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Appalachian Forest
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- Forest Farming Intensive | ABFFC
September 17 - 18th, 2021 Join ABFFC and our partners Appalachian Sustainable Development in Duffield, Virginia to learn about forest farming - from propagation to processing. Forest Farming Intensive Propagation to Processing ~Event Resources~ Thank you for attending our Forest Farming Intensive! We hope you enjoyed the sessions and this corner of Virginia. Below you can find links to the video of Katherine Crane's talk and some Appalachian Harvest handouts. If you would like more information about Appalachian Sustainable Development you can find them online HERE . If you would like to receive emails about ABFFC workshops in 2022, please sign up here ! Keynote Video: Katheryn Crane of Mountain Rose Herbs Appalachian Harvest and ASD handouts: ASD Case Studies: Forest Farmers & Medicinal Herb Farmers AH Herb Hub Overview & Flyer AH Herb Hub Price Lists Katheryn Crane Keynote Speaker: Katheryn Crane of Mountain Rose Herbs Case Studies ASD Case Studies: Forest Farmers & Medicinal Herb Farmers Herb Hub AH Herb Hub Overview & Flyer Price Lists AH Herb Hub Price Lists
- SITEMAP | AFFC
Sitemap for AppalachianForestFarmers.org and resources ABFFC SITEMAP Home About ABFFC Calendar & Events Membership Resources Introduction to Forest Farming Forest Farming Publications Video Series NTFPs Video Series VAPs Ask an Expert Online Resources Centers & Facilities Forest Farming Community Initiatives AFFC - American Forest Farming Council POH - Point of Harvest Workforce Development Program Privacy Policy Site Map (You are Here)
- Forest Farming Questions | Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition
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 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.
- Wild Stewards Alliance | Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition
The Wild Stewards Alliance is a point-of-harvest initiative that offers free training on industry best practices, and certification to wild harvesters and dealers of woodland roots, barks, and herbs. WSA works with both producers and buyers. Wild Stewards Alliance The Wild Stewards Alliance is a point-of-harvest initiative that offers free training on industry best practices, and certification to wild harvesters and dealers of woodland roots, barks, and herbs. Our goals are to: Grow a trained and certified workforce of wild stewards to meet rising demand Create a sustainable supply chain of woodland botanicals for generations to come Ensure wild harvested botanicals meet top-quality standards Secure fair wages for certified producers to improve rural livelihoods Keep the deep-rooted traditions of wildcrafting alive in Appalachia From 2022-24, the Wild Stewards Alliance: trained and certified 108 wild harvesters and dealers in VA, TN and KY sold 856 pounds of woodland roots, barks, and herbs supplied certified botanicals to 9 buyers across the U.S. and Canada This initiative is currently being piloted by Virginia Tech and Appalachian Sustainable Development’s Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub in Central Appalachia. About WSA Producer Spotlight Past Trainings For Buyers For Producers Are you looking for forest roots, herbs, or barks that are high quality and sustainably harvested? The Wild Stewards Alliance is here to meet your needs! This network of certified producers is trained and inspected on industry best practices, to ensure top quality and to steward botanicals for future generations of harvesters. Benefits to You sustainable, ethical sourcing verified wild-stewarded supply high quality roots, barks and herbs access to a trained harvester network enhanced sourcing traceability reliable, one-stop shop for aggregated supply How it Works Advanced purchase orders for certified supply can be placed each winter with ASD’s Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub. Founded in 2017, ASD opened the very first Herb Hub in the country to provide the herbal industry with Appalachia’s highest quality botanicals, backed by top-notch customer service. To learn more about the order process, please visit ASD’s website below. Contact Our Sales Team: Katie Commender, Appalachian Sustainable Development: kcommender@asdevelop.org Order Process: Herb Hub Katie Commender (ASD) If you are a dealer or harvester of wild roots, herbs and barks who is interested in: learning more about the best ways to collect and prepare botanicals for market selling top quality roots, herbs and barks, and getting paid more for your efforts… then you may be a good fit for joining with our Wild Stewards Alliance! Our Certification Program trains you on: plant identification propagation and stewardship sustainable harvest post-harvest handling storage & processing Benefits of becoming certified: top pay for top quality and stewardship plant resources are sustained for generations to come industry recognition and voice participation in a member-led group access to a like-minded community for networking and opportunity increased land access How it Works The Wild Stewards Alliance works with existing dealers and their harvester network to increase membership and sales of certified material. Member dealers and harvesters receive professional training to ensure only the best materials reach Wild Stewards Alliance customers. Trained and certified dealers and harvesters receive top dollar for certified material marketed through the Wild Stewards Alliance network. Would you like to get certified as a Wild Stewards Alliance dealer? Step 1: Contact us today (contact info below)! Step 2: Arrange a Wild Stewards Alliance training session with your harvester network Step 3: Get certified Would you like to get certified as a Wild Stewards Alliance wild harvester? Step 1: Contact your nearest Wild Stewards Alliance dealer Step 2: Attend a training S tep 3: Get certified Contact Our Training Team Robin Suggs, Appalachian Sustainable Development: rsuggs@asdevelop.org John Munsell, Virginia Tech: jfmunsel@vt.edu Point of Harvest Price List (printbale pdf) Wild Stewards Alliance Standards Agreement Robin Suggs (ASD) John Munsell (VT) Wild Stewards Alliance: Producer Spotlight Donnie and Carol, wild herb harvesters from east KY, attended the very first Wild Stewards Alliance training in 2022 to learn about safety, plant identification, sustainable harvesting, processing, storage, and more. They became the very first stewards to get certified. Carol, a 3rd generation wild harvester, praises the Wild Stewards Alliance for deepening her understanding of the importance of sustainability, saying it taught them "how to preserve, how to save." After the training, Carol is happy to now pass that knowledge on. "It's not what you take, it's what you leave behind. Be good to nature, and nature will be good to you." Wild Stewards Alliance Program Trainings
- Technical Service Providers | AFFC
Technical Service Providers In June 2021, the West Virginia Forest Farming Initiative, in partnership with Appalachian Beginning Forest Farming Coalition, hosted an online training for Technical Service Providers called, Forest Farming Training for Natural Resource Professionals: Capacity for Landowner Assistance. Below are the links to the recorded sessions and pre-recorded videos that were part of the training. Forest Farming 101: Introduction to Growing & Marketing Non-Timber Forest Products 51 minutes - Instructor: Tanner Filyaw* This presentation provides an introductory overview of common forest farming methods, as well as market options for producers. Commonly Produced Forest Botanicals 40 minutes - Instructor: Robin Suggs** In this presentation we explore some of the more commonly produced eastern North American NTFPs used in the botanical trade. Topics include general range, site and habitat requirements along with information regarding their chief uses and markets. Introduction to Site Assessment & Evaluation 60 minutes - Instructor: Tanner Filyaw* This presentation will provide a more in depth discussion of site selection and evaluation, and compare and contrasts potential production sites using photographs and habitat characteristics. Site Assessment Video Tour 10 minutes - Instructors: Tanner Filyaw* & Robin Suggs** @ The Yew Mountain Center This video provides an on the ground perspective of the site selection and evaluation process, including identifying and discussing site conditions as they relate to the production of forest botanicals. Forest Farming in Practice 35 minutes - Instructor: Katie Commender** and Kate MacFarland~ This presentation helps put forest farming into practice and content for natural resource providers. It highlights how forest farming meets the needs and interests of forest landowners, how it addresses natural resource concerns, and even hot it ties into state forestry action plans and federal cost-share programs, like NRCS's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Instructor Affiliations *Tanner was with Rural Action when these videos were made. He is currently with United Plant Savers . **Robin and Katie are with Appalachian Sustainable Development. ~Kate MacFarland is with the USDA National Agroforestry Center .
