Agroforestry - tree crops for the future
Besides holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry and Agriculture, James' primary knowledge of farming systems and agro-forestry comes from direct experience. From maple syruping in New England growing up, to assistant managing a high desert peach farm in California for three seasons prior to a late entry to College.
Since then, he has planted countless trees and maintained a home-scale nursery in some years, raising chestnut, hazelnut from fruit trees from seed and performing spring grafts on assorted fruit trees, like pear, persimmon and apple.
He has been employed privately by farmers, hobbyists, homeowners to design and plant landscapes from a half-acre to 20 acres, and led workshops on agroforestry in many locations in the US, as well as Portugal and Denmark.
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Here is a link to an article he wrote for the AM Gurukula, a Neo-Humanist monthly publication
Chinese Chestnut, Castanea mollissima
Blissful Spring Farm
Andersonville, TN
February of 2016, I traveled to Tennessee to work with a farmer to plan the installation, prepare the ground finding contours.
Then in March we plowed swales (ditch and berm for water catchment), followed by smoothing them with a disk harrow and planting the top of the berm using an auger attachment.
In just 4 hours we planted 1,200 trees of 7 species--chinese chestnut, apples, pears, two species of Locusts (pseudo acacia) plus native persimmon and mulberries
Jack's Ranch
Mars Hill, NC
Spring of 2019, I worked closely with the property owner on all elements of planning, ground prep, purchasing and planting on two hillsides with a unique variety of 17 species / 99 total trees. Follow up fencing for his domestic animals and consultation on location of homesite and pond. The trees are growing well after all those years and have begun to bear olives, mulberries, chestnuts, persimmons, plums and peaches !
Kindred Oaks Farm
Cedartown, Georgia
March 2020, I led a two day workshop on Agro-Forestry in a special corner of Georgia. 10 people attended. We covered design, planting, grafting, care and harvest, alley cropping and Silvo-pasture methodologies
