(Future from page 1) ———

get to what they were envisioning.
Finally, he asked them to identify one
thing that they could do once they got
back home to make those steps happen.

Some of the participants saw a
continuation of the environmental
degredation currently taking place
because of a lack of long-term perspec-
tive and limited funding for
conservation programs. But, a consensus
was that agencies, organizations, and
individuals need to work together.
Many saw a need for landowner and
farmers to take more personal responsi-
bility. There was a desire to plan
workshops and programs to educate and
accelerate the flow of information about
agroforestry with realistic expectations
for change, especially with a global
context of ideas. And, finally a popular
response was the setting of specific
goals about changing personal lifestyles
and a desire to better hometown
communities by taking personal respon-
sibility.

If we can just see ourselves taking
this personal responsibility and taking
steps to move toward a more sustain-
able future, it will happen. How about
making a new year’s resolution to do
just one positive thing that might help
us reach our goal. We, at the
Agroforestry Center, are hoping that
information from the 1994 Agroforestry
Symposium reflect a year of positive
change. Have a wonderful 1995!

‘Source: Trees, Prairies, and People ~ Tree
Planting in the Plains States by Wilmon H. Droze,
197.

(2025 from page 1)
unchanged, science and technology
may not be able to prevent either
irreversible degradation of the environ-
ment or continued poverty for much
of the world.”'This is a sobering
statement. It puts the burden of land
stewardship in the hands of its
occupants — us.

To meet the challenges of the
future we must design and implement
environmentally sustainable strategies.
A vital component of any strategic
plan should include agroforestry.
Agroforestry — integrating trees and
shrubs into agricultural land-use
systems to provide tree products and
to protect, conserve, diversify, and
sustain vital economic, environmental,
human, and natural resources —
combines production and conservation
forestry practices. It puts trees to
work.

Agroforestry systems can assume
various design configurations to meet
individual objectives and goals. To
illustrate. this, visualize a parcel of
land somewhere in the western United
States. This acreage is predominantly
covered with grass and has a cold-
water trout stream winding its way
through the landscape. The landowner
wants to build a house, several out
buildings, and start a small cattle
operation. With a genuine concern to
be environmentally correct, what
conservation and production forestry
technologies should this person em-
ploy? The answer includes agroforestry.

To illustrate this, agroforestry
technologies applicable to this particu-

Honeylocust Agroforestry Scenario

While honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.) has several potential uses
in agroforestry, the most promising is as a pasture fodder tree. Honeylocust
produces pods which can provide animal feed during autumn and winter
when pasture grass production declines. Livestock may harvest the pods
directly from under the trees, minimizing harvesting and processing costs.
Using tree protectors and/or electric fences, honeylocust orchards can be

established in operating pastures and hayfields, permiting cash flows from
livestock sales to continue while the trees mature. Pods have a nutritional
value between oats and barley, depending on the cultivar, growing condi-
tions, and location. Because sheep can digest the honeylocust seed and
require less expensive tree protection, they offer a better fit with
silvopastoral honeylocust than cattle or hogs. Economic evaluations of
silvopastoral honeylocust indicate internal rates of return of 9 percent to 25
percent, depending on a variety of cost and production assumptions.
Although not easily quantified, additional benefits include reduction of

water runoff and topsoil erosion, shade for livestock, a productive pollen

and nectar source for bees, a more diversified and aesthetically pleasing

pasture environment, and lumber or fuelwood upon project termination.
Source: Honeylocust Research Group Newsletter, March 1994

lar scenario could include: trees strate-
gically planted to create an outdoor
living barn for livestock to protect and
increase animal health, lower feed costs,
and increase financial returns; riparian
buffer systems to protect water quality
and maintain integrity of the fishery;
farmstead windbreaks to reduce home
heating and cooling costs (15 to 25
percent savings); living snowfences to
increase hay production and protect the
farmstead, livestock, and farm to marke
roads; and block plantings on marginal
land areas for production of forest
products and wildlife habitat. Now, this
brief description of potential
agroforestry applications is by no means
definitive, but it represents some of the
many ways agroforestry can be applied.

