practice which cultivates medicinal and edible crops, decorative and craft materials under a forest canopy that is managed to provide ideal shade levels and habitat. Forest farming on a larger scale supplies marketable crops, materials and products made from non timber forest products to community, local, regional and online marketplaces as well as internationally. ​ Forest farming also provides several opportunities for land owners, families and communities to benefit while managing, protecting and conserving the forests for the future. FAQ What is Forest Farming? WHO ARE FF? Who Are Forest Farmers? First, it is very important to acknowledge, honor and respect the indigenous peoples and their practice of stewardship and land management. The first nations have been stewards, foragers, and farmers since time immemorial, and continue these practices to this day. Individuals and families: Forestland owners are incredibly interested in forest farming. Opportunities abound to bring supplemental income, partially relieve tax burdens and invest in the future of families and forests. However, unlike traditionally agriculture with clear seasons, harvests and yields, forest farming is generally a longer term investment, but one with potentially higher values. Forest farming can also be a legacy endeavor of conserving forests, and a family's land well into the future. Communities An ever-growing group of communities now sees the need for community supported agriculture (CSAs), and forest farming is yet another opportunity for folks to come together to make plans, build visions and create these local, resilient and economically viable projects using forest farming and other agroforestry practices. Technical Services Though always high on the list of interests, non-timber forest products and forest farming assistance are generally limited and associated forest resource inventory and habitat management planning services scarce. However, markets for forest farmed products are evolving quickly and forest farming education and networking has increased in the past several years. Improving management services, education and outreach has never been more important. ​ What do forest farmers need? To develop the operational capacity needed to capitalize on emerging markets, forest farmers need technical, administrative, market sales, and state regulatory training and support related to production using forest grown verification, organic production, and best handling and processing practices. They also need access to extension and state agency personnel that are prepared to assist them with forest resource assessments and medicinal plant habitat management. Learn more and connect with other forest farmers in our community!

2024 Gather to Grow Forest Farming Conference A Conference to Honor the Past and Shape the Future of Forest Farming March 22 - 24th, 2024 Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, Virginia Thank you for an amazing 2024 Forest Farming Conference! Conference Summary 2024 Gather to Grow C onference Summary ​ Who: Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition What: 2024 Gather to Grow: A Conference to Honor the Past and Shape the Future of Forest Farming Where: Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, VA, USA When: March 22-24, 2024 ​ The Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition's (ABFFC) Gather to Grow multi day Forest Farming C onference will be held in Roanoke, Virginia from March 22-24, 2024 and feature learning, networking, and strategic planning programs that will shape the future of forest farming of woodland crops such as botanicals, mushrooms, and decorative products in Appalachia an d beyond. Keynote speakers, working group meetings and panels, field tours, expo, exhibitors, breakout presentations, flash t alks, a youth program, poster presenters, great food, socials, and a classic hotel in Appalachia are included. Reasonable prices and access by trains, planes, and automobiles make for a highly accessible event. Keynote Speaker: Olivia Watkins, Black Farmer Fund & Oliver's Agroforest Olivia Watkins is a social entrepreneur and impact investor. For the past eight years, she has financed, developed, and operated environmental and social impact projects across the US. She currently serves as a co-founder and President of Black Farmer Fund. She also serves as a board member for a Real Estate Investment Trust, Iroquois Valley, that has invested $100M into transitioning conventional farmla nd to organic farmland. Prior to founding Black Farmer Fund in 2017, Olivia worked in several farm production roles at Soul Fire Farm Institute and Kahumana Organic Farms and financial research analysis positions at Croa tan Institute and NC Idea, leveraging her environmental biology background to manage and grow environmentally regenerative and socially impactful business operations. Keynote Speaker: Jeanine Davis, NC State University Dr. Jeanine Davis is an associate professor and extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University. She is located at a research and extension center in western NC near Asheville. For over 30 years, she has researched medicinal herbs, forest farming, new crops, vegetables, and organic agriculture and shared her knowledge on these topics with farmers and gardeners across the country. Her current efforts are focused on native woodland botanicals, hops, truffles, organic vegetables, and hemp. She is the lead author of the book “Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and Other Wo odland Medicinals”. Jeanine and her family operate Our Tiny Farm where they raise and board mini-donkeys. Special thanks to Traditional Medicinals for sponsoring the Gather to Grow Keynote Speakers! Conference Media 2024 Forest Farming Conference: Gather to Grow Printable PDF Flier

