Inside Agroforestry

Opportunities for Special Forest Products...............Page 3

Forming AProducer Association.............................Page 4

Help Us Keep Our Database Current.......................Page 6

New Agroforestry Textbook Available ....................Page 7

Summer, 2000 Forest Service

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Inside This Issue

Finding Markets for

Special Forest

Products

Look at the Possibilities 

Cantaloupe can be planted with

Christmas trees or black walnut

trees.

by Kimberly Stuhr, Technology Transfer Specialist,

NAC, Lincoln, Nebraska

by Kimberly Stuhr, Technology Transfer Specialist, NAC, Lincoln, Nebraska

There has been tremendous growth

in the demand for alternative goods as

well as places to purchase them.

(What this really means then is

tremendous growth in opportunities

for you and the landowners you work

with to grow and market SFP). 

Some reasons why there has been

such growth of direct marketing

opportunities are:

• Increase in population.

• Demand for safe, high-quality 

products.

• The desire of the buyer to come

face-to-face with the producer.

• Customers are more interested 

in how products are produced.

• Less public access to land that 

can produce their commodities.

• Life styles value the experiences 

of harvesting-your-own products.

• Forest landowners are looking for 

annual cash flow.

• Forest landowners are looking at 

the total forest not just the trees.

• Inexpensive insurance protection 

Not long ago a majority of farms in

this country were small, diverse operations, offering a wide variety of products for sale, trade, or home consumption. Since World War II, the dominant

trend in agriculture has been toward

extensive monocultures, low crop

diversity, low labor, and high-energy

use. Evidence is now mounting that

present monoculture farming systems,

though highly successful at producing

some crops, fail to recognize broadening consumer demand for a variety of

Special Forest Products (SFP). Often

called non timber forest products, SFP

are produced from trees, or from within the forest ecosystem or agroforest.

Some of the possibilities are listed

below.

Following are some resources if

you’re looking for more information

Decorative Florals 

Medicinals and Herbs

Forest Crops

(See Markets on page 5)

(See Possibilities on page 5)

• Mushrooms: 

Shiitake,

Morel, 

Chanterelle, 

Lions Mane,

and Others 

• Nuts: Hickory, 

Chestnut, 

Hazelnuts, and 

Others

• Pine Straw 

• Maple syrup

• Firewood and 

Pulpwood

• Specialty 

Woods like 

Burlwood, 

Walnut, and 

Oak

• Fruits and 

Berrys like

Blackberry, 

Raspberry, 

Blueberry, 

Sashatoon,

Chokecherry, 

Sand Cherry, 

and Others 

• Willow 

Branches

• Goldenseal

• Ginseng

• St. Johns Wort

• Catnip

• Cohosh (Blue 

and

Black

• Paw Paw

• Witch Hazel

• Elder Flowers

• Saw-Palmento

• Tree Pollen

• Bloodroot

• Virginia 

Snakeroot

• Seneca 

Snakeroot

• Ecenacia

• Many others

• Decorative 

grasses like 

Beargrass and 

• Ferns

• Pine cones

• Flowers like 

Azaleas and 

Daffodils

• Pine, Fir, and 

Spruce boughs

• Christmas trees

• Grapevine

• Red Twig 

Dogwood

• Corkscrew and 

Pussy Willows

• Flowering 

branches like 

Apple, Cherry 

and Red Bud

Small diameter or low-value wood can be

made into wood

chips.

Highbush

Cranberry.
NAC Director’s Corner

2 Inside Agroforestry

A commentary on the status of agroforestry

by Center Director, Dr. Greg Ruark

Consider “Forest Farming”

the forest canopy usually needs to be modified. From a

forest management standpoint, this presents an opportunity to do some much needed thinning and pruning. The

remaining "crop" trees will produce more wood and

pruning will insure that this additional wood will be knotfree. Later, this clear wood can be sold for more money,

as it is used for higher value products like sawlogs and

veneers, rather than pulpwood or firewood.

Forest farming is especially attractive to small farms

as it can be tried on a modest scale. For example, ginseng

has been shown to be profitable on as little as a half acre.

Transitioning into forest farming requires some "sweat

equity," but labor can usually be scheduled to coincide

with slack time on the farm. Crops like goldenseal, shiitake mushrooms, and decorative ferns can be produced

for medicinal, culinary, or ornamental uses, respectively.