Communities can benefit from
agroforestry technologies as well.
Adapting rural agroforestry systems to
fit the urban landscape is very doable.
Trees and shrubs will provide the same
conservation benefits in urban settings
as they do in rural areas. The rural-
urban interface, in particular, is an
excellent location for applying
agroforestry technologies. All that is
required is a little creative thinking and
a desire to improve the environment.

There are many ways to put trees to
work in any urban landscape. For
example, buffer systems will sequester
chemicals carried in surface and
subsurface runoff to improve water
quality. Working trees can serve as
living snowfences to protect emergency
routes, major roads and highways, and
reduce snow removal and maintenance
costs (they cost about one-third that of
slatted or manufactured board fences).
Working trees, properly designed and
located, have many other functions too.
They provide wildlife habitat, screen
unsightly industrial areas, serve as
sound barriers along busy roadways,
block wind around recreational areas,
and reduce energy consumption by
shading buildings, roads, and parking
lots. You can find trees at work most
everywhere you look!

Agroforestry technologies can easily
be a component of any strategy to
maintain ecosystem health. The applica-
tion of agroforestry to both rural and
urban ecosystems provides a foundation
for sustainable development. Natural
resource managers, researchers, teachers,
parents, organizations, special interest
groups, and any person with any desire
to improve the world can apply
agroforestry practices and put trees to
work for tomorrow's agriculture and
tomorrow's communities.

"Source: State of the World by Lester R. Brown,
1993.

Inside Agroforestry 5


It's Soil Bioengineering to the Rescue!

Streambank erosion is a serious threat to land along
many streams and rivers and to reservoirs downstream.
Eroded bank materials are eventually deposited into lakes
and reservoirs and water quality can be adversely affected.
Streambank erosion is an old problem that continues to grow
in severity. For centuries, creeks and streams meandered
through the countryside gently shaping and reshaping the
landscape. But in recent years, many have turned into raging
torrents capable of destroying property and people’s lives.
But, not to worry...soil bioengineering will save the day!
Don Roseboom, Professional Scientist for the Office of
Water Quality Management, Illinois State Water Survey in
Peoria, Illinois is doing all that he can to help alleviate this
problem. He, along with several others, are at the forefront
of the soil bioengineering movement. Don’s specialty is in
what is called the willow-post method, which was actually
developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's.

Soil Bioengineering combines biological elements with
engineering design principles to create environmentally
sensitive solutions to both upland slope protection and
streambank stabilization. It’s an applied science that utilizes
woody species that can root from cuttings to create a living
structure. Initially, the arrangement of the cuttings provides
mechanical protection for the soil. As plants grow, the roots
reinforce the soil, and other species invade to create a self-
sustaining community. The willow-post method simply uses
cut willow trees to accomplish this (cuttings can be as large
as two to six inches in diameter and six to 10 foot long).

Why willow posts? Project research was done on many
different species and willow was found to have, by far, the
most viability. It’s not only a pioneer species, but it’s found
almost everywhere in the United States. Willow cuttings are
low maintenance and easily establish themselves in heavily
eroded areas, quickly stabilizing the site, thus allowing other
species to take root. Traditional bioengineering methods cost
$50 to $200 per foot, while the willow-post method can be
installed for just $7 to $15 per foot. The willow-post
method remains inexpensive because most landowners can

at . .
Don (in water) and Kris Irwin, Agroforestry Center, discuss stream dynamics in order to
determine an appropriate project site for a workshop that the Agroforestry Center held in
Halsey, Nebraska in October, 1994.

4 Inside Agroforestry

locate and cut their own willows from nearby stands and
bring them to the site, which helps to keep the cost of
materials down. Combining the low installation cost with
cost-share programs such as SIP and ACP keeps the willow-
post method affordable and attractive to landowners.

