(Products from page 1)

they grow on small diameter logs of
hardwood trees like oak, maple,
sycamore, sweetgum, and birch. They
are somewhat nutty or garlicky in
flavor and are high in B vitamins and
essential amino acids. Japanese medical
studies have found that eating these
mushrooms seems to reduce blood
cholesterol levels. Shiitake have also
been found to have antiviral and
antithrombic activity. The National
Institutes of Health are currently
investigating shiitake’s antiviral activity
in the battle against AIDS. Hence,
there is potential for development in
the pharmaceutical market as well as
in the gourmet food market.

Many other tree species provide
valuable drugs which play an important
part in human health. A few of them
include: yellow poplar which is a
source of tulipiferene, an alkaloid that
eases rheumatism pain and dyspepsia
(impaired indigestion); oak species
supply medicines that are derived from
the inner bark and used as an astrin-
gent and also a hemorrhoid ointment;
Dogwood bark is used as an
antiperiodic (a drug used to prevent
regular recurrence of fever or disease);
and Basswood is used to derive a
medicine which supposedly brings
relief to hysteria and indigestion.

Woodcraft Materials

Many species that do not have
commercial value as timber or medici-
nal value do have wood of unusual
color or grain that is highly prized by
woodworkers. Such species include
dogwood, osage-orange, and Kentucky
coffee-tree, all of which have especial-
ly beautiful wood that can be worked
fairly easily. Persimmon wood can also
be used for crafts, and is prized
regionally in Kentucky for premium
quality professional golf club heads.
Small diameter white oaks are in
demand by traditional split oak basket
makers. Grapevines, although highly
desirable from a wildlife standpoint,
are severely damaging to trees. Grape-
vine wreaths are in great demand, and
someone in the southeast made better
than $3 million one year from truck-
loads of grapevines. Seedpods from
leguminous trees such as black locust
and redbud, gumballs from sweetgum,
and cones from pines, spruces, and
hemlock, along with holly, mistletoe,
and other berries can also be collected
for ornamental or craft use.

In 1989, the floral greens and
Christmas ornamental market generated
an estimated $128.5 million in product

sales in western Oregon, Washington,
and southwestern British Columbia.
In Kentucky, white pine, Virginia
pine, and scots pine are the com-
monest species grown for Christmas
trees, but people are experimenting
with everything from douglas fir to
fraser-fir, and even leyland cypress.

Miscellaneous Uses

This list of specialty crops
doesn’t stop here. There are many
other alternative forest products,
some of them include: maple sugar
production, beekeeping, deer tounge,
berries, Spanish moss, sassafras, nut
and fruit crops, and forest recreation.
Black walnuts, hickory, persimmon,
pawpaw all produce edible nuts or
fruits that are marketable.

Most of the crops mentioned in
this article require specific growing
conditions, so it’s necessary to find
out exactly what can be grown in
your region. Remember, generating
income from any of these
endeavours will depend to a large
extent on marketing. Landowners
willing to invest some time (and
some money) could develop a
successful operation and be pleasant-
ly surprised!

City stores and country markets
alike sell products generated from
America’s woodlands, some with
amazing prices. Ginseng roots may
retail for over $100 per pound.
Shiitake mushrooms sell in some
areas for $28 per pound. A boutique
in Florida sells 10-pound bags of
mesquite wood (a pest species in the
west) for $25 each. Wood shavings
swept off your workroom floor can
be mixed with fragrant spices and
oils, leaves from bay trees, and a
few rose petals to sell for $1 per
ounce! Marketing is the “magic”
ingredient in most cases, knowledge
of production then maximizes
profitability.

This is just a sample of the
many options for integrating food, |
medicinal, or craft crops into
agroforestry systems that may allow
forest landowners to obtain greater
economic benefit from their land on
a sustainable basis. Good luck!

Sources: Agroforestry in the South and |

East, Henry A. Pearson; Southern Hardwood
Management, R8-MB 67, March 1994:
Agroforestry Specialty Crops and Mid-South
Conference on Agroforestry Practices and
Policies, Alternative Forest Products, Deborah
B. Hill: Agroforestry Opportunities in
Northern California, Oregon, and Washington

Linda Hardesty and Linda M. Lyon: and The |
Foresters’ Log, January 1994.

(Alternative from page 3)

varieties mentioned growing in nursery
beds. Within the next year, we expect
to plant the remaining species de-
scribed. For more information contact
Jim Mayhew, Hedgerow Foundation,
905 N. 12th, Fairfield, lowa 52556.
Phone 515-469-3939.

