Forest Farming: A Climate Smart Practice

Forest Farming: A Climate Smart Practice

Join us at Smokey House Center for a field session on forest farming - a USDA-recognized agroforestry practice that involves cultivating and stewarding shade-tolerant non-timber forest products in the forest understory. Learn the fundamentals of forest farming such as site selection, species selection, and different production models while we visit different sites across Smokey House's property. We'll also discuss how forest farming can fit into broader forest management strategies to increase economic and ecological resilience as part of a diversified forest and farm planning.

Learning Aims: This workshop will improve your knowledge of forest farming principles and increase your familiarity with different production practices as well as providing you with a handy site assessment tool to take home. The session will also enable knowledge sharing and group inquiry about how we can meet climate mitigation and resilient goals for working forests and farms.

Who should come? Foresters, beginning and experienced forest farmers, forest and farm owners and managers, agricultural and forestry service providers including NRCS staff, Extension, and others working with climate smart practices. To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this session, please contact leila.larosa@uvm.edu at least two weeks before the event so that we may assist you. Through SAF, 2.5 category 1 continuing forester education (CFE) credits are approved.

Trainers & Partners Walker Cammack, Program Director, Smokey House Center and Co-Director, Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition, will lead the tour of forest farming research and demonstration plots set up across Smokey House’s 5,000 acre property.

Ali Kosiba, UVM Extension Forester, will talk about how forest farming can be integrated into broader forest management plans and strategies.

Suzy Hodgson, UVM Extension and USDA NE Climate Hub will provide a climate smart context for understanding climate mitigation and diversification opportunities as well as some of the risks.

Meghan Giroux, Interlace Commons, will speak to current funding from NRCS that supports forest farming.

Michael Fernandez, Bennington County Conservation District, will share how conservation districts can support practices.

This Climate Learning workshop is free and refreshments will be provided.

Carpooling Please contact any of the partners for carpooling opportunities and check https://carpoolorganiser.com/ where we will post carpooling offers soon.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2023-70027-40447.