According to Roseboom, soil bioengineering is actually
more of an artform than a science. It’s principals are carried
over from other procedures dating back to Europe and the
1800's. Even Indian tribes built “living fences” in flood
plains to maximize deposition. It was in the early 1900's
that we got away from these techniques and turned towards
using concrete and metal structures that are so common
today. Fortunately, traditional soil bioengineering is making a
comeback.

Early in the 70’s Roseboom got his start in bioengineer-
ing from retired Phoenix, Arizona Soil Conservation Service
forester John York. Prior to this, Roseboom spent his time
installing tree revetment projects, monitoring channel erosion,
and researching different techniques to improve streambanks.
The goal was always to find the most economical, environ-
mentally sensitive, and effective means to control erosion.
This led him to soil bioengineering and the willow-post
method.

Roseboom has since installed over 20 demonstration
projects and many workshop site projects throughout fllinois
and the Midwest. The demonstration sites help to educate
people about different bioengineering techniques and how
they can protect and improve a severely eroded area. In
recent years, he’s shifted away from the installation portion
of the practice and has become more active in education. He
believes in “training the trainer” and spends about 40 percent
of his time teaching streambank stabilization training work-
shops. Last year, Roseboom was involved with 15 workshops
throughout the United States and Canada. He found out early
that most people don’t read scientific reports so he’s spent
many hours putting together educational materials, including
videos and color brochures, that workshop participants can
use after their training to assist them in educating landown-
ers, co-workers, and the general public. Roseboom
feels that educating more natural resource profession-
als about soil bioengineering, combined with their
. knowledge of the land, the stream, and most impor-
tantly, the landowners will improve the quality of the
project and keep costs down. Roseboom gages the
success of his workshops by if a project was in-
stalled better and for less cost by workshop
participants than it would have been if he had done
it himself. Roseboom continues to hold workshops,
but is broading his scope of interest and is now
researching bioengineering techniques for lake shore-
line erosion problems and gully/ravine erosion.

As for the future of soil bioengineering, Roseboom
feels that if we can make it more economical, and
further improve the environmental benefits, “the
engine will drive itself, we'll just need to get out of
the way.”

Much of the credit for giving soil bioengineering
a new start and honing the knowledge and skills of
natural resource professionals goes to Don Roseboom.
Thank you Don!



5

Drifting soil covers a South Dakota hog house prior to the Prairie States Forestry Project initiated
in 1935 by the USDA Forest Service.

Learning From the Future =

In 1880 Kansans were told, “Those
settlers who planted shelterbelts and
groves are fixtures on their land, while
those who never planted trees have
pulled up stakes and gone elsewhere.”'

In 1936, after the Forest Service
initiated its first tree planting program,
Earl W. Tinker, then Assistant Chief of
the Forest Service, reported, “many
thousands of the young trees planted
during the 1935 season are now six
feet high and are already bringing
about a lessening of wind movement
within their protective range...Height
growths up to 16 feet have been
noticed in some instances. 1 saw fields
of cantaloupes and watermelons grow-
ing in what were formerly dust fields,
protected by rows of the newly planted
trees.”!

Did we stumble on something in
1880? How about 55 years later in
1935? Here it is 1995, have we caught
on yet? We’re finally beginning to.
Are trees an important part of an
agricultural system? You bet!

A favorite saying of Fred Deneke,
Assistant Director of Cooperative
Forestry, State and Private Forestry,

USDA Forest Service in Washington,
DC, is “You can’t do things differently
until you see things differently.” And,
that’s exactly what he encouraged
participants of the first Agroforestry
and Sustainable Systems Symposium
held in Fort Collins, Colorado in
August, 1994 to do. As the wrap-up
speaker he asked the delegates to put
themselves in the year 2025 and fly
over where they live and work today.
He asked them to imagine what would
be happening in terms of sustainability
and what they and their agencies
would be doing. Then he asked them
to identify the steps that took place to
—____________ (See Future on page 5)

@ 1994 In Review...page 2

roforestry

Rocky Mountain Research Station, Agroforestry Center

This Issue

Winter, 1994

The Year is 2025 —

Warning: This article contains
exaggerated accounts of what our
world could be like!