​Proposed Work Long Term Goals Regional Toolkit Project Design ARC Alignment Project Activity Regional Activities Technical Initiatives Accelerating Forest Farming in Central Appalachia: Strengthening Market Connections and Collaboration for Long-Term Sector Impact and Sustainability ​ ​ Accelerating Forest Farming in Central Appalachia: Strengthening Market Connections and Collaboration for Long-Term Sector Impact and Sustainability” is a regional and multistate project designed to support continued expansion of the ABFFC work and prepare for ARISE implementation funding. The work will result in long-term transformational goals all critical to establishment of the Appalachian forest farmers as leaders in this global market. ​Proposed Work Long Term Goals ​Proposed Work – Planning into Implementation ​ The ARISE Project uses a multifaceted strategy to support Appalachian forest farmers, traditional wild harvesters who implement sustainable forest farming methods, and associated regional stakeholders. The planning work prepares for a five-year project to accelerate technical assistance, value-added market and technology development, sector capacity and efficiency initiatives, as well as efforts to raise industry investments and consumer awareness all of which underpin the economic viability of individual and collective business ventures across Central Appalachia and increase the long-term sustainability of a value-added NTFP supply chain. The project strengthens existing partnerships and programs in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Proposed programs and services will deliver a broad spectrum of market-centered opportunities for Appalachian residents and localities to transform a deeply rooted, traditional economic sector and create a sustainable platform for continued growth as the marketplace evolves. Planning will allow for an intensive focus on some of Appalachia’s most distressed communities, places where many individuals have knowledge of and experience with NTFPs but have long been poorly compensated for their efforts. Further, access to individuals in these communities can be challenging for a variety of reasons (lack of broadband, limits to enterprise development due to income challenges, despair factors linked to persistent poverty). The planning project will establish implementation methods and pathways to expand outreach, increase value-added trade, and encourage participation in a rising trend: just compensation and increased economic benefits for the citizens and communities where these natural resources thrive. This multistate project will touch 133 counties across Central Appalachia in seven states. ​ ​ ​ ​ Long Term Implementation Goals ​ ​ The work will result in long-term transformational goals all critical to establishment of the Appalachian forest farmers as leaders in this global market. Long-term transformational goals include: ​ Position Central Appalachia’s forest farming sector at the forefront of the region’s future bio-economy; Become the global marketing, processing, aggregation, and distribution model for sustainable forest farmed products; Capture an unprecedented share of local, regional, national, and international value-added forest farming markets; Develop an Appalachian forest farming brand recognized the world over; Ramp and revolutionize forest farming planting stock, seed sales, mycelium and spore production, and tree-tapping equipment enterprises; Elevate, coordinate, and connect forest farming tourism, cultural identity, and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives; Grow the number of financially sound forest farming businesses predicated on sustainable whole-forest management; Leverage and sustain highly successful ongoing technical training and assistance for forest farmers and technical service provider consultants; Increase the reach and impact of current forest farming business recruitment, public awareness, and workforce development programs through product placement, experiential and technical education, and community engagement and tourism initiatives; Expand market activity and the physical presence of medium- and large-scale forest farming dependent industries in Appalachia; Celebrate Appalachian forest farmers as ecosystem services stewards who protect land, water and air quality, climate,biodiversity, and other natural resources; and Spur the next phase of Appalachian forest farming in meaningful, impactful, and sustainable bioeconomic regional development. Regional Toolkit Intersecting the ARISE Regional Multistate Collaboration Toolkit Insights and Strategies Project Design Project Design Process and Figures Section ARC Alignment Project Activity Alignment with ARC Strategic Investment Goals and Objectives ​ Primary ARC Goal: Building Appalachian Businesses - Individual producers become small- and medium-sized business owners through technical assistance and participation in regional activities. Existing businesses (forest farming operations, primary buyers, nurseries, cottage businesses, tourism enterprise) expand revenue as supply chains grow and national and international investments increases. Secondary ARC Goals: Building Appalachia’s Workforce Ecosystem - By building and strengthening relationships, and coordinating and facilitating trainings, we will create an enabling environment for agroforestry to be a viable industry cluster for Central Appalachia. ​ Building Regional Culture and Tourism - Appalachia has a rich history of forested homesteading combined with use and celebration of our resilient and fecund forest commons. Build producer networks, NTFP markets, and connecting these with the broader tourism economy allows this rich history to take center stage in narratives about Appalachia, and in tourist experiences of Appalachia. