Forest Farming: Who Wants In?

Forest farming is an agroforestry practice defined as the intentional cultivation of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) underneath a forest canopy. Forest farming perspectives and preferences among family forest owners are generally understudied, particularly in Appalachia, where many marketable native NTFPs species are found. We surveyed Appalachian family forest owners in fourteen Southwest Virginia counties about their interest in forest farming and likelihood of leasing land for this purpose. We also asked about the owner’s residency and historical connection to the region as well as contemporary land uses, and identified the following types of uses: absentee and vacationers, newcomers, longtime farming residents, and longtime nonfarming residents. We mailed 1,040 surveys and 293 were returned (28.9%). Forty-five percent were interested or extremely interested in forest farming and 36% were likely or extremely likely to lease land. Rates of interest in forest farming and leasing were similar across owner types, suggesting broad appeal among family forest owners. Study Implications Forest farming of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) and leasing forestland for this practice is broadly appealing across diverse family forest owners in Appalachia. Opportunities to scale profitable forest farming are on the rise, potentially improving family forest management and spurring regional economic development. Study results indicate there is a critical mass of family forest owners interested in forest farming who could potentially supply cultivated NTFPs. Forest management professionals and stakeholders would benefit from considering how they can assist family forest owners who are interested in forest farming.

MODEL KELEMBAGAAN PENGEMBANGAN USAHATANI HUTAN RAKYAT GANITRI DI PROVINSI JAWA TENGAH

This study aims to formulate an institutional model for the development of ganitri community forest farming in Central Java Province. The study was conducted from January to December 2012 in three districts in Central Java Province, namely Cilacap, Kebumen, and Wonosobo. Data were analyzed descriptively with a qualitative approach. The results showed that the institutional model of agribusiness that optimizes the role of various parties such as government, private sector, and the community at all stages of farming such as the procurement of inputs, production, processing, and marketing can be used as an institutional model for the development of community forest ganitri both for production purposes timbers or seeds. The local government of Cilacap, Kebumen, and Wonosobo are advised to optimize aspects of mentoring, coaching, and counseling to stakeholders in the development of ganitri community forest farming and to find alternative markets and value added ganitri crops.

The tonkin snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus population in the Quan Ba forest, north-east Vietnam: an identification of priority habitat for conservation

The Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus is among the World’s 25 most endangered primates. At present, the species is found only in few forest areas in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang Provinces, north-east Vietnam with a total number not exceeding 250 individuals. The forest block in Cao Ma Po, Ta Van and Tung Vai Communes of Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province (the Cao - Ta - Tung forest) harbors the second largest population of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey. This population was estimated to be conisted of about 30–35 individuals in 2007. However, it faces a number of serious threats (wildlife hunting, habitat degradation by widespread forest farming of Tsao-ko cardamom plant, etc.) that may lead the population to be extinct in near future. The population was reduced to 15–21 individuals in 2016 due to these threats. In 2017–2018, we conducted a study to identify a priority habitat area to establish the Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Area. The results of our study show that the distribution of the Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey population is confined to a small area (about 5,000 ha) belonging to the Theng Chu Phin, Dao Dan Chai, Ta Lay mountains, the Hill 754 and a forest patch along the Vietnam-China border from the Post 283 to Post 295. This area harbors the best forest of the Cao - Ta - Tung area. The forest covers 92.3% of the area, and only 7.7% of the area is a non-forest land. There are two types of forest: evergreen broad-leaved forest (50.0% of total area) and limestone evergreen broad-leaved forest (42.3%). The evergreen broad-leaved forest has been degraded to medium and restoration status. Tsao-ko cardamom Amomum tsao-ko fields are widespread. The limestone evergreen broad-leaved forest of almost primary status remains in very steep slopes and limestone mountains. The Cao - Ta - Tung forest was designated as a watershed protection forest that allows farming of agricultural and medicinal plants inside the forest and the forest farming of Tsao-ko cardamom is widespread becoming the most serious threat to the long-term survival of the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey population. In order to ensure long-term survival of the Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey population, the area of the Theng Chu Pin, Dao Dai Chai, Ta Lay, Tung Lau mountains, the Hill 754 and a forest patch along the Vietnam-China border from the Post 283 to Post 285 must be designated as a special-use forest, i.e. to establish a Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Area.