Picture yourself living in the year
2025. The world population has
reached 8.5 billion. Natural resources
are faced with tremendous pressure to
produce food and raw materials.
Rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans have
become polluted and restoration and
cleanup isn't economically feasible.
Clean water for drinking costs a
premium, and daily household con-
sumption is closely monitored.
Agricultural production levels are
teetering on the verge of collapse
because precious topsoil, that was
abundant in 1995, has been nearly
depleted by wind and water erosion.
Wood products are increasingly more
expensive because the few sources of
raw materials that remain are limited.
Forests and grasslands, even those that
were once declared “protected,” have
been overutilized and taken over by
agricultural production and urban
development. With the loss of so much
forestland and grassland, wildlife
habitat is gone too. The world ecosys-
tem has undergone tremendous damage.

This is definitely a grim look at our
future. Realistically, in order to prevent
such a picture from developing, a
proactive approach towards protecting,
conserving, and efficiently using our
natural resources must be taken. A
report issued in 1992 by the United
Nations, National Academy of Sciences
and Royal Society of London began:
“If current predictions of population
growth prove accurate and patterns of
human activity on the planet remain

(See 2025 on page 5)

H See What the Center Has for You...page 2
A Perspective on the Future of Agroforestry...page 3

H Soil Bioengineering to the Rescue...page 4


Message From the Manager

We're pleased with the Center’s 1994 technology
transfer accomplishments. In summary: we responded to
1,446 requests for agroforestry information; contracted
with cooperators for seven new assessment, application, or
demonstration projects; continued to coordinate the
existing 35 projects; hosted numerous visitors; made 12
presentations on agroforestry at various conferences and
workshops; sponsored three workshops and one sympo-
sium; conducted a westwide agroforestry research and
technology transfer needs survey; published four issues of
Inside Agroforestry, distributed a conservation tree plant-
ing video Green Side Up, distributed five news releases;
and organized 17 showings (121 days) of our “Working
Trees for Agriculture” travelling display. Of course these
accomplishments would not have been possible without the
help of our many partners and cooperators.

In addition to these accomplishments, memorandums
of understanding have been signed with partners to
implement the “Working Trees for Tomorrow’s Communi-
ties” (WTTC) program which will apply agroforestry
technologies to help mitigate environmental problems in
communities, as well as in the rural/urban interface (see
Summer, 1994 JA). The "Plant a Tree-Help a Kid Foun-
dation” has in turn signed agreements with Big Brothers/
Big Sisters of America, Boys Clubs/Girls Clubs of
America, and Habitat for Humanity; is finding sponsors;
and is planning to implement the program in 1995 with
focus projects in several key cities. The benefit to
agroforestry is that the WTTC program will provide high
visibility demonstrations of agroforestry technologies in and
near urban areas, where 70 percent of the population lives.

Agroforestry made some dramatic advances in 1994,
The release of the Resource Conservation Act (RCA)
national assessment for agroforestry in February was a
stimulus that lead to a national workshop in June that

A column of important events and programs
as reported by Program Manager Bill Rietveld

‘94 Was A Good Year

formulated a unified national strategy to develop and
implement agroforestry. A white paper presenting the
national strategy, and an agroforestry policy paper for the
1995 Farm Bill are available from the Association for
Temperate Agroforestry. Contact Dr. Michael Gold, AFTA
President, MSU Dept. Forestry, 126 Natural Resources
Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1222. Phone: 517-353-4751.

As 1995 unfolds, it promises to be another good year
for agroforestry. In cooperation with Northeastern Area
State and Private Forestry and Southern Region State and
Private Forestry, the Center will begin to expand its scope
to 48 states. This will be accomplished through partners
and networking. Funding is limited, so activities will be
targeted to provide general benefits to the most people.
We are expanding our Inside Agroforestry mailing list to
reach a broader audience of natural resource professionals
throughout the United States. Also, our new application
notes series Agroforestry Notes, will be launched in 1995
and will be available to natural resource professionals
nationwide.