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Project Activity Rationale, Framing, and Coordination ​ The following summary identifies key focus areas, informed by previous and ongoing work, specifically designed to address the need for additional resources and expansion of the ABFFC footprint for transformational sector growth. The impact of ABFFC initiatives to date is clear. Training and recruitment events are sold out, the number and scale of forest farms is growing, forest farming is increasingly celebrated in regional, national, and international media, communities in the region increasingly extol forest farming, and sector challenges and opportunities have led to on-the-ground solutions. Building on the coalition’s success requires additional investments to expand sector growth and sustainability. The number of potential forest farmers who seek assistance is on the rise in terms of enterprise development (such as start-up support and training) with potential to maximize returns on investments. They seek business diversification by incorporating NTFPs into their production systems and/or by participating in substantial public and private investments in climate-smart commodities as well as carbon sequestration and water quality trading income streams. The project is designed to maximize impact using known strengths of ABFFC partners to support specialized technical activities combined with partner organizations who bring standing networks and relationships along with deep knowledge of their respective landscapes and goals. Knowledge and skills are shared across the seven-state region with a neutral facilitator assisting in the equitable distribution of financial resources, project administration, and scheduling support. The framework for managing a balanced and broadly impactful project occurs across two simultaneous tracks: 1) sub-region baseline activities that continue producer recruitment and support, market connections and promotion, and sector sustainability; and, 2) region-wide technical initiatives that address existing bottlenecks identified over the course of the Coalition’s growth. Regional Activities Sub-region Baseline Activities ​ Local partner organizations oversee direct engagement and support in their particular areas of responsibility, known in this project as a sub-region (state, collection of counties). Baseline activities include providing technical assistance and training along with producer and entrepreneurial recruitment and outreach. Outreach and support activities also engage existing technical service providers to integrate agroforestry support services into existing land-use programs. As needed, the VT/ABFFC facilitator coordinates support by local or regional partners. Newer and longstanding partners are positioned to expand the ABFFC footprint and its role in continuing regional growth. This allows for provision of coalition-forged practices to a broad region. Further, because local partners best understand their networks and localities, community engagement and public awareness/education are delivered through them to realize proximal impacts supporting coherent multi-state goals and objectives. Local community engagement activities receive support through the neutral facilitator/lead applicant by connecting with communications and outreach professionals engaged in the project. These measures include an intentional focus on traditionally underserved communities (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, socially disadvantaged) based upon an ongoing financial producer support program funded by a private family foundation. To summarize, sub-region baseline activities include: Continuation of technical assistance and training, as well as ongoing market development Producer/business recruitment and outreach Community engagement and public awareness/education including direct engagement with local development district and locality leadership ​ ​ ​ Region-wide Technical Initiatives ​ Select partner organizations address specific challenges identified through ongoing work and prepare the cluster to accelerate regional and direct producer impact. Leadership assignments are based on specialized expertise and experience that chosen partner organizations possess and are informed by input from all partner organizations via technical topic committees. Initiative leaders are also responsible for advancing the state of knowledge in their respective technical specialties and distributing information along with documenting findings for distribution to all participants across the region. It is important to note that all technical leaders receive a high level of support from other organizations. Cooperative relationships exist through past and ongoing ABFFC efforts, allowing for efficient and effective launching of proposed work by virtue of ARISE investments. Technical activities have been identified as critical needs in order to advance the Appalachian agroforestry economic cluster toward a broadly coordinated and efficient regional NTFP sector: ​ Technical Initiatives

Forest Farming Glossary Common terms used in agroforestry and forest farming. ABFFC - Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition ​ AFFC - Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition (as of March 2024) ​ Agroforestry - agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits. Silvopasture, alley cropping, windbreaks, riparian buffers, and forest farming are agroforestry practices. ​ At-risk species - at-risk plant species are locally or broadly at risk of overharvest, environmental pressures or mis-management. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Botanical - relating to plants, botany. ​ Botanical name - latin binomial, scientific name ​ Business plan - a document setting out a business's future objectives and strategies for achieving them. Forest farms by necessity require diversity, planning and investment of time and resources. Business plans are highly recommended for income producing forest farms of all sizes. Most extensions have contacts or resources to help create generic business plans, but local and regional specialized input is very helpful. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Conservation - preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment and of wildlife. ​ Craft & Traditional Crafts - a skilled activity in which something is made in a traditional way with the hands rather than being produced by machines in a factory, or an object made by such an activity. Forest Farming provides several important craft goods and raw materials. ​ Cultivation - cultivation is the act of caring for or raising plants. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Dendrology - the scientific study of trees. ​ Diversity - (Ecological biodiversity) refers to the variations in the plant and animal species living together and connected by food chains and food webs. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Edible - fit or suitable to be eaten. ​ Ecology - the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. ​ Ecological community - An ecological community is defined as a group of species that are commonly found together. Ecological communities may be animal or plant assemblages with similar habitat requirements and contain species which may influence each other or rely on similar processes in their environment. ​ Endangered species - An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction. Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation. ​ Enterprise budget - Enterprise budgets assist in understanding the costs and returns of a production activity, identifying potential sources of risk, and evaluating alternatives. ​ Extirpation - the state or condition of having become locally or regionally extinct ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Forest canopy - In forest ecology, canopy refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms ​ Forest management - Forest management focuses on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health. Forest - A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. ​ Forester - Foresters ov ersee forest land, manage budgets, create plans for forestry projects, and supervise forest and conservation technicians and workers. ​ Forest farming - Forest farming is the cultivation of high-value crops under the protection of a managed tree canopy. ​ Food forest - A food forest, also called a forest garden, is a diverse planting of edible plants that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and patterns found in nature. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) - Appropriate production practices, careful harvesting, and proper storage, and transport all contribute to good produce quality after harvesting. ​ Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) - a system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. ​ Guild - In Permaculture, a guild is a grouping a plants, trees, animals, insects, and other components that work together to help ensure their health and productivity. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Herbivore - an animal that feeds on plants. ​ Harvest - the process or period of gathering in crops . In forest farming, several types of harvest occur including the traditional root harvest that usually takes place in autumn, leaf or flower harvest. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Indicator species - An indicator species is an organism whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition. ​ Indigenous - originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native. ​ Invasive species - An invasive or alien species is an introduced species to an environment that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Latin binomial - botanical name, i.e. American ginseng is Panax quinquifolius. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Medicinal plant - Medicinal plants can be defined as the plants that possess therapeutic properties or exert beneficial pharmacological effect on the human or animal body. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Nursery (botanical) - place where plants are grown for transplanting, for use as stock for budding and grafting, or for sale. ​ Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) - products that originate from trees or plant parts but are not derived from timber. ​ Native species - a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention"). ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Permaculture - an approach to land management and design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. ​ Poaching (plants)- plant poaching involves the illegal removal of plants and plant parts. RE: THEFT ​ Population - the number of plants in a given unit or area of land. ​ Post Harvest handling - In agriculture and agroforestry, postharvest handling is the stage of production immediately following harvest, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. ​ Predation (herbivory) - the action of species that browse/eat forest plants and crops, thereby damaging or removing plants. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Post Harvest recovery - the amount of time it takes a harvested population to recover from the removal of plant material. Restoration - actions to recreate and reinstate ecological processes, forest structure, ecological functioning and biodiversity levels towards those typical of a healthy forest ecosystem. ​ Riparian - relating to wetlands, adjacent to rivers, streams and springs. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Stewardship - a general approach to management that focuses on conservation, minimizing negative impacts and plans for the future. In forest farming, stewardship can apply to forest stewardship and species like ramps or American ginseng. ​ Silviculture - the growing and cultivation of trees. ​ Species - A biological species is a group of organisms that can reproduce with one another in nature and produce fertile offspring. In the context of forest farming, key species include dominant trees, non timber forest product species, indicator species as well as invasive species and pests. ​ Succession - is the orderly and predictable change in the dominant species of forest plants and their ecologies. ​ Security - protecting highly valuable forest farming crops (like American ginseng or goldenseal) or other non timber forest products from theft, poaching, destruction, etc. ​ Site Assessment - Evaluating the existing forest aspects and ecologies in order to understand what plantings and species might do well