Forest Farming
At Sylvatica Forest Farm we care about stewarding the land in right relationship, in a away that supports wildlife, plants and humans and their habitats. Part of our mission is to preserve the precious native woodland medicinal plants that are currently under threat or endangered due to over-harvesting and loss of habitat. Industries such as logging, housing development and mining natural resources are majorly responsible for this.
Forest Farming is a term used to describe how Native Peoples across the world related to the practices of, not only foraging for food and medicine but how to steward these plants in a wild setting. This requires ecological knowledge, meaning developing a relationship with the plants, the ecosystem and a deep understanding and reverence for their life cycles. Foraging practices such as harvesting small percentages (usually 10%), giving back something when we take and propagation are some of the practices we have learned from our ancestors about stewarding wild plant populations. It is imparant that no chemical use is involved when Forest Farming not to disrupt the existing balance of the ecosystem.
On our farm, we host educational events and workshops for our regional community and we hope that, together, we can help preserve the traditional ecological knowledge for more resilient future access to these plants.
We also hope that, one day, we’ll be able to sustainably harvest and process these herbs to offer them in our Apothecary.
The market for woodland medicinal is growing globally and most of the plants grown in the USA are exported to Asia, when we import most of the same medicine we use in the USA. It seems like a shift in perspective is needed for a more sustainable and resilient future for both us humans, animals and for the plants, not to mention the ecological impact that these transactions have in the ecological system. What I believe we need in Appalachia is more awareness, more people involved, more people sustainably producing and processing these herbs for market.
We are a proud member of the Botanical Sanctuary Network from United Plant Savers - a non-profit organization based in OH, who’s goal is to promote research, education, and conservation of native medicinal plants, fungi, and their habitats.
If you are interested in collaborating with us or learning more about how to help preserve these plants, get in contact with us!
