The last agroforestry practice for this series is forest farming, i.e. growing crops in the woods. Forest farming makes use of a multilayered woodland to produce specialty crops that cannot survive in simplified environments like a typical garden or farm field. No matter what your woods currently looks like, forest farming offers a lot of […]
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Tag: non-timber forest products
Riparian buffers – Agroforestry for any property
Wisconsin private landowners care for over 10 million acres of woodlands that are critical to protecting watersheds across the state. Do you know what watershed your land is in? If not, SEE HERE. A watershed is an area of land that drains rainfall to a common outlet. In Wisconsin, the common outlet we all share […]
Spring Wildflowers and Edibles
It almost seems a little late to be doing a spring wildflower article, but I’m reminded that it really is still early spring when I walk in the woods around central Wisconsin. There is something wonderful about seeing the color, sometimes poking through the snow. The green of spring is refreshing, but the yellow of […]
An introduction to hazelnuts in Wisconsin
In past blog entries, we discussed both agroforestry and non-timber forest products. This month, we’ll spend a little time combining the two with an introduction to hazelnuts. Anyone who has had the pleasure of harvesting wild hazelnuts, and adding them to baked goods, knows how tasty these nuts are. They are even tastier in Nutella, […]
An introduction to agroforestry
In an earlier post, I introduced the concept of agroforestry. In this post, I will expand on what agroforestry is, and how it is being used here in Wisconsin. Although this post may seem very agricultural centered, I should point out a few things. One, many woodlots are associated with farmsteads, and are not seen […]
Non-timber Forest Products: Part III Mushrooms
It may be helpful to understand the ecology of mushrooms before you get started hunting your own, or even growing them. A mushroom itself is a fruiting body, kind of like the acorn of an oak tree. The fungi itself (the tree trunk) is often hidden from our eyes either in the soil or the […]
Non-timber Forest Products: Part II Seeds and Boughs
Just this past week, I saw a local florist advertising that they are now purchasing boughs (or branches from conifer trees). In fact, nationwide, the most frequently sold NTFP is boughs. The most common use for boughs is of course wreaths. Other uses include garland, floral arrangements and producing aromatic oils. Luckily for those of […]
Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)
As forestry educators, we often focus on timber sales (we want them to go well after all), but there are many more goods that can be harvested from woodlands for recreational or financial reasons. These goods are usually called non-timber forest products (NTFPs), which although states what they aren’t, does a good job of indicating […]