PA agroforestry opportunities, March 2024

[Coville, Robbie]

Hello, I’m writing to share PA-based agroforestry opportunities that you or your networks may be interested in. Joining Pasa’s Community Board (email list) is one way to ensure you get these. Let me know if you prefer not to receive these emails. FYI this is going to the Pasa community listserv, Northeast permaculture listserv, Northeast Nutheads listserv, and various individuals based on request or recommendation.

 

There are two items below I especially want to draw your attention to. One is an interest survey to guide the start of a PA Agroforestry Peer Network! The other is a summary of funding opportunities for agroforestry in PA, which is new and I’d welcome your feedback on. Overall, lots of learning opportunities coming up!

 

With thanks for forest stewards who came before us and hopes for the generations ahead, here are PA-based or PA-adjacent agroforestry opportunities that have come to my attention.

 

🌰 🌱 🌳

 

Working

• PAForestCareers.com offers job postings, career guidance, and mentorship connections for careers with trees and wood products in PA, a national leader in hardwoods production.
• Pennsylvania DCNR Bureau of Forestry has 3 job openings in its Forest Resource Planning section: Forest Carbon Planner, Sustainable Forest Certification Planner, and Land Conservation Planner.
• The City of Philadelphia is hiring its first-ever City Forester!
• Paid opportunity to participate in BIPOC listening session about trees and agroforestry, co-hosted by Farming with Trees Collective and authors of “Up From the Roots: Centering Racial Justice to Build Transformative Agroforestry”.

 

Funding

• A summary of agroforestry funding opportunities in Pennsylvania is now available at http://bit.ly/PAagroforestryassistance. This is a new resource and feedback or updates are welcome (please send those to me at rcov...@pa.gov).
• The 2024 Commonwealth Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is now open for applications! This has historically funded innovative work related to PA hardwood utilization.
• Applications continue to be accepted for the Expanding Agroforestry Project, the Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant Program, and the PA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program. Those first two opportunities are part of a handy webinar “Ask An Agroforester: Funding Edition” hosted & recorded by Appalachian Sustainable Development.

 

Learning

• March 20 Forested Buffers Training for Conservation Professionals free workshop in-person at Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, PA.
• March 22, 12:30-2pm Live Panel Discussion Features Northeast Silvopasture Farmers hosted by Wellspring Forest Farm
• March 25 and weekly through April, Riparian Buffer Tree Tending volunteer work and learning at Horn Farm Center’s multifunctional buffers in York, PA.
• March 28 Transition to Organic Orchard Production walk with Rodale Institute at their Schantz Organic Agroforestry Center – Organic Apples & New Hazelnut Plantings.
• March 28 at 6:30pm, Forest Farming: Narrow-Leaf Ramps free webinar hosted by Penn State Extension
• April 9 at 12pm or 7pm, Introduction to Working Buffers You Can Eat! free webinar hosted by Penn State Extension.
• April 19 to May 19 Ramps U-Pick ticketed events in Equinunk, PA. Events include instruction on harvesting, washing, and storing ramps, and discussion on various topics related to managing a ramps patch sustainably.
• May 25 Grafting workshop by PA Nut Growers Assc. at Don & Ann Jackson’s in Red Lion, PA. RSVP by May 11 at 717-880-2299 or blue...@yahoo.com.
• At your pace: recordings are now available from University of Missouri’s 2024 Agroforestry Symposium: Silvopasture in Practice
• At your pace: www.FarmingWithTrees.org is a decentralized network encouraging collaborative projects in Agroforestry that are grounded in the wisdom and knowledge of people, communities and ecosystems. This new site offers some great resources, online learning about tree planting and care for farmers (supported by a Northeast SARE grant), video case studies on silvopasture (supported by USDA National Agroforestry Center), and an email list to receive announcements.
• At your pace: www.LearnAgroforestry.com is building a curriculum of online courses and in-field learning opportunities about agroforestry practices.
• At your pace: Penn State Extension offers great webinars and pages as part of their Forest Farming Series, teaching practical details about stewarding and gathering ginseng, ramps, morels, and more.

 

News

• USDA funds “Expanding the Market for Organic Chestnuts in the Northeast U.S.”, a collaboration between Breadtree Farms and a national coalition of partners to support the growth of the organic chestnut industry in the Northeast U.S. Webpage includes interest form for various types of stakeholders who may want to collaborate in this project.

 

Community and Conferences

• PA Agroforestry Peer Network interest survey launched, please respond and share at www.bit.ly/PAAPNsurvey!
• March 22-24 Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition is hosting its 2024 Forest Farming Conference.
• April 3-5 PA Land Conservation Conference, including tour on April 4 of Hershey tree crops conservation happening at Louise Moore County Park in Easton, PA.
• April 24-25 A Symposium on The Impact of Soil Health on Human Health, held at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO.
• May 13-16 Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWCs) International Conference held at the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, MO.       
• June 22 PA Nut Growers Association (PNGA) all members picnic in Red Lion, PA (join or contact association for details).
• July 21-24 Northern Nut Growers Association (NNGA) and Chestnut Growers of America (CGA) hold their annual joint conference at State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. Register volunteer interest / availability. Conference registration will be available soon at www.NutGrowing.org.
• October 6-8 Perennial Farm Gathering will be hosted in-person in Madison, WI, by the Savanna Institute.

 

Inspiration

It can feel difficult to engage with agroforestry for people with little or no land tenure. Agroforestry is not only about numbers of trees and acres of practices, though. To many people, the priorities are tree propagation and cultural shifts in how we utilize goods from the woods. You can read more about the importance of tree nurseries in “From the Ground Up: Tree Planting Needs Local Roots” by Steve Gabriel, part 1 in a series of articles from www.FarmingWithTrees.org. Here is a quote that article offers from tree nurseryperson Akiva Silver: “Once you learn to identify trees, they will reveal themselves to you everywhere... I used to think that special trees worthy of being a named variety were extremely rare. I now think I could find some anywhere I lived in the world that has trees. Keep your eyes open, pay attention, learn to identify trees, and you will find treasures.” And for folks who don’t have much land to work with, here’s an instructional video of thousands of trees grown in a parking space using low-tech air prune beds.

 

I hope this is helpful! This is by no means a comprehensive list. If you’d like me to highlight other public agroforestry opportunities – or if you have any other questions or feedback – please feel welcome to reach out using my contact info below.

 

Thanks for your interest and efforts, and I hope you have a flowerful spring!

Robbie

 

 

Robbie Coville (he/him) | Ecosystem Products and Markets Specialist

PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Bureau of Forestry | Rural & Community Forestry Section
William Penn State Forest District | Cell: 717-614-0503 | Email: rcov...@pa.gov