Plant materials and production equipment are becoming

increasingly available, with many sources now listed on

the Internet. Market support for specialty forest products

has also become more organized in some regions in

response to increased consumer demand. This issue of

Inside Agroforestry illustrates some forest farming possibilities and identifies sources for additional information.

This issue of Inside Agroforestry looks at forest farming. Although some agroforestry practices, like alley

cropping, require a lengthy time period to establish and

realize a return on investment or, like tree-based riparian

buffers, are primarily designed to provide environmental

and wildlife benefits, forest farming can often increase

on-farm income within a few years. 

There are opportunities on farms that already have

woodlots to immediately begin to manage these stands

for high-value timber production, while generating an

annual income by raising crops in the understory. To create the appropriate microclimate for forest farming crops

by Gary Kuhn, NRCS Agroforester, NAC, Spokane, Washington

Washington State University

(WSU) in Spokane hosted a regional

conference in May, 2000 addressing

hybrid poplar opportunities. The conference was sponsored by NAC, the

Upper Columbia RC&D, and the

WSU-Spokane Design Institute.

Poplars can provide multiple benefits including: improved on-farm

income, waste management through

poplar tree production, and carbon

storage credits. The conference covered the culture and management of

poplars, prospective markets and utiExploring Opportunities for Hybrid Poplar

lization, wastewater permitting, dryland and irrigated production, poplar

grower associations, poplar production in Hungary, and regional poplar

growing issues and concerns. 

To obtain an information packet

from the conference, contact Janet

Kidder the Upper Columbia RC&D in

Spokane at 509-353-2187 or e-mail

her at janetk@spkol.com.

NAC has developed three related

publications: Working Trees for

Treating Waste, Agroforestry Note 17

- Wastewater Management Using

“This issue of Inside Agroforestry

illustrates some forest farming possibilities 

and identifies sources 

for additional information.”

Hybrid Poplars, and a two-page flyer

Working Trees for Carbon Cycle

Balance. NAC will also produce a

condensed version of the conference

video. 

Be sure to visit NAC’s website at,

www.unl.edu/nac, to order free copies

of any of our publications. In addition

to Working Trees for Treating Waste,

other Working Trees publications

include: Working Trees for Livestock,

Working Trees for Wildlife, Working

Trees for Communities, and Working

Trees for Agriculture. NAC
Inside Agroforestry 3

Specialty Forest Product Opportunities

Sit back for a moment and take an

armchair tour of your land. Let your

mind wander over the fields, woods,

creeks, and ditches around your farm

or acreage, or even your backyard. Are your farmstead and

livestock areas battered by the

wind or buried under winter

snows? Do you have unused

fencelines, roadsides, woodlots,

marginally-productive upland

fields, frequently flooded bottomland or streamside areas,

dry pivot irrigation corners, or just

out-of-the-way and hard-to-farm small

parcels? Getting tired of mowing acres

of lawn on your acreage or ranchette

every weekend? Could any of these

areas be better utilized by producing a

specialty forest product for your own

use or for sale, while at the same time

improving your local environment?

Chances are, the answer is "yes". 

There are many, many opportunities

for producing, selling or personally

enjoying specialty forest products in

rural, urban fringe, or even in urban

settings. Specialty forest products

include an enormous range of products

derived from woody plants grown in

agroforestry systems. These include

food products (nuts, fruits, mushrooms), decorative florals (pussy and

corkscrew willows, spring flowering

branches, and many others), medicinals and botanicals (ginseng, golden

seal, echinacea, blue and black

cohosh, etc.), and craft products such

by Dr. Scott Josiah, Assistant Professor and State Extension Forester, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska

as diamond willow, specialty woods,

walking sticks, etc. 

Most of these products can be sold

for a profit. Some markets are quite

large and structured with both wholesale and retail outlets (e.g., for decorative florals, and some fruits and nuts).

Other markets are quite local (perhaps

a local jelly company, winery, floral

shop, or craftsperson), and are better

suited for the small producer. With

targeted marketing and quality production, a producer can earn significant supplemental income from specialty forest products. Producing these

products also can provide the basis for

a great family or community-based

income-producing project, with something for everyone to do, and with

financial and social benefits to all.