The trend toward the use of trees
and shrubs as cash crops is growing
and it would be very easy to incorpo-
rate them into a new or existing
agroforestry system. We see evidence
of this progression as harvesting
machines are now being adapted to
mechanically pick many of the fruit
and nut species mentioned. Hopefully
more people will see the benefit of
planting a alternative tree crop and
plant trees and shrubs that provide an
abundance of good, nutritious foods. A
good book to read on this subject is
Tree Crops by J. Russell Smith.

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

Wood Outperforms
Plastic

Ever-suprising wood!
New medicines are constantly
turning up from the chemicals
of tree tissues; laminated wood
beams are found to hold up
better than steel in fires; and
now researchers have found
that wooden cutting boards are
more sanitary than those made
of plastic. It had been assumed
for years that plastic would be
easier to clean. However,
testing in the laboratories of
the Wisconsin Research
Institute found that 99.9
percent of salmonella bacteria
and other common causes of
food poisoning died within
three minutes on wooden
boards while none died on
plastic ones. The researchers
then tested seven species of
wood and four types of plastic
— all with similar results. So
far the scientists have not been
able to isolate the chemical
that is responsible for this
most recently discovered
contribution of wood to the
benefits of humans.

Source:

Arbor Day. July/August 1993

Inside Agroforestry 5


Sp

Nee ieeany Washington

Protecting Apple Orchards -- It's A Tough Job But Some

Windbreak's Gotta Do It!

With its dry climate and some of the
highest wind energy patterns in the state of
Washington, the Columbia Basin area is unique
— especially for apple orchard production.
Land is quite valuable in this area and land-
owners want protection for their orchards, but
aren't willing to take many acres out of
production. Yet, over 90 percent of the or-
chards in the Columbia Basin have windbreaks
protecting them

There has been a rich history of windbreaks
coupled with apple orchards in this part of the
country. Harold Crose, District Conservationist
for the Soil Conservation Service, Grant
County, Washington continues to assist land-
owners with the design and layout of new
windbreaks in his county. He says that there is
a tremendous amount of money that has gone
into the 35,000 acres of orchards (apples.
cherries, pears, and apricots) in the Columbia
Basin. Up to $20,000 per acre! “Everything is
state-of-the-art. We only use the best irrigation
systems and the best monitoring devices available. The
whole orchard system is highly sophisticated from an
agricultural standpoint.” And, windbreaks are a part of that
system

Most of the windbreaks in this area, if not all of them,
consist of one row of hybrid poplar trees, mostly selected
lor their fast growth rate. They are usually planted seven to
10 feet apart and provide approximately 600 feet of leeward
protection. Orchards are typically 40 to 120 acres in size,
but some are as large as 2,000 acres. Most orchards have
windbreaks around the perimeter and the larger orchards will
have cross windbreaks throughout the middle.

The Columbia Basin is very young as far as the orchard
industry is concerned. Fifty to 60 percent of the orchards
aren't even mature yet, which is why Crose’s role is so
important. When establishing a new orchard. a windbreak is
as much a part of the layout plan as the orchard trees

An orchard near Mattawa, Washington with single row poplar windbreak spaced at approximately
660 feet. Picture taken looking across the Columbia Basin.

They're Coming!
Agroforestry Notes are Coming!

Soon...a technical series
for natural resource professionals
will be available from the
Agroforestry Center.

It will be a straightforward approach
to the most current
agroforestry technology available.
Watch for it in 1995!

4 inside Agroforestry

themselves. Crose feels that as a conservationist, his first and
foremost concern is conservation, which actually involves
getting land ready for apple production. Windbreaks and a
cover crop such as a companion mix of elka rye and
creeping red fescue, are the first phase of orchard establish-
ment. They stabilize the fragile, sandy soil of this region.
Then the apple trees are planted, and once they've estab-
lished, the windbreaks conservation role becomes more of a
production role:

Since apple trees are fairly delicate, wind protection is a
necessary management tool. Windbreaks protect trees, heavy
with apples, from wind damage and also protect the fruit
itself. Reductions of windspeed within orchards will reduce
the amount of mechanical damage caused by the whipping of
leaves, branches, buds, flowers, and fruit. This, in turn,
improves fruit quality and quantity and can result in substan-
tial economic gain

Furthermore, windbreaks improve pollination and fruit set.
reduce premature fruit drop, and improve yields. The profit-
ability of any orchard is a function of yield, price, waiting
time to first cropping, and cost. Although yield is an impor-
tant profit generator, it is the quality of the fruit that
determines the price, and ultimately the profit margin.

