Farming the Forest published in the Fall-Winter Woodlander

Agroforestry is a bit out of the ordinary, even for me. Having worked in conventional agriculture for most of a long career, I had not been exposed to it at all. Experiences with Small Farm Canada magazine and looking for opportunity for our own woodlands, has rectified that and I am excited by the possibilities. In this article I will discuss three agroforestry possibilities that are quite diverse – silvopasture and silvoarable systems and seasonal greens. 

Old literature and old ideas are sometimes surprising. In 1953, in a handbook called Woodlots on Ontario Farms, woodlands were often overlooked for management due to “economic problems.” The pay-off in terms of time spent just could not measure up to field crops being farmed with big machinery. This mindset continued into the eighties, when the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and a slightly bigger emphasis on management of the woodlot by farmers occurred, with recognition of indirect benefits including a form of self-insurance in case of commercial crop failure, the benefits of crop cover for sub-marginal land and to generally increase property value (improved aesthetics). 

Why the look back? I am a firm believer that history can help show us the way forward. Agroforesty systems have been used for millennia, as intensively managed symbiotic systems that can yield on multiple levels. Tree nuts in the canopy, fruit bearing bushes and vines mid-level, poultry on the forest floor and herbs like wild ginseng and bloodroot below ground. The intensity of forest farming can vary depending on the producer’s goals, available markets, processing, and the location. Expert opinions do stress the applicability of agroforestry to smaller operations.