On the other hand, you may simply

want to produce specialty products for

your own use and enjoyment. Perhaps

you love to create floral displays and

decorations. Why not produce your

own materials, and harvest them just

when needed and at the peak of quality? Or, you like to make your own

jams, jellies, wines, or dishes with

nuts as an accent ingredient. Again,

you can grow your own, maximizing

quality and freshness, and creating

unique recipes with ingredients

and flavors not easily found

elsewhere. Or perhaps you're a

craftsperson or wood carver

who demands top quality materials for your art. You can produce exactly what you want,

and improve the environment as

well. 

All of these products come from

woody plants that can easily be grown

in ways that provide many environmental and conservation benefits. By

planting in windbreaks, living snow

fences, in alleys, or as streamside

buffers, these specialty forest productproducing plants can reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, enhance

wildlife habitat, and improve your

own quality of life. And nearly everyone has a backyard which can be

transformed into a low-maintenance

"edible landscape," filled with species

that produce edible, high quality nuts,

berries, and mushrooms. Kids want a

snack? Send them into the back yard

to "graze" for fruits and nuts. Even if

you work full-time and are just too

busy to market or use them yourself,

the local wildlife will certainly benefit

from the improved habitat and food

availability. And you and your neighbors will still enjoy the diverse plantings and beautiful flowers and fruits

through the seasons, and the wildlife

paradise you have created. 

So start today to make your conservation plantings work for you and for

the environment. Practice "productive

conservation" by using tree and shrub

species that produce specialty forest

products to earn income, provide useable products for your own use, and

protect and improve your environment.

“All of these products come from woody plants

that can easily be planted in a way 

that provides many environmental 

and conservation benefits.”

NAC

Black Walnut trees like moist, well-drained

sites. High quality nutmeats and wood fetch

premium prices.

Ginseng is grown under shade in forests or

alley cropping / windbreak systems.
4 Inside Agroforestry

Think Partnership

Partnerships are at the heart of all conservation initiatives linking land and people. They foster a cooperative

environment promoting those factors necessary for success. Some of the benefits of partnerships include:

• Exchange information, experience, and expertise

• Share responsibilities and tasks

• Involve a cross-section of community residents

• Plan and implement projects across mixed ownership 

and jurisdictions

• Leverage resources

• Build a sense of shared community

Don’t be shy. Groups that you approach can always 

decline but they might just say ”yes!”

Producers learn about shiitake mushroom growing techniques at a local producers farm.

Spotlight On Success Alabama

by Kimberly Stuhr, Technology Transfer Specialist, NAC, Lincoln, Nebraska

Do you know of several landowners interested in growing an alternative forest product? Maybe it’s shiitake

mushrooms, like landowners in Alabama. Or, maybe it’s

flowers, or nuts, or something else. Whatever the case, at

some point these interested landowners are likely to ask

you for assistance. It’s easy enough to round up technical

information and some marketing ideas, but what really

helps is forming a “Producers Association.”

In the 1980s a lot of landowners in south central

Alabama were interested in shiitake mushroom production.

Extension staff of Alabama A&M and Auburn University

implemented several demonstrations and it just took off

from there.

About that same time, the AlaTom RC&D Council was

looking at mushroom production as a way for rural residents to develop alternative income. With a small grant the

Council tested several strains of mushrooms under different conditions and conducted some “show-n-tell” workshops. The mushrooms not only grew well in Alabama, but

word-of-mouth spread the idea so fast that demonstrations

were put up in nearly every county in the state.

To keep up with the demand, Alabama A&M

University Extension Specialist Hosea Nall and Norman

Burton, Coordinator of the Ala-Tom RC&D Council in

Grove Hill, Alabama formed the Shiitake Producers

Association.

When the Association was first formed, grower members shared stories and techniques, pooled products, and

shared purchases. The Association bought material in bulk

to resell to growers. Currently, the six RC&D Councils in

Alabama locate producers who are interested in mushroom

production and then University Extension personnel bring

in the technical expertise.

Alabama Cooperative Extension Specialist Cathy

Sabota suggests that forming an association rather than a

coop may be a better choice. She says that with an association, the growers themselves are in charge of what goes on

rather than the RC&D or the Government (Extension). Onthe-other-hand, the main problem for this group has been

that since the association is statewide, it’s an eight hour

drive across the state so it’s difficult to get everyone

together.