It should be mentioned that windbreaks are a tremendous
asset to orchard protection and production, but if designed
and managed improperly, they can cause damaging frost
pockets and harbor pests. However, research is currently
underway to find solutions to these problems. Researchers are
working to find ways to improve air movement within the
orchard which will help minimize frost pockets and are also
working to develop biological control procedures and other
pest management techniques to minimize pest problems.

Much of the credit for the continued success of wind-
breaks and orchards in the Columbia Basin area goes to the
Soil Conservation Service and District Conservationist's like
Harold Crose. Thank you!



Judging from broad-based attendance
and enthusiasm at the Agroforestry and
Sustainable Systems Symposium, it is
evident that agroforestry in the United
States has developed and progressed a
great deal in the past five years. Over
130 people, representing nearly every
agency, institution, and organization
interested in agroforestry, attended the
two and one-half day Symposium, held
August 7-10, 1994 in Fort Collins,
Colorado.

“Agroforestry is growing tremen-
dously as more agencies, universities,
organizations, and landowners recognize
its potential to simultaneously provide
economic, environmental, and social
benefits. The bottomline is that
agroforestry is a win-win situation for
(See Symposium on page 2)

Money Does Grow On Trees...And Under Them ~~

Windbreaks, living snowfences,
filter strips, and wildlife habitat. Sound
familiar? How about shiitake mush-
rooms, ginseng, and grapevines? With
a little preplanning and proper manage-
ment, these are just a few of the
alternative products that can be har-
vested from an agroforestry system.
These “alternative” or “specialty crops”
not only have the potential to produce
additional income for landowners but
they provide an opportunity to diversi-
fy farm management practices.
Currently, many landowners view
whatever forest resource that they
might have as simply a place to graze
or shade livestock, or as a place to
obtain firewood or fenceposts for their
farm. This issue of Inside Agroforestry
features tree crops with specialty uses.
Following are a few examples of how
they can be incorporated into standard
agroforestry practices.

Medicinal Plants
American Ginseng and Golden Seal
both have significant economic value
and can be “wild” cultivated under a
forest cover. In Kentucky alone,
ginseng is a five million dollar-per-year

5

roforestry

Rocky Mountain Research Station, Agroforestry Center

Over 130 natural resource professionals attended Agroforestry and Sustainable Systems,

1994

i” 2 ,
a % :
ee )

the first

Symposium hosted jointly by the Agroforestry Center and the USDA Soil Conservation Service.
Based on positive feedback and enthusiasm about agroforestry, the future looks bright for another

Symposium in the next couple of years.

commodity. Ginseng, for its 4,000-year
known history, has been taken as a
general health tonic or to bring about
a level of “balance” in the body.
Golden seal, used widely in Native
American medicine, is specifically used
for eye ailments, but is also used as a
tonic and a diuretic stimulant. For both
plants, it is the root that is used for
medicinal purposes. More and more
people in the United States, and in
other western countries, are beginning
to listen more attentively to the folk
wisdom of people who have been
reaping the benefits of these medicinal
plants for centuries.

Shiitake mushrooms, or “forest”

This ssue

mushrooms are a gourmet’s delight.
Originating in Japan, they are grown
mainly on native oak species, since
being domesticated from the wild.
They are more widely available in the
United States as their gustatory and
medicinal benefits become better
known. Shiitake are particularly inter-
esting to forest landowners because

Shiitake Mushrooms

Ready for harvest
when cap is 75%
‘opened.

When cap is flat or
curled up, mushroom
is overmature.

(See Products on page 5)

@ Agroforestry is on the Move!...page 2

@ Alternative Tree Crops...page 3

m@ Apple Trees and Windbreaks...page 4

@ How Does Wood Outperform Plastic?...page 5


Message From the Manager

, 4
My Spring, 1994 message, entitled “Coming Togeth-
er,” noted that agroforestry is becoming better defined
and the science and practice of agroforestry are becoming
more broadly recognized nationally. This is being driven,
1 believe, by the larger issue of sustainable development
— the need to attain a more sustainable agriculture and
diversify local economies, while providing multiple
environmental benefits now and for future generations.
Agroforestry is right on target with these trends and needs.
There have been several key developments this year
that have helped to achieve the increased recognition of
agroforestry. In February, the Soil Conservation Service
published its Resource Conservation Act (RCA) appraisal
for agroforestry entitled: “Agroforestry: an Integrated
Land-Use Management System for Production and Farm-
land Conservation.” This report was the first of its kind
for agroforestry, and provides a comprehensive assessment
of the national needs and opportunities for agroforestry.
The awareness created by the RCA assessment
resulted in a June workshop to assemble representatives
from the national agroforestry community of interest
(federal agencies, universities, and conservation organiza-
tions) to develop a framework for a Coordinated National
Agroforestry Program. The product of the workshop was
a white paper entitled: “Agroforestry for Sustainable
Development: a National Strategy to Develop and Imple-
ment Agroforestry.” The white paper represents another
important step because it presents specific recommenda-
tions from the unified agroforestry community of interest.
A third significant development this year was the
selection of agroforestry for one of approximately 21
USDA issue papers to identify possible issues and actions
for the 1995 Farm Bill. This is the first time agroforestry