- Digital Tools | AFFC
Forest Farming Digital Tools and Resources Page under construction - check back soon. In addition to field based Forest Farming Site Assessments , there are several freely available resources that range from essential documentation to complementary resources and information for forest farmers. Collecting information from these sources can provide a digital x-ray, more or less, of a forest site and sometimes, even its history as well. Highly recommended basic documentation for Forest Farmers/landowners Not only are the following documents invaluable for site assessments and planning, but they also provide important documentation for record keeping, business planning and legal purposes, if needed. 1. Basic property maps These can come from many sources. It is recommended to keep at least one original copy, but duplicates can be with labeled with helpful information like: adjoining property owners, roads, structures, trails, forest farming areas or future areas of interest, etc. If available, zoomed maps of specific areas can be helpful for mapping current and future forest farming plans. and/or 2. Geographical Information System (GIS) imagery/maps All US counties have access to geographic information systems. The disclaimer is that GIS information and mapping is not, nor should be considered a professional survey in any way. Finding some time to explore the online GIS is very much worth it. In addition to several basemaps (road, satellite and historical), there are also measurement tools, and many other useful layers including named roads, terrain contours, creeks, waterways and more. Through not 100% accurate, this free online tool is invaluable for forest farmers that want to familiarize themselves with their parcel, make plans and print detailed maps. How to find a property on GIS? Computer (not mobile) search for "county, state + GIS". Click to enter the site, go to the map section and search by address or owner name. Resources that are complementary to field-based assessments: (from the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition Site Assessment Worksheet ) PlantShoe This is a site assessment tool developed by Virginia Tech that will produce a property report based on spatial datasets resulting from broad environmental analysis efforts conducted by organizations like USGS. It is important to recognize that the information produced in these reports can be useful but is limited to the accuracy and availability of underlying data. Therefore, this tool should only be used to compliment field-based observations. NRCS Web Soil Survey This website can be used to collect baseline soil information regarding the different soil classifications on your site. You will be able to draw a polygon around your area of interest and find out valuable information about the underlying soils of that area. Google Earth Google Earth is a free and user-friendly way to acquire basic topographical information about your site. This is useful when working to narrow down potential forest farming sites within a large area. For example, if you have 50 acres of land and want to find the single best acre to forest farm, you could use Google Earth to identify the ideally sloped areas (5-20% slope) that are facing either north or east on your property. This will narrow down your options so you can more accurately and efficiently target your in-field assessments. Here is a short video showing how to make an elevation profile of a path in Google Earth, which will tell you the % slope of an area: Google Earth Elevation Path Demo Here is a video showing how to find the aspect of a slope as well as how to see how much sunshine different parts of a landscape receive throughout the day: Google Earth Aspect and Sunlight Demo Aerial photos Most states in the Northeast have programs that have been taking landscape level aerial photographs since at least the mid-1900s. This can be useful in seeing if the areas you are interested in forest farming have had large-scale disturbances like logging or major windstorms in the past. This can help you better understand if the present-day conditions you are seeing on the ground arose from underlying site conditions (like geology) or land use history (like forest management). Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition Site Assessment Worksheet
- Online Resources | Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition
These online resources cover information, compliance and training that can help you build your forest farming project into a productive side income or into a full-on viable business. Forest Farming Online Resources & Training These online resources cover information, compliance and training that can help you build your forest farming project into a productive side income or into a full-on viable business. From alternative crops, to "Good Manufacturing Practice", to hands-on training and grant resources, each topic is important to understand in order to get a full picture of what is required to create a successful forest farm business. Forest Farming Webinars Non-timber Forest Product 2014 Webinar Series From Ginseng to Mushrooms: Goodies from your Woods Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied New Forest Farming Resources! Virtual Resources and Videos Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program VFLEP on YouTube Channel ForestHer NC Youtube Channel Legacy Planning Regional Groups West Virginia Forest Farming Initiative FDA " Small Entity Compliance Guide: Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements" - DEC 2010 American Herbal Product Association Good Agricultural and Collection Practices Northern Region New England Extension Food Safety Consortium Training and Education opportunities in the NE Penn State Extension Food Safety, Food Entrepreneurs courses and resources Southern Region NC Alternative Crops & Organics Program Jeanine Davis, NC Extension, Non-timber Forest Products, Ramps, Medicinal Herbs publications and videos. Bionetwork Continuing Education Small Business Technology Development Center Business planning and economic resources for Natural Products small businesses
- Site Assesment | AFFC
