permaculture

[Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>]

roxann,
Sounds like you're doing a lot of things right.

roxann wrote:
> is permaculture/food forest adverse to cutting trees at all, or is it 
> permissable to clear some for letting sunlight reach crops,
Sculpting the forest space to allow light penetration mimics the 
conditions that would prevail if a large tree crashed and created an 
opening. We then mimic the natural regeneration process selecting 
varieties we like.
>  or just what exactly does the principles of "food forestry" consider to be 
> permaculture?
Dave Jacke's Edible Forest Gardens will offer you a broader perspective 
regarding food production around trees. Permaculture is a "design" 
science based on observing and mimic-ing natural systems and using the 
successful examples of eons of evolution. It doesn't matter so much 
whether we call it Permaculture or not. What matters is the overall 
health and connectedness of the elements in the total design and how 
well we are cared for by it.

'Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and 
relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, 
fibre and energy for provision of local needs. People, their buildings 
and the ways in which they organise themselves are central to 
permaculture. Thus the permaculture vision of permanent or sustainable 
agriculture has evolved to one of permanent or sustainable culture.'

If YOU think you are doing this, then you are practicing permaculture 
and you thus have data to share with other practitioners.
>  I live in a very forested area and I have been clearing small plots and building gardens. I also have chickens, and find that they naturally prefer to stay in wooded or at least areas with lots of shelter from overhead, so I am going to incorporate that into any containment areas I set up for them in the future. right now they free range entirely. the gardens in my zone 1 area are all terraced on a slope of around 20*, but my main production beds for my market garden are on a clearing on a flat spot at the end of a nice slope, and that is where the tree clearing is taking place. A pond is being installed above the garden, so i will have gravity feed water for irrigation. 
>
> i guess i'm just getting confused about whether what i am doing is considered permaculture or not- and i have not taken classes but have the mollison book and am trying to model my 160 acre homestead around those ideas. 
>   
--
Keith Johnson
"Be fruitful and mulch apply."
Permaculture Activist Magazine
PO Box 5516, Bloomington, IN 47408
(812) 335-0383
http://www.permacultureactivist.net
Impeachment: It's not just for blowjobs anymore.
Switch to Solar Power the Easy Way
http://www.jointhesolution.com/KeithJ-SunPower
http://www.PowUr.com/KeithJ-SunPower
Blog: http://kjpermaculture.blogspot.com/
also Patterns for Abundance Design & Consulting
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/design/Designconsult.html
also Association for Regenerative Culture
also APPLE-Bloomington (Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy) It's a 
small world after oil.
http://www.relocalize.net/groups/applebloomington
also Bloomington Permaculture Guild