Another thing to keep in mind when providing information to landowners, according to Cathy, is that they are

usually first and foremost concerned about the bottom line

Forming a Producer Association Might Be The Way To Go

— information about the market, profits, how much work

is involved, etc. Secondly, they want to know about techniques, where to get equipment and product.

The effort spent pooling resources to form an association, according to Cathy, is definitely worth the effort. Each

producer benefits from sharing ideas. Most people begin

sharing anyway and this provides an organized, efficient

way to get people with similar interests together.

Organizing a group like this may be time consuming,

but it just might be well worth the effort for everyone

involved. NAC
Inside Agroforestry 5

Raking pine needles mimics fire and does

not bother plant diversity or population.

Remember to think about finding markets

for products. Here pine needles are sold to a

local retail market.

for landowners hosting the public.

• Ease of promotion through 

internet, radio, weekly newspapers,

and local access TV.

Since major wholesale brokers buy

from similar sources, the florist shop,

small restaurant, health food store,

nursery, and craft shop all have similar products for sale. To offer something different they must find a source

of custom products. This is where

opportunities for direct marketing of

SFP comes to the NIPF landowner.

Here are some ideas to find 

markets: 

• Visit the phone book. In the yellow

pages index start with the A’s and 

go to the Z’s. Develop a list of 

industries that might need 

something grown on forested 

lands. Be creative. 

• Try the internet. It can give you 

entry into many sources of 

information about local 

and regional communities.

(Possibilities from page 1) (Markets from page 1)

• Look for resource literature and 

available classes.

• Visit places that might use a 

particular product - supermarkets, 

craft stores, farmers markets, craft 

festivals, apothecaries, health food 

stores, florist shops, and fairs. Visit

with the owner or sales staff.

• Determine if what you have, or 

plan to make available, matches 

the markets’needs.

Other places to keep in mind are:

county or state fairs, festivals, garden

shows, and trade events, public campgrounds and RVParks, and freeway

rest area.

Finally, everyone seems to like the

pick-your-own options that are available now days.

Adapted from Developing special Forest

Products Markets for Non-Industrial Private

Forest Landowners. by Jim Freed. In:

Proceedings of the North American

Conference on enterprise Development

Through Agroforestry.

NAC

about growing a particular SFP.

In October 1998 a comprehensive

conference on forest farming was held

in Minnesota. The Proceedings of the

North American Conference on

Enterprise Development Through

Agroforestry: Farming the Forest for

Specialty Products is available and

would provide information on most

aspects of farming the forest. For a

copy contact Erik Streed at 612-624-

4299.

There are several Agroforestry

Notes currently available from NAC

dealing with special forest products.

These include: Farming Exotic

Mushrooms in the Forest, American

Ginseng Production in Woodlots,

Economics and Marketing of

Ginseng, Forest Production of

Goldenseal, and Forest Farming: an

Agroforestry Practice.

A new college-level 400-page textbook is available. Agroforestry: An

Integrated Science and Practice covers all of the main agroforestry practices, including forest farming. It also

discusses economics, policy, social

dimensions, the future of agroforestry,

and more. See page 7 for more information about the text and how to

order.

The Appropriate Technology

Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)

group provides technical assistance to

farmers, extension agents, market

gardners, agricultural researchers, and

other agricultural professionals. Their

website is: www.attra.org

The Association For Temperate

Agroforestry (AFTA) is a private,

nonprofit organization. Their goal is

to advance the knowledge and application of agroforestry as an integrated

land use system to simultaneously

meet economic, social, and environmental needs. Their website is:

web.missouri.edu/~afta/afta_home.

NAC’s website: www.unl.edu/nac

has links to these, and other, sources

of information about special forest

products as well as all of the other

agroforestry practices. 

Terry Johnson Agroforestry Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the Terry Johnson Agroforestry

Award. This award is granted to a professional, landowner, or individual

who has provided sustained quality, innovative applications, renowned

research, outstanding technology transfer, exemplary education, or other

notable actions in the field of agroforestry.

For more information contact Doug Williams, USDANRCS National

Forester at: doug.williams@usda.gov or call him at 202-720-1858.

Nominations are due September 15, 2000.

