Agroforestry?

You may investigate propagating medicinal forrest plants under the trees. Ginseng, and Goldenseal are classics. Black Cohosh has recently come into high demand since being proven a safe and effective alternative to hormone treatments for menopause. It also seems easy to grow.

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Vicker
If you're born to hang, you'll never drown.

I think these are possible considerations also, because stuff like ginseng needs a filter light which a forest atmosphere can naturally provide.
People that I know who live in the next towship operate a sawmill and cow/calf operation. True homesteaders, as the old man arrived from eastern europe some decades ago and never worked a job, unless it was from his own hand and brain. They log species trees like cedar for custom work, fence posts and such. They set aside a 1/4 acre area they felt ideally suited to grow ginseng, so they took scrap lumber slat pieces for an overhead covering (all 1/4 acre) to create a filtered light condition needed to grow ginseng. I haven't heard of their success with that, but it's an 'iffy' proposition. They've had problems growing it to market size, but have had good fit's and starts with propagating it. At least they have enough clear pasture over the years from their lumber work to pay for cattle they now more keep to make a living at. They also built several outpost cabins to service a hunting and fishing group that pays to visit as part of the tourist trade for themselves. Funny name they call their camp...it's called "Camp Neverown" lol.

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The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.

Agroforestry is a precursor to permaculture. Well worth investigating.

Cattle do not make good foresters, but agroforestry makes the best pasture for cattle and for the healthiest, best trees.

Maple bush: take a look at the "sweet sap silver maple" from st. lawrence nursery. It can be tapped for sugar nine years after planting.

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[raising chickens] [diatomaceous earth] [permaculture] [rocket mass heater] [lawn care]

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I am doing ginseng and golden seal in my woods, also using smaller limbs for mushrooms -- need to get home and cut some trees soon!

Wow, I never came across this before!!! Come to think of it now I have something new to think about This is cool dont know why I never thought of it while picking black berries. Thanks all

Um,.....does anyone have a MARKET for ginseng?

I have been interested in it before, but I never found a mail buyer.

terri..there are all kinds of markets across the country.go to book store and get a copy of FUR-FISH-GAME magazine.it has several people in back that buy sing.we got a local buyer here.also any fur buyer usually buys the stuff too.but one word of caution......the G'ovt has goten invoved in the sing buisness and they are screwing it up.the enviro's are crying wolf again...so they passed a law where the sing has to be 10 years old before you ccan sa;e it.people flipped out and they relaxed it for this year back to 5 years old but next year it will be back to 10 years and local buyer tod me a strick 10 years old....well what the morons dont understand is you only can tell the age of the root until after being dug.so if someone digs a root and its not10 well more than likely they will just toss it rather than get caught with ti.seems as though they are going to treat it like it was marujuania now.with fines for having it and saleing under age roots...this is a true crock of poop....sorry for the negative part..just wanted you to be aware of what was going on .good luck..

there is a good book by john epler about sing check it out

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i went to the woods because i wished to live deliberately to front only the essential facts of life,.......,and not,when i came to die,discover that i had not lived...Henry David Thoreau

Thanks!

PErhaps I can find a buyer for the seeds: I never planted any because there was no market. So, any plants that I put in will be quite young for a long time.

There is a shady spot by the creek where they might be happy, though!

My plan, once I manage to get back to the country, is to set aside part of my woods and manage it for mast production. Somewhere I read about this being a standard practice in (?) Sicily, where farmers let their pigs loose in the chestnut forests to fatten up in the fall. I'd like to encourage different species of trees that produce food for pigs and then rotate the pigs around in the forest. This would allow them to harvest their own food - and the meat is supposed to taste great. Rotating them would help mitigate the damage they can do to the forest, and if I don't over-stock it shouldn't present a problem. This site has some similar information: http://sonic.net/~wildfarm/agrofood.html

The trick will be to have fruit- or nut-producing trees throughout the growing season for the pigs. Mulberries are favorites of pigs and produce early in the year, so that's helpful. In the fall, beech, oak, chestnut, pecan, walnuts (and probably others I've forgotten to mention) will help fatten the pigs. It's the in-between time that's got me stumped (pardon the pun). Early apples and pears would help, so I'm thinking of a pasture for the pigs that's part open orchard and part dense forest. Maybe Jerusalem artichokes in the open area could help too.

Anybody have other thoughts?