A goal we have set for 1995 is to put the “agro” in
agroforestry. So far, most of the interest in agroforestry
has resided in the forestry community. That’s changing,
and we want to change it even more. 1995 will be the
year of the Farm Bill debate, and we are gratified to see
strong interest in agroforestry from the agriculture and
environmental communities. This indicates more recognition
of the capacity for agroforestry practices, integrated into
agricultural land-use systems, to generate the ecosystem
diversity, ecological processes, buffer zones, and diverse
products and services important to long-term sustainable
systems. We look forward to building more bridges between
the forestry, agriculture, and environmental communities.

We hope that 1995 will be a rewarding and produc-
tive year for you and your work.

See What We've Got for You! =

Agroforestry Notes
Agroforestry Notes will be available
this spring! AN will be a quick, easy-
to-use technical series designed espe-

cially for natural resource professionals.

“Working Trees" Display

Our 8' X 10' portable "Working
Trees for Agriculture" display is
available for your use again this year.
Tt graphically depicts various
agroforestry practices and what the
benefits are. It's attractive, easy to set
up, and a perfect communication tool
to aid natural resource professionals in

informing and educating landowners.
Be sure to book it early!

An 8 1/2" X 11" trifold leaflet is
also available to accompany the display
or to be used by itself. It parallels the
display, with added depth in explaining
the concept of "Working Trees for
Agriculture.” It's another excellent tool
for natural resource professionals.
Contact Kim Isaacson at the Center,
402-437-5178, ext. 13, to book the
display or for brochures.

Green Side Up
Green Side Up is a short, practical,

three-module video designed to train
tree planting professionals. Each
module: 1) transportation and on-site
care; 2) hand planting seedling trees;
and 3) machine tree planting, is
narrated and takes the viewer step-by-
step through the processes. A facilita-
tor's guide, viewer handout, and
training quizes are included. For your
own copy contact Western Cine, 312
S. Pearl Street. Denver, CO 80209.
Phone: 303-744-1017. Prices start at
$12.95. The more videos you order,
the lower the price. Postage and
handling are not included.

2 Inside Agroforestry


The Future of Temperate-Zone Agroforestry -- A Perspective

By H.E. "Gene" Garrett, Director
Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri

Aldo Leopold, one of the world’s
greatest conservationists, wrote in 1945
that "a farm can be regarded as a
food factory and the criterion for its
success is saleable products. Or, it can
be regarded as a place to live, and the
criterion for its success is harmonious
balance between plants, animals, and
people; between the domestic and the
wild; and between utility and beauty."
Family farms must first be profitable,
but they must also nurture human
well-being. Only through the combina-
tion of the two can we have a truly
“successful” family farm. And only
through the creation of harmonious
balance between plants, animals, and
people; between the domestic and the
wild; and between utility and beauty
can we nurture psychological well-
being. Stable environments are required
for individual and family health as
well as for rural community vitality.
To create stable environments on
family farms requires a new and
different emphasis in agriculture and
natural resource management. In contrast
to the industrial agriculture/forestry
models which have dominated develop-
ment through the 1900's and are now
being challenged on the basis of high
environmental costs, there is a need
for a kinder, more holistic land-use
management model for the 21st century
and beyond. This new model must be
one of synthesis, integration, and
diversification. It must meet the specific
needs of the landowner and society
while preserving the integrity, stability,
and beauty of the biotic community.

Agroforestry “an intensive land
management system that optimizes the
benefits from the biological interactions
created when trees and/or shrubs are
deliberately combined with crops and/
or livestock" is a rapidly emerging
field in the temperate zone worldwide
and will become a part of this new
model. It is an interdisciplinary ap-
proach that bridges production agricul-
ture and natural resource conservation
with environmental protection while
meeting all human needs, both physical
and mental. Agroforestry generates
ecosystem diversity, enhances ecologi-
cal processes, and provides buffer
zones all of which are important to
the development of long-term sustain-
able agroecosystems.

Agroforestry is not intended to
compete with agriculture, but to
enhance it economically, environmental-
ly, and socially. Specifically, integra-
tion of practices like riparian buffers,

streambank bioengineering, alley
cropping, living terraces, windbreaks,
tree/pasture systems, and tree/specialty
crop systems can result in many benefits.
Among these benefits are increased
crop production, alternative crops and
diversified rural economies, improved
water quality, soil erosion and sediment
control, filtering and biodegrading of
excess nutrients and pesticides, reduced
flooding, microclimate moderation,
natural pest control, and diversified
habitats for wildlife and people.
Agroforestry requires a shift in our
thinking and perspective, and demands
skills in managing rather than reducing
complexity. It challenges land managers
to transcend disciplinary boundaries and
explore the potential synergisms created
from integrating production agriculture,
natural resource management, and
forestry technologies. It offers the basis
for the development of a comprehen-
sive land-use strategy that emphasizes
the desirability of treating value-
creating biological systems as holistic
management units rather than as a
collection of individual components.
The potential for temperate-zone
agroforestry is substantial but varies by
region, reflecting the diverse land-
scapes, values, and regional/local
economies, Temperate-zone agroforestry
has evolved into five distinct systems:
alley cropping, silvopasturing, wind-
breaks, riparian vegetative buffer strips,
and forest farming. Each has its region
of emphasis but potential application
exists throughout the entire temperate
zone. A recent assessment of the
potential for agroforestry in the US
(Agroforestry: An integrated land-use
managment system for production and
farmland conservation -- 1994 Resource
Conservation Act Appraisal, SCS,
Washington, DC) clearly demonstrates
the need, and the vast acreage avail-
able, to accommodate the application of
agroforestry. In the five states of
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and
Ohio, more than 19 million acres of
highly-erodible cropland were identified
that could benefit from the application
of alley cropping or windbreak sys-
tems. An additional 16 million acres
were found in the plains states of
Nebraska and Kansas. Throughout the
US, more than 700,000 miles of
minimally protected streambank exist
which could benefit from applying
vegetative buffer strip management
principles. Moreover, millions of acres
of forest and pasture lands exist that
would provide more products and

services if silvopastoral management
and/or forest farming practices were
applied.

The adoption of agroforestry within
the US is currently on the upswing
thanks to greater landowner awareness.
This heightened awareness is attributed
to a dramatic increase in the number
of professionals actively researching
and teaching agroforestry principles,
better national and regional organiza-
tion of agroforestry enthusiasts, and
greater involvement of these enthusiasts
and their organizations in securing state
and national policies to support
agroforestry.

During 1994 major steps have been
taken to institutionalize agroforestry at
the national level through a highly co-
ordinated effort. The Association for
Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA) in
concert with USDA/USDI agencies and
a host of institutions and organizations
have created a national agroforestry
initiative. Among other things, this
group is asking the USDA to provide
greater leadership for agroforestry at
the national level. In addition, regional
agroforestry associations have been
formed in the northeast and west and
are soon to be formed in other regions
to provide better communication
between professionals and practitioners.
And, Missouri has become the first
state to develop a program specifically
advocating the adoption of agroforestry.

In a short span of just a few years,
agroforestry has gained acceptance
within the US. However, our job is far
from complete. While numerous success-
es critical to the broad-scale adoption
of agroforestry in the United States
have been realized, agroforestry is at a
formative and critical stage in its
development. The writing of the 1995
Farm Bill offers yet another important
opportunity for us to institutionalize
agroforestry at the federal level as part
of a strategy to reduce the public cost
of resource conservation, avoid regula-
tion of conservation, and to develop a
more environmentally and socially
sustainable form of forestry and
agriculture production. The demonstrat-
ed desirability of management practices
that are ecosystem based and provide
multiple and long-term benefits clearly
identifies the wisdom of embracing
agroforestry. The application of its
principles will enable us to better meet
our needs of products and services of

the land, now and in the future.
Appearance of an article in Inside Agroforestry does
not imply that the Agroforestry Center agrees, nor
endorses, the facts or opinions contained.

Inside Agroforestry 3