there. Usually the first step in forest farming operations. A thorough site assessment includes GIS mapping, terrain, direction, etc., as well as species inventory and seasonal observations. ​ Silvopasture - Silvopasture is the deliberate integration of trees and grazing livestock operations on the same land. ​ ------------------------------------------- Thinning - in forest farming this is usually thinning a forest area by felling/removing dead or diseased trees, lower quality species, or site preparation by the removal of understory or underbrush in order to allow more light to reach the forest floor. ​ Theft - illegal removal or harvest of wild, stewarded, cultivated or forest farmed species, NTFPs, materials from private or public lands. ​ Technical service provider - extension agents, organizations professionals and people who have been trained in best practices, safety and more. ​ Toxic - species which can cause external or internal harm if handled or ingested. Several forest farmed species have toxic look-alike species and must be identified or vouchered before harvesting for personal use or commercial harvest. Ramps (Allium tricoccum ) has a highly toxic look-alike species, false hellebore (Veratrum viride ), all parts of mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum ) are highly toxic to ingest. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Understory - The layer of small trees and shrubs between the highest canopy layer and the shrub and herb layers on the ground. ------------------------------------------- ​ Value Added Products (VAPs) - stand for V alue A dded P roducts, often processed end products with forest farming ingredients for wholesale or retail markets like blended teas, food products like ramp salts or jarred goods, or baskets made from white oak bark. ​ ------------------------------------------- ​ Watershed - A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet. ​ Woodland - land area covered with woody vegetation. ​ Wild simulated - a forest farming approach where forest farmers/growers introduce specific species into an ideal forested environment and then let it grow with little to no intervention, often for up to 10 or more years. This is the least disturbing approach ​ Wild/uncultivated - plants and plant populations that occur naturally in the wild without the assistance of humans. ​

Forest Farming Value Added Products This video series provides insights into various ways that non-timber forest products can be used to bring further value to the forest farmer. Forest botanical production can be taken a step further by processing different plant parts into medicines, creams, essential oils, salves, teas, and other value-added products. ​ Value Added Products Essential Oils Producers VAPs Value Added Products Many NTFPs can be processed for wholesale with Good Harvest Practices (GHPs) and sold directly to a buyer or aggregator, or they can be used to create Value Added Products (VAPs). These VAPs can often times raise the price point in a retail setting or reach different markets where you can fetch a premium price for a specialty product. ​ Creating VAPs with non timber forest products can be appealing to folks who already make those kinds of products, are already home buisnesses/small buisnesses, or want to diversify what they are already doing with forest farming. ​ Explore the page below to learn more about VAPs, and how they can take non timber forest products to a new level. Please be sure to explore our youtube channel , and if you have forest farming questions, you can ask them in our FB page or group , or attend an event for networking and hands-on learning. ​ Join us as we go behind the scenes to show a glimpse of where these herbal concoctions can be made, how different products are created, and what the business model is for each company we interviewed. Our hope is to provide a broad view behind the herbal products industry, from growing medicinal herbs in the forest as seen in our forest farming videos, to drying and post harvest handling, to finished products that incorporate these forest botanicals. EOs Essential Oils Producers Producers of Value Added Products

ABFFC Feedback Page Appalachianforestfarmers.org aims to be a perennial resource f or forest farmers of all experience levels. We value and welcome your feedback to help us improve this website and its resources. Website Feedback First Name Last Name Email Phone Message Submit

Forest Farming Questions Part of our free forest farming resource means having access to us, our community and our experts who can help you navigate the many resources available. Please browse through our Forest Farming FAQs, use our Question Form, or get in touch with one of our local service providers! ​ Forest Farming FAQ Questions Regional Resources Check out our ABFFC Facebook Group ! It's a great place to get started if you're new, with lots of current and experienced forest farmers from all over Appalachia! You can ask questions, post photos and learn about upcoming events or hands-on training in your area. FAQs Forest Farming FAQs Browse through some Frequently Asked Questions about Forest Farming, like how to get started, what you can grow (or is already growing in your forest), and how to get involved with your local forest farming community! Question Form General Forest Farming Questions ​ We encourage you to participate in the forest farming community , and ask questions in our FB group! There are lots of knowledgeable forest farmers, organizations and educators from all over the Appalachians and beyond, as well as regional and online events through the year . If you would like to ask us a general question about forest farming please fill out the form below and we will respond to you as soon as possible. SEND Thank you for reaching out! Someone from the ABFFC will be in touch with you soon! LOCAL Regional Experts & Technical Service Providers Our current list of technical service providers is found below, organized by state. Click on a state name to find service providers near you.