Expanding Guidance for Site Selection for Forest Farming Crops in New England

Commodities

• Additional Plants: ginseng, herbs, native plants

Practices

• Crop Production: agroforestry, forest farming
• Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research
• Sustainable Communities: urban agriculture

Project Focus: The proposed project engages with farmers across New England, specifically targeting beginning forest farmers and urban farmers. Forest farming, a practice that involves cultivating crops under a forest canopy, is an expanding practice in New England. The farming community has expressed a strong interest in forest farming as evidenced by the rapid growth of the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition (NFFC), which has grown to over 800 members in just three years. However, farmers face significant challenges due to the lack of region-specific guidelines for selecting appropriate planting sites. Current guidelines, developed primarily for different climatic and edaphic conditions, do not adequately address the unique conditions in the Northeast. This knowledge gap has been identified by farmers as the greatest barrier to adopting forest farming practices. The need for this project stems from the farmers’ desire for reliable data to guide site selection for high-value medicinal crops such as ginseng, goldenseal, and bloodroot, which can provide substantial economic benefits and diversify their income streams.

Solution and Approach: The project aims to fill the knowledge void by systematically evaluating the feasibility and productivity of forest farming in New England by examining the feasibility of utilizing second-growth and urban forest as planting sites for three high-value forest farmed crops (ginseng, bloodroot, goldenseal). The research strategy involves collaborating with farmers to identify and select diverse forest sites across New England and will focus on two main questions: Q1: Whether "indicator species" can successfully guide site selection in second-growth forests, and Q2: Whether "degraded" forests, including urban fragments, can support the cultivation of forest farming crops.

For Q1, the research will compare establishment success and yield in plots with and without indicator species by planting identical replicates of ginseng, goldenseal, and bloodroot in each. For Q2, the study will test different management intensities (control, seeding only, medium intervention, and high intervention) on "degraded" sites to determine the best practices for establishing forest farming on urban farms and fragmented farm woodlots. Engaging farmers in both the research and dissemination phases, the project will provide practical, region-specific guidelines for site selection, thus empowering farmers to make informed decisions on establishing and expanding their forest farming operations.

Research outcomes will be shared through various channels, including peer-reviewed publications, farmer-friendly summaries, workshops, and webinars, ensuring broad accessibility and applicability. By addressing the critical site-selection challenge and providing actionable insights, this project will support the adoption of forest farming practices, promoting ecological resilience and economic sustainability among northeastern farmers

Interest in forest farming in New England is expanding rapidly, and farmers are looking for guidance on establishing these crops. This study will fill a knowledge void by identifying and examining feasibility and productivity of appropriate sites for establishing high value medicinal forest farming crops (e.g., ginseng, goldenseal, bloodroot). We will provide quantitative comparative assessments of viability of different sites and land for forest farming operations not included in current guidance. These new data will give northeast farmers critical site-selection guidance as they choose sites for these crops, which can diversify their marketable products and add an additional income stream.