By Blake Jackson
An agroforestry project at Wild Fox Farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania is using trees to increase profits and combat climate change.
The project, which was funded by a combination of grants and assistance from a variety of partners, planted 1,500 hazelnut trees and about 500 black locusts. The hazelnuts will be marketed for culinary use, and the locust trees will be harvested for fence posts in about 15 years.
The farm also plans to graze cattle around the trees in the future.
The hazelnut trees planted at Wild Fox Farm are a result of work at Rutgers to select for hardy resistant European hazelnuts that can do well in production in the United States.
The project is expected to provide several benefits, including:
- Increased profits for the farm
- Combating climate change through carbon sequestration
- Providing shade and fodder for grazing animals
- Improving water quality
The farm is still on a learning curve, but the owners are encouraged by the progress they have made so far. They hope that their project will inspire other farmers to consider agroforestry as a way to improve their operations.
Photo Credit: istock-dorin-s
Categories: Pennsylvania, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables