Today I took a trip back up to the farm again, working to make the best use of each hour and every day.
Here you can see a row of planted trees, beneath the shade of other native trees and bushes. Basically the idea is to clean out the grasses and herbs, ferns and vines from the understory, to give the next generation of trees a straight shot to the top. Generally trees are very good at competing with each other, and competition applied in the right way make trees grow tall and straight.
While cleaning up around the edges, I am keeping my eye out for one native tree in specific: Viburnum Cornifolium. I'm not 100% sure if we have the right species, but the genus is correct, take a look:
I keep a look out for these because they have proven very hard to grow from seed, but appear around the farm beneath other trees and bushes where birds perch. They love the tiny berries from this tree! And their digestive process perfectly prepares the seed to take hold in the soil and leaf litter below trees in the forest.
The local name for this tree translates something like 'axe handle tree', and I have set a goal to multiply and cultivate this tree all over the farm and within other crops. I propose to grow axe handles. Also posts, this tree responds very vigorously to copsing and resprouts multiple heads each time.
Here are some leaves and the trunk of our largest specimen currently:
So I am working with two guys, and I am training them to keep their eyes out for these small sprouts. Even after I am content with 500 or 1000 of these trees, I think it will be smart to keep up the habit, and raise small trees in a nursury, to sell to others. Currently it is becoming more popular lately to buy different, useful, native and interesting species of trees. But Viburnum Cornifolium is very hard to come by.
So I keep 'rescuing' and replanting the sprouts, on contour, interspersed with other species of trees