Featured Publication

Working Trees Info Sheet — What is forest farming?

Working Trees Info Sheet highlights the benefits and issues that Forest Farming can address or provide. It's the latest NAC product with more to come in the future.

Featured Presentation

Forest Farming — An Agroforestry Practice

This presentation provides an overview of Forest Farming, one of the five recognized agroforestry
practices in the U.S. (22 slides)

Forest Farming

Forest Farming

Forest farming is the cultivation of high-value specialty crops under the protection of a forest canopy that has been modified to provide the correct shade level. Crops like ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, and decorative ferns are sold for medicinal, culinary, and ornamental uses. Forest farming provides income while high-quality trees are being grown for wood products.

Related Publications

En Español

Forest Farming - Ask an Expert

The eXtension forest farming community shares information about growing and selling high-value non-timber forest products. Members are from across the country and have experience farming and studying edible, medicinal, decorative, and craft-based products in woodlands. The community provides woodland owners and managers with information about startup, best practices, and markets, and policies.

Portable Document Format

To view PDFs (Portable Document Format), please download Adobe's free Reader software if you do not already have it.

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About Agroforestry

Agroforestry intentionally combines agriculture and forestry to create integrated and sustainable land-use systems. Agroforestry takes advantage of the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock. Agroforestry practices include:

Agroforestry Practices

About the NAC

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) had its origins in the 1990 Farm Bill. It began as a Forest Service Research and State & Private Forestry effort in 1992 and expanded into a partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 1995. It is administered by the Forest Service's, Washington, DC, Office of Research and Development. NAC offices are located in Lincoln, Nebraska and Blacksburg, Virginia.

NAC accelerates the application of agroforestry through a national network of partners. Together, we conduct research, develop technologies and tools, coordinate demonstrations and training, and provide useful information to natural resource professionals.

About Working Trees

The right trees planted in the right places for the right reasons can add value to land-use systems. That's the Working Trees message that helps natural resource professionals, community leaders, and landowners identify with the concept of agroforestry. NAC uses the Working Trees theme to promote the development of sustainable agriculture and communities.

Working Trees Brochures

 

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