og
A

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

Agroforestry on the Move

to Develop and Implement Agroforestry, write or call Dr.

Agroforestry) to exchange viewpoints on agroforestry

will be published, and in what form.

I mention these developments to illustrate my point
that agroforestry is on the move. Agroforestry is being
recognized as an integral part of sustainable agricultural
land-use systems. It’s important to point out that
agroforestry is not in competition with the sustainable
agriculture movement, but should be considered part of it.
For example, the recent National Academy of Science
report on “Soil and Water Quality: an Agenda for Agri-
culture” recommends increased emphasis on field and
landscape buffer zones in concert with development of
improved farming systems. We feel that agroforestry
practices can play an important role in providing the
buffer zones needed to help attain improved soil and
water quality.

I'm excited about the future for agroforestry, but |
realize that the future needs more than agroforestry. For
agroforestry to add value, it needs to be considered a part
of farm, watershed, and landscape-scale systems. Thus the
need for an ecosystem- and team-based approach.

For further information about the National Strategy

Michael Gold, president, Association for Temperate
Agroforestry (AFTA), Michigan State University, Depart-
ment of Forestry, 126 Natural Resource Building, East
Lansing, Michigan 48824-1222. Phone 517-353-4751.
AFTA sponsors the biannual “North American
Agroforestry Conference,” and is expanding its role as an
advocacy organization to advance agroforestry. AFTA’s
newsletter will serve as a forum (rather than /nside

issues and how agroforestry should be addressed in the
1995 Farm Bill. Contact Dr. Gold if you are interested in

has been identified as a USDA issue relevant to the
Farm Bill. At this time it is not clear if the issue papers

newsletter.

joining AFTA or contributing an article to AFTA’s

(Symposium from page 1)

farmers, the environment, and the
public, now and in the long-term,”
says Bill Rietveld, Program Manager
for the Agroforestry Center.

The Agroforestry and Sustainable
Systems Symposium was sponsored by
the Agroforestry Center, USDA Soil
Conservation Service, and over 50
endorsing sponsors. The program
consisted of 30 invited speakers and
23 poster papers reporting state-of-the-
art and special applications of
agroforestry technologies and how
agroforestry contributes to ecosystem
sustainability. Sessions explored the
many facets and barriers to
agroforestry and visioned the future of

2 Inside Agroforestry

agroforestry as an integral part of
sustainable agricultural land-use sys-
tems. A workshop provided an over-
view of the Coordinated Resource
Management process, a vehicle to
reach agreement on natural resource
management for all users and to
promote quality resource management
through collaborative efforts. Confer-
ence participants also had the opportu-
nity to discuss agroforestry research,
technology transfer, and education/
training issues and needs.

Rietveld added that "The Symposium
was a huge success, there was strong
consensus that agroforestry has much
to contribute to an ecosystem-based,

watershed/landscape scale approach to
the attainment of sustainable agricultur-
al land-use systems for the future.”

Copies of the Symposium Proceed-
ings will be available after January,
1995,

"Perhaps the most serious obstacle
impeding the evolution of a land ethic
is the fact that our educational and
economic system is headed away from,
rather than toward, an intense
consciousness of the land."

-Aldo Leopold



Alternative Tree Crops =

By Jim Mayhew
Hedgerow Foundation, Fairfield, lowa

I once heard a story about a small
eastern European town where, more
than a hundred years ago, citizens
were given the option of planting trees
or paying taxes. Needless to say, a lot
of trees were planted, among them
long-lived nut and fruit varieties. Over
the course of the next century —
through droughts, plagues, floods, wars,

"There are many species
that produce nuts
and fruits,
valuable wood and
other forest products,
and provide necessary
habitat for wildlife.
These same trees
have a role in
agroforestry systems as well."

and economic fluctuation — these
townspeople withstood hardship more
easily than those around them. They
had fruits and nuts to store and eat,
valuable wood to sell or build with,
and the forest to house wildlife, which
provided them with another source of
food. It was as if the trees insulated
this town from all the suffering around
it. This is the story that inspired me
to begin researching trees and shrubs
that bear crops.

