Transcript:
Crops do not just grow in farm fields. They can grow in forests, too.
Coville: “There’s log-grown mushrooms, like shiitake mushrooms grown outdoors. There’s ginseng and ramps, which are becoming increasingly popular … you know, locally grown chestnuts or American persimmons, which is a really lovely crop you don’t often see in grocery stores. Pawpaws are getting increasingly popular.”
Robbie Coville is with Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry.
He says developing markets for forest food crops can provide landowners with new income streams and a financial reason to protect their forested land.
That benefits the climate because forests absorb and store carbon dioxide. And they provide local cooling.
But building and sustaining markets for forest-grown products takes work. And Coville says government funding can help create momentum.
For example, in Pennsylvania, a state grant helped a collective of more than 50 nut growers invest in nut hullers, mills, and oil pressers to increase production of hickory nut oil.
Coville: “Which is said by some to be an olive oil of the hardwood forests.”
So it’s an example of how governments can help grow these emerging industries – and in the process, support local businesses, healthy forests, and the climate.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media. Thanks to Pasa Sustainable Agriculture for logistical support.
