Agroforestry Webinar Series Will Showcase New Research, Techniques and More
Agroforestry describes a wide range of practices that integrate trees, forests, and agricultural production. These systems preserve and enhance woodland and tree landscapes and are an important solution to climate change and in developing healthy farm economics. Agroforestry is rooted in both indigenous knowledge from around the world and in the work of numerous individuals who have conducted research and engaged as practitioners over centuries.
New York and the Northeast U.S. are primed for agroforestry, given that a wide diversity of tree species and forest types are found within the region. Cornell researchers and educators have been involved with identifying several specific agroforestry practices that offer ecological, economical, and social benefits including mushroom cultivation, ginseng, nut production, maple syrup, and silvopasture.
Join our Agroforestry project and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Agroforestry Program Work Team for a series of webinars starting in June to highlight the latest information and materials available. Read on below for full descriptions of each event.
In early summer, there will also be a release of a survey for New York farmers and forest owners to capture their interest and priorities for research and education efforts in the future. The Agroforestry program work team is co-chaired by Steve Gabriel of the Cornell Small Farms Program and Tracey Testo of the Green County Agroforestry Center.
Register now for this free series, open to the general public.
Each webinar will be recorded and posted to the Cornell Agroforestry website alongside our current video, print, and web resources.
Past, Present, and Future Nut Production
Thursday, September 16, at 3 p.m.
Temperate nut trees have been raining food in the forests of what is today NYS for thousands of years, yet today they are only just emerging as a viable crop in NYS agriculture. Join us in a webinar exploring the past, present, and future of these multifunctional perennial crops and how their local production can help meet climate resilience and social justice goals.
With Samantha Bosco, PhD Candidate Horticulture Section, School of Integrated Plant Science
Sustaining production and profits: research update from the Cornell Maple Program
Wednesday, November 17, at 3 p.m.
The Cornell Maple Program is a research and extension program with a mission to support the sustainable growth of the maple products industry. This presentation will discuss new strategies for maintaining sap production from tubing systems including line washing, 3/16″ tubing treatments, and tap timing based on the latest research from the Uihlein Maple Research Forest in Lake Placid, NY and the Arnot Research Forest in Van Etten, NY. This talk will also cover new product development efforts spearheaded by the maple program and other strategies for diversifying the product line from maple businesses.
With Aaron Wightman, NY statewide maple specialist and co-director of the Cornell Maple Program. He oversees research and operations at Cornell’s 7,500 research sugarbush and maple laboratory at the Arnot Teaching and Research Forest in Van Etten, NY. His work encompasses all aspects of maple production including forest management, sap collection systems, syrup processing, and new product development.