Forest Farming Site Assessment Page under construction - check back soon. What is a site assessment? A site assessment is a guided walkthrough of many aspects of a potential forest farming site, from general, fixed elements (like exposure and slope) to existing tree and plant species and other details. Site assessments are an important tool as they help identify overall health, assets and advantages as well as challenges and limitations. All of these factors put together help to paint a picture of available options, practices, compatible species and long term objectives, and can be invaluable to forest farmers. Why assess a forest site? Site assessment can help forest farmers explore several factors regarding a specific site, as well as potential suitability for growing certain forest botanicals. While there are helpful online assessment tools, they are mapping and data based and therefore no substitute for quality field based site assessments. In order to be most effective, basic documentation like property maps are needed, as well as being at the site during the growing season (mid spring through mid autumn) and taking a hard copy of the assessment to fill out. This improves the chances of accurate observations of forest health, current conditions and species during the growing season. In addition to having fixed aspects like site type, direction, exposure and slope, every forest is also an ever changing mosaic of tree and species succession, wildlife, understory changes and varying plant composition and competition. For the most part, healthy forests naturally support plenty of biodiversity which is generally favorable to forest farming, but the challenge most often faced by potential and new forest farmers is not the habitat itself, but: a) learning to work with the forest, because every place is different, b) selecting ideal species for their habitat c) finding the right balance of existing conditions and practices for success d) long term planning of goals and objectives What is a site assessment? Click the button below to read, download or print the Northeast Forest Farming Coalition Site Assessment Tool. The video below is an Introduction for Site Assessment Evaluation. Topography Hydrology Vegetative Composition -Woody indicator species -Dominant tree species -Herbaceous indicator species -Dominant Understory Plants Shade Level Estimates Soil and Site Surface Site Accessibility vs. Security Northeast Forest Farming Coalition Site Assesment
- 2024 Forest Farming Conference | ABFFC
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
- OFFICE HOURS | AFFC
Join us for Forest Farming Office Hours, where we meets by zoom to discuss forest farming topics and updates. AFFC's Forest Farming Office Hours 2025 Join the Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition and NC State University Extension for Q & A, resources, and conversation about forest farming. All regions and experience levels are welcome. All Forest Farming Office Hours take place on ZOOM on designated Fridays from 12 noon to 1:30 pm EST. We realize that some may not be able to attend a lunch session so we invite you to look through our meeting notes, links and resources, as well as bring your questions to our Forest Farming group on FB . These zoom sessions are not recorded. Forest Farming Office Hours Email List This is email list sends FFOH announcements, registration links, and reminders, and is separate from the AFFC general mailing list. Forest Farming Office Hours Winter 2025 Friday, February 14, 2025 12:00 - 1:30 PM EST Friday, March 7, 2025 * 12:00 - 1:30 PM EST/ 11:00 - 12:30 PM CST *Joint Office Hours with Midwest Forest Farmers Coalition Forest Farming Office Hours Spring 2025 Friday, April 4th, 2025 12:00 - 1:30 PM EST Friday, May 9th, 2025 12:00 - 1:30 PM EST Meeting Agenda 1. Welcome 2. Short Introductions (Name, region, topic) 3. Seasonal Forest Farming Discussion 4. Q&A 5. Resources & Events 6. End at 1:30pm Northeast Forest Farming Coalition Events Midwest Forest Farming Coalition Events Past Office Hours (2022 - 2024)
- Glossary | AFFC
Forest Farming Glossary Common terms used in forest farming and agroforestry. 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 widely recognized examples of 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 three main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation or outright removal. 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 oversee 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. Post Harvest recovery - the amount of time it takes a harvested population to recover from the removal of plant material. Predation (herbivory) - the action of species that browse/eat forest plants and crops, thereby damaging or removing plants. ------------------------------------------- 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.
- Resources | Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition
Part of the coalition's mission is to create and host a "clearinghouse" of forest farming resources. These resources are free and available to the public. Forest Farming Resources Page under construction - check back soon for more information. Since 2014, one of the primary missions of the Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition has been to create, host and maintain a clearinghouse of forest farming information and resources, in order to help future, beginning and current forest farmers across the region. Since that time, attention and interest in forest farming has grown, as have the groups, resources, events and available information. The resources on this website focus on eastern forests, local native forest botanicals and well established forest farming practices of this region. That being said, many folks outside of the Appalachians also want to learn more about local species and try to grow them in other temperate regions. The AFFC welcomes and supports knowledge sharing and exchange, while acknowledging that research and local expertise is always necessary. Note: These resources are freely available to the public, and can be found or requested from their respective publishers. While these resources have been created for, or curated here on the AFFC website for the benefit of the forest farming community, all resources are used with permission and credit goes to the individual authors and original publishers. Forest Farming Resource Directory 2025 Forest Farming Office Hours Virtual and informal lunchtime discussions about forest farming topics, Q&A and more. Forest Farming in Focus Webinars Series An in-depth look at forest farming practices and species as presented by AFFC & Partners. Forest Farming Video Library Our YouTube channel @farmingforests is home to over 200 forest farming videos. Forest Farming Footnotes Now on the 20th edition, this biannual newsletter highlights AFFC happenings, partners and events throughout the year. Forest Farming Glossary This glossary is an overview of forest farming terms, definitions and concept overviews for forest farming and associated practices. Introduction to Forest Farming New to forest farming or wondering how and where to start? Start here! Non Timber Forest Products Introduction and examples of non timber forest products often called NTFPs for short. Value Added Products in Forest Farming Introduction and examples of value added products from forest products Forest Farming Publications Books, websites, papers and more publication about forest farming in Appalachia. Post Disaster Resources Response and resources for forest farmers across the Southeast that are affected by Hurricane Helene in September 2024 and future community support framework.