The tonkin snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus population in the Quan Ba forest, north-east Vietnam: an identification of priority habitat for conservation

The Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus avunculus is among the World’s 25 most endangered primates. At present, the species is found only in few forest areas in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang Provinces, north-east Vietnam with a total number not exceeding 250 individuals. The forest block in Cao Ma Po, Ta Van and Tung Vai Communes of Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province (the Cao - Ta - Tung forest) harbors the second largest population of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey. This population was estimated to be conisted of about 30–35 individuals in 2007. However, it faces a number of serious threats (wildlife hunting, habitat degradation by widespread forest farming of Tsao-ko cardamom plant, etc.) that may lead the population to be extinct in near future. The population was reduced to 15–21 individuals in 2016 due to these threats. In 2017–2018, we conducted a study to identify a priority habitat area to establish the Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Area. The results of our study show that the distribution of the Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey population is confined to a small area (about 5,000 ha) belonging to the Theng Chu Phin, Dao Dan Chai, Ta Lay mountains, the Hill 754 and a forest patch along the Vietnam-China border from the Post 283 to Post 295. This area harbors the best forest of the Cao - Ta - Tung area. The forest covers 92.3% of the area, and only 7.7% of the area is a non-forest land. There are two types of forest: evergreen broad-leaved forest (50.0% of total area) and limestone evergreen broad-leaved forest (42.3%). The evergreen broad-leaved forest has been degraded to medium and restoration status. Tsao-ko cardamom Amomum tsao-ko fields are widespread. The limestone evergreen broad-leaved forest of almost primary status remains in very steep slopes and limestone mountains. The Cao - Ta - Tung forest was designated as a watershed protection forest that allows farming of agricultural and medicinal plants inside the forest and the forest farming of Tsao-ko cardamom is widespread becoming the most serious threat to the long-term survival of the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey population. In order to ensure long-term survival of the Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey population, the area of the Theng Chu Pin, Dao Dai Chai, Ta Lay, Tung Lau mountains, the Hill 754 and a forest patch along the Vietnam-China border from the Post 283 to Post 285 must be designated as a special-use forest, i.e. to establish a Quan Ba Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Area.

Impacts of forest management on medicinal herbs in the Missouri Ozarks

As agroforestry becomes more accepted in the Midwestern US, understanding how non-timber forest product growth is impacted by forest management practice becomes increasingly important. Timber harvest and prescribed fires are common forest management practices in the Central Hardwoods Region, and canopy gaps commonly result from these practices. Three studies were conducted in central and southern Missouri to assess the impacts of forest management. One of the studies focused on the effects of discrete canopy gaps on the height, reproduction and mortality of transplanted Actaea racemosa L., Allium tricoccum Aiton, Collinsonia canadensis L. and Hydrastis canadensis L. This study was replicated at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center in New Franklin, MO as well as the Doug Allen Project Site in Gravois Mills, Missouri. Results indicate that small canopy gaps may prove beneficial for increasing rates of photosynthesis, as well as the height and sexual reproduction of the study species. Using ground flora cover data from the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project, a second study was conducted on the relationships (P less than 0.05) between size and abundance of eleven herb species with ecological site types and the following timber harvest types: clearcutting, group selection, single-tree selection and intermediate thinning timber and no harvest (control). The goals were to ascertain whether ecological site descriptions can be used in conjunction with silvicultural management to select and manage sites for forest farming.Study species included Actaea racemosa L., Apocynum cannabinum L., Aristolochia serpentaria L., Dioscorea quaternata J.F. Gmel., Echinacea simulata R.L. McGregor, Geranium maculatum L., Hydrastis canadensis L., Parthenium integrifolium L., Podophyllum peltatum L., Sanguinaria canadensis L. and Tephrosia virginiana (L.) Pers. Uneven-aged management harvest types were significantly positively related to the percent cover and/or frequency of A. racemosa, E. simulata, G. maculatum, H. canadensis, P. peltatum and S. canadensis. Percent covers and/or frequencies of A. racemosa, A. cannabinum and A. serpentaria were significantly , positively related to mesic ESDs only, while the percent covers and/or frequencies of D. quaternata, G. maculatum and P. integrifolium were significantly , positively related to specific mesic and specific xeric ESDs A third study was conducted using the ground flora cover data from The Nature Conservancy's Chilton Creek Management Area, to assess significant (P less than 0.05) relationships between size and abundance of eight herb species with different ecological site descriptions under prescribed fire management. Goals for the study included identifying forest farming sites and planning prescribed fire management that, paired together, might stimulate growth of these plants. Study species included Actaea racemosa L., Apocynum cannabinum L., Aristolochia serpentaria L., Dioscorea quaternata J.F. Gmel., Geranium maculatum L., Parthenium integrifolium L., Sanguinaria canadensis L. and Tephrosia virginiana (L.) Pers. Percent cover values for the following species were positively related to time since beginning of experiment: A. racmosa, A. serpentaria, A. cannabinum, D. quaternata and T. virginiana, and frequency of A. cannabinum and D. quaternata was positively related to time since beginning of experiment. Representatives of these species significantly increased in percent cover over time and in the latter subset, had higher frequency over the course of prescribed fire management. Small canopy gaps may be beneficial to non-timber forest product species in oak hickory forests. Knowledge of how these species perform on particular ecological site descriptions can influence forest farming site selections. Additionally, decisions about which overstory management activities will be conducted, whether these be timber stand improvement activities involving canopy-gap creation, unevenaged management timber harvest types, and prescribed fire, can be used to determine whether forest farming operations can be synergistic with the existing silvicultural management plan.