There are many species that pro-
duce nuts and fruits, valuable wood
and other forest products, and provide
necessary habitat for wildlife. These
same trees have a potential role in
agroforestry systems too. Examples
below give you an idea of how
alternative products can be derived
from their incorporation into an
agroforestry system.

Currently, the Springtree
Agroforestry Project in Scottsville,
Virginia is experimenting with thornless
honeylocust as a complementary food
source for livestock to pasture grass.
The honeylocust produces sweet pods
which are relished by cattle, sheep,
and wildlife, and when ground they

are suitable for human consumption.
(Honeylocust flour muffins were once
served at a potluck and everyone
wanted the recipe!). Thornless
honeylocust trees are beautiful trees
that allow filtered sunlight to pass
through the crown of the tree. As a
result, they do not shade out the grass
that livestock graze or any other crop
that may be planted beneath, all while
holding the soil in place and helping
to stabilize the environment.

Philip Rutter, Director of Badgersett
Research Farm and Farmer from
Canton, Minnesota is developing
hazelnut trees that can be used as
windbreaks, and at the same time as
perennial crops. He speculates that an
acre of hazelnuts — which do not
have to be replanted each year — will
produce as much food as an acre of
corn or soybeans. Hazelnuts can be
processed into a number of valuable
products including cooking and salad
oil, nut butter which is high in protein,
and the nuts can be fed to animals as
well. Hazelnut trees also greatly reduce
soil erosion and do not require toxic
sprays.

Cardinal Olive is a nitrogen-fixing
shrub that has been promoted as
wildlife food and growth aid for trees.
Since birds eat Cardinal Olive fruit and
disperse the seeds, critics say that it’s
too invasive. It is because of this that
I am researching another variety of the
nitrogen-fixing family Elaeagnus
multiflora. The fruit is larger and |
suspect that the seeds of this variety
are also larger than those of the
Cardinal Olive which may be harder
for birds to swallow, thereby reducing
proliferation. This variety is also a
delicacy in Europe and Asia.

Many trees and shrubs show great
promise as alternative tree crops.
Several of these fruit-bearing varieties
not only provide a food source but
help sustain the environment and can
easily be incorporated into an
agroforestry system. We know from
research that windbreaks increase yields
of row crops by sheltering them and
improving the microclimate. If we are
going to promote windbreaks, why not
promote windbreaks that produce an
additional cash crop and food for
wildlife? This applies to the urban
population too. Fruit trees planted in a
backyards or parks are not only

beautiful but provide prime habitat for
wildlife.

Some examples of the benefits of
berries, which all have the potential to
be a part of a cash-producing wind-
break with the fruit serving landowners
as a pick-your-own-crop, are the
serviceberry, which tastes and looks
like a blueberry. Another species,
caragana, is a nitrogen-fixer which
produces small peas that chickens love.
The edible berries of the tough
Hippophae rhamnoides shrub can be
eaten fresh or used as a source of
vitamin C in commercial products. The
hardy jostaberry, or thornless
jostaberry, produces a delicious berry
the size of a grape that tastes like a
cross between gooseberries and cur-
rants. An edible honeysuckle from
Russia produces a berry similar to a
blueberry, and of course, the elderber-
ry, buffaloberry (a good nitrogen-fixer),
and certain viburnums produces won-
derful berries.

In addition to berries, other fruit
trees can work well as food-producers
and require little care. Princepia
sinensis produces a cherry-like fruit
that does not require the spraying that
most cherries do. The nanking cherry
also produces good-tasting cherries with
little or no care. Persimmon and
certain mountain ash have edible fruits,
and a specie of dogwood, grown in
Europe and Asia, bears fruit the size
of plums, which is made into the
valuable “royal jelly.”

In the category of nut trees and
shrubs, Xanthocerus sorbifolium or
yellowhorn is a handsome nut tree
from China, which has leaves and nuts
animals can eat in times of drought.
Ginkoes also produce tasty nuts — if.
you can stand the odor when the
fleshy fruit drop and begin decompos-
ing. The chestnut has great potential as
a tree crop because it can be pro-
cessed into a number of nutrious
foods. Finally, what about pine nuts?
Pine nuts are expensive and would be
an excellent cash crop for landowners.
As a result, much work is being done
with ponderosa pine, but what about
the pinion nut, Korean stone pine, and
digger pine, all of which produce
valuable nuts.

We at the Hedgerow Foundation
presently have about half of the
(See Alternative on page 5)

Inside Agroforestry 3