NAC
6 Inside Agroforestry

NAC

1890 Faculty Training Workshop

Participants from 13 of the 17 1890 Universities

attended a three-day workshop hosted by Alabama

A&M University. Agroforestry: Blending Agriculture

and Forestry was held in June, 2000.

The objectives of the workshop were to increase agroforestry awareness among the 1890 Universities and to

encourage faculty to incorporate agroforestry into

their courses and extension efforts. Participants were

provided a technical workbook with detailed information on the six agroforestry practice areas and a CD

ROM with corresponding Power Point presentations.

In addition, each was provided a one-hour agroforestry video and a recently published college-level

textbook.

SARE-NAC Agroforestry Producer

Grants For Fiscal Year 2000

For the second year in a row NAC partnered with the

USDASustainable Agriculture Research and

Education (SARE) program to fund agroforestry

grants in the SARE Producer Grant Program.

Proposals could either be initiated and managed by a

producer or could be coordinated by a technical professional, if carried out on a farm with significant

landowner involvement. This years funds totaling

$89,900 were provided for the following projects:

North Central Region

· Michigan, Building a Thermal Blast Peeler to 

Prepare Chestnut for On-Farm, Value Added 

Processing

· Minnesota, Evaluation of Christmas Tree Varieties 

for Northern Minnesota

· Missouri, Growing Medicinal Mushrooms on 

Hardwood Stumps and Tops

· Missouri, Strategically Thinning a Pecan Orchard 

and Use of the By-Product for Sustainable 

Management

· Ohio, Best Cultivation Practices for At-Risk 

Medicinal Herbs

· Ohio, Increasing Production in Native Stands of 

Paw Paws

· South Dakota, Kiyaksa Timber Salvage and 

Restoration Project

Northeast Region

· Maine, Improving Financial Returns in an Orchards

Life Through Alley Cropping

· Massachusetts, Multi-Purpose Windbreaks for 

Protection of Vegetable Crops and Production of 

Fruit and/or Nut Crops

· New York, Using Straight-Growing Black Locust in

On-Farm Agroforestry Production

· West Virginia, American Chestnut Field Trials

Southern Region

· Georgia, Cover Crops for Christmas Trees and 

Other Orchard Crops

· Kentucky, Marketing Timber After Adding Value 

Through the Use of One Person Sawmills and Solar

Kilns

The SARE-NAC partnership will again make funds

available in FY2001 for agroforestry grants to farmers, ranchers, and tribes. Contact SARE offices for

more information: North Central: 402-472-0265:

Northeast 802-656-0471: Southern: 770-412-4787:

and Western: 801-797-2257. www.sare.org.

We’re Updating Our

Database

Please Read

A purge is necessary to keep the National

Agroforestry Center’s database current and accurate. Soon a postcard will be sent to every

address on our mailing list. YOU MUST FILL

OUT THE CARD TO REMAIN ON OUR

MAILING LIST FOR INSIDE AGROFORESTRY AND AGROFORESTRY NOTES.

Make any address or name corrections and

mail the card to the Center or fax both sides to

402-437-5712. If you are receiving multiple

copies, return every postcard, letting us know

which addresses to delete and which to keep. We

hope that you enjoy Inside Agroforestry and

thank you in advance for helping NAC conserve

paper, postage, and time.

Direct questions concerning the mailing list or

this purge to Nancy Hammond. You can e-mail

her at: nhammond@fs.fed.us, or fax her at: 402-

437-5712.
Inside Agroforestry 7

New

Agroforestry

Textbook

Available

Agroforestry: An

Integrated Science

and Practice

This 400-page college-level text

covers five of the main agroforestry practices: windbreaks,

silvopasture, alley cropping,

riparian forest buffers, and forest farming. It also addresses

issues surrounding the development of agroforestry as an integrated land use management

strategy, an ecological foundation for temperate agroforestry,

economics and policy of agroforestry, social dimensions of

agroforestry, and the future of

agroforestry in the United

States. 

Published by the American

Society of Agronomy, Inc., 677

South Segoe Road, Madison,

Wisconsin 53711. Copyright

2000. ISBN: 0-89118-142-3.

Price: $50.00.

For additional information and

resources on agroforestry visit

the NAC’s web site at:

www.unl.edu/nac.If you do not

have access to the web, staff

can be reached at 402-437-

5178. The Center has additional

material to aid your educational

efforts.

Wild Plum 

Upside-Down

Cake

Wild plums were planted extensively in windbreaks throughout the Great

Plains and Midwest. They produce a small fruit from one to one and onehalf inches in diameter that ripens in late summer.

Sauce

3 cups pitted plums, cut into pieces

1/2 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

Put plums and water into a heavy pot. Cover and cook over mediumlow heat until soft - about five minutes - check and stir often to prevent

scorching. Remove lid, and stir in remaining ingredients. Lower heat so

that the mixture boils gently, then cook uncovered until well blended -

usually two to three minutes. Remove from heat and allow plums to cool

while you make the cake batter.

Cake

1/2 cup milk

1 Tablespoon margarine or butter

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

Grease a 7 x 11 x 2 - inch cake pan and set aside. Put milk and margarine

into a small saucepan and heat to scalding (bubbles will appear around the

edge). Do not allow the milk to boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Beat eggs until foamy, then gradually add sugar and continue beating

until mixture is light colored and very thick - at least four minutes at high

speed. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Then gently blend

together the egg and flour mixtures.. Add the hot milk mixture and vanilla.

Gently stir until mixed.

Pour the cooked plum mixture into pan, then pour the cake batter over

it. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until the cake springs back

when lightly touched in the center.

Remove pan from the oven and allow it to cool at least 15 minutes on a

wire rack. The cake may be cut and served directly from the pan or it may

be turned out and then cut. To turn the cake out, run a knife along the

edges while it is still warm, then turn it over onto the serving dish. Allow

the pan to remain in place over the cake for several minutes. Makes 9 to

12 servings.

Recipe from Wild Seasons: Gathering and Cooking Wild Plants of the Great Plains by

Kay Young, illustrated by Mark E. Marcuson.

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon margarine or butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash of nutmeg

NAC
Upcoming Events From the Editor

August 29-31, 2000

Carbon: Exploring the Benefits to 

Farmers and Society. Des Moines, IA.

Contact: www.cvrcd.org/carbon.

September 8-10, 2000

American Ginseng Production in the 

21st Century. Leeds, NY. Contact: Bob

Beyfuss, 518-622-9820;

www.cce.cornell.edu/greene.

October 10-13, 2000

Third Biennial Conference: Short 

Rotation Woody Crops Operations 

Group. Syracuse, NY. Contact: 315-

470-6891, ce@esf.edu, 

www.esf.edu/willow.

We hope you enjoy Inside

Agroforestry. To help us keep our database current, we request that if you have

an address change or are receiving extra

copies of IA, to please mail or fax us a

copy of the incorrect address or addresses

and the correct one, making note of which

is correct. Thank you for your cooperation in helping the Center conserve paper

and postage, while still delivering the latest in agroforestry information.

Inside Agroforestry is published quarterly by the

USDA National Agroforestry Center. 

Phone: 402-437-5178; Fax: 402-437-5712.

Greg Ruark, Center Director ext. 27

Michele Schoeneberger, 

FS Research Leader ext. 21

Rich Straight, FS Lead Agroforester ext. 24

Bruce Wight, NRCS Lead Agroforester ext. 36

Gary Wells, Landscape Architect ext. 41

Kimberly Stuhr, TT Specialist/IA Editor ext. 13

Ryan Dee, TT Assistant ext. 14

Mike Majeski, FS Agroforester

St. Paul, MN phone: 651-649-5240

Jim Robinson, NRCS Agroforester 

Fort Worth, TX phone: 817-509-3215

Gary Kuhn, NRCS Agroforester 

Spokane, WA phone: 509-358-7946

Web Site: www.unl.edu/nac

Mission

The National Agroforestry Center (NAC) is a partnership of the USDA Forest Service,

Research & Development (Rocky Mountain Research Station) and State & Private Forestry and

the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Center’s purpose is to accelerate the

development and application of agroforestry technologies to attain more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable land-use systems. To accomplish its mission, the Center interacts with a national network of partners and cooperators to conduct research, develop technologies and tools, establish demonstrations, and provide useful information to natural resource professionals.

USDA policy prohibits discrimination because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or handicapping condition.

Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any USDA-related activity should immediately contact the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

Opinions expressed in Inside Agroforestry are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the policy of the USDA Forest Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.