Expanding agroforestry

As forest ownerships in the Northeast increasingly change hands and subdivide, today’s land stewards are asking new questions about how to protect, care for, and cultivate their woods. Land care strategies that challenge the long-standing Eurocentric silos between forestry and agriculture are of particular interest to underserved and indigenous communities, many of whom have traditional ways of relating to the land that include forest gardening and foraging for wild edibles, medicine, and traditional craft materials. Agroforestry was practiced here for tens of thousands of years before colonization, and is once again emerging as a solution to complex land use conflicts, ongoing soil carbon loss, and food system insecurity. It offers an entry point for those who want to better engage in more active land stewardship yet face social, economic, and technical barriers to participate. It also represents an opportunity for Massachusetts to support greater equity in programs that increase the health and resilience of our forests.

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