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permaculture - [permaculture] Re: permaculture Digest, Vol 6, Issue 12

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  • From: Joshua Dolan <rainbowwarrior14874@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org, fingerlakespermaculture@topica.com
  • Cc:
  • Subject: [permaculture] Re: permaculture Digest, Vol 6, Issue 12
  • Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 12:12:42 -0700 (PDT)

I wanted to tell you all about a forest repair center
idea that I am working on. To the finger lakes list,
I don't remember if I sent this to you yet or not, but
either way, it has been significantly revised since if
you care to read it again. I would enjoy any and all
feedback, and I would love to hear your ideas, and I
would especially like to hear from anyone who has real
experience putting something like this together from
scratch, or who have skills or interest in any of the
disciplines discussed here. Any would be financial
backers out there please don't hessitate to invest
today!

A forest repair center would be a lived-in
educational center, perhaps attached to an ecovillage
and permaculture school. Given the state of our
forests and wild lands, ecosystems gradually devolving
into monocultures of non-native, many invasives, a few
straggling remnants of previous grandeur, forest
repair and its related skills are a very necessary
field that should be developed into a way of life. If
we hope to hold on to our last remaining wild spaces,
one of the keys is to protect land in perpetuity. The
other is to cultivate and increase the available
resources on the land, and the skills to aid in the
regeneration of degraded land and also to market
diverse forest products.In fact, I think it is
degraded land where we need to start. An ideal site
would be adjacent to protected forest. This will be a
necessary source of genetic material for
reforestation. It should contain its own woodlot, but
also consist of very degraded land such as an old cow
pasture or agricultural wasteland, hedgerows, eroded
stream beds, etc.: normal rural central new york
sights. Organic land is preferable, some pesticide
residues might be inevitable, and some sites are
absolutely too toxic.

Mixed stands for coppicing would be planted
immediately. Coppicing is an old technique of forest
management. Trees are cut during the dormant season,
and when spring comes, many shoots will emerge and
begin a new cycle of growth begins. Mixed stands for
coppicing would be planted immediately. You can cut
on a rotation so that you always have a supply of
wood, as well as standards (regular uncut trees)
available to meet the demand. Yields could be used
for fuel, wood for building, woodcrafts, even charcoal
is a valuable commodity and fast growing willow
especially would have excellent commercial value in an
artistic community. American chestnut could be
preserved as both disease resistan standars or
rotational non-resistant coppices. Mushrooms would be
grown in the coppices as well as endangered medicinals
like those best friends, ginseng and goldenseal.
Slippery elm is an endangered tree that is a great
pioneer species. They die from a blight at a certain
age and need to be cut, providing another valuable
medicine and be planted in a 10-15 year rotation
coppice and be cut at the same time as the rest of the
stands. I am interested in whether or not the elm
will grow back if it is cut before it becomes
diseased.

A fruit strip could be planted on the north edge of
all of the plots to benefit from the added sun during
regrowth and reintroduced native plants would thrive
in the years before the canopy closes up again.
Gardens should be planted immediately to provide for
the needs of day labor and semi-permanent and
permanent staff. Forest gardens would evolve from the
first year on and provide an ever-increasing variety
of commercial produce, medicinals, fruit and edible
perennial gourmet food. Salad bags are a great way to
capitalize on whatever raw foods are in season.
Bioshelters provide food in four seasons and help
maintain food security.

Hedgerows can be expanded and wildlife corridors can
be planted. One of the keys to restabalizing the
forest ecosystem on a large scale is an unbroken chain
of forests, interactions,co evolution, and the
reintroduction of native species. Wildlife corridores
offer a path by which the forest can transmit
information such as genetic material and resistance
information, across greater distance resulting in
greater stability and health. By providing safe harbor
for endangered flora and fauna, we immediately benefit
from a karmic bond with that place. The healthier the
place becomes, the healthier our society and
individuals become as well. By acknowledge our role as
stewards, the land then agrees to provide a
sustainable yield of resources for as long as a
balance is maintained.

A nursery could provide local stock for revenue and
for non-profit reforestation projects. The vision of
urban reforestation is very compelling, especially
when edible fruits and forest gardens are added to the
mix. There could be an urban extension of the center
to include the new urban food forest and it‘s unique
issues, such as depaving. 1st street wouldn't be a
bad place to start. Reforestation projects should be
pursued in the surrounding countryside and the center
should act as a vibrant nuclius around which to spiral
outward. I believe much effort should be spent to
include anyone in the path of our ever-expanding
spiral. Outreach to low income families ifs key and
many approaches can be used from gardening workshops
and tree sales, to planting parties in towns, barren
fields, and in public places, beginning to
reacknowledge our debt to the land. Once we make use
of towns and cities for food production, we begin to
ease the strain on the countryside.

There should be some permanent structure in the first
year or two of development. Temporary traditional
quarters could be maintained thru the first winters
and would add greatly too the educational richness of
the experience for all involved. Later they could
provide temporary homes for travelers and students. A
well designed community building could house many in
the opening stages, and then evolve into a multi-use
space with many dimensions, including offices, class
rooms, meeting hall, gathering and celebration place.
I think that much thought should be given on
incorporating the qualities of our bioregion into the
design, and a goal of all structures should be to use
recycled and onsite materials as much as possible.
Separate wood lots should be purchased, however to
reduce the strain on the woods being repaired.

I believe that one of our main goals should be to cut
costs, and blaze the way for low-income families to
afford technology that allows cohabitation with a
living environment. Indeed, our work will pave the
way for a new forest dwelling, conserver society,
based on renewable resources, and evolving skills. Our
staff would consist of permaculture designers,
certified ecoforesters, artisans, builders, activists,
herbalists and old growth trees. All of these
perspectives and more would be incorporated into the
design process. With these very diverse viewpoints in
place, it could be a center for a very unique blend of
disciplines and renaissance women and men. The
development of very new building techniques, studying
and refining restoration practices, and experimental
design would go hand in hand with the simple process
of learning how to live in the forest again.


Our students would consist of people from our local
area. This would be a great resource for local
children. Summer programs and weekend outings,
apprenticeships, and an on site schoolhouse could be
part of the new model of education, where children are
taught respect for nature and so much more. They
would develop a deeper sense of their role in the
world as stewards, and spiritual rewards would be
boundless.The center would bring people from far and
wide and they would be sent home with new hope for
their own forests and communities, with the activism
tools to make the change they seek. I believe that we
could link with a larger network of ecovillages and
reforestation projects across the country, but
particularly in the east, within the once and future
Great Eastern Forest. Our work would benefit the
whole forest.

As the area closest to the center begins to become
forest again, we can stretch out our arms and share
our surplus for reforestation projects in other areas.
New nurseries and local extensions could be formed,
more land protected, and more available resources.
New centers would begin popping up in other regions
and before you know it, we would have our grand old
forest back.

Please pass this on to any and all with interest in
trees, ecovillages, sustainable building, craftsmen,
etc. Please note, as well that much of this idea
draws on Ben Law's work in England, and most of it
comes from him, accept maybe urban programs. Maybe we
could initiate some discussion about how to create
affordable eco villages, how to fund prodjects like
this, abd how to inspire people to action.




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  • [permaculture] Re: permaculture Digest, Vol 6, Issue 12, Joshua Dolan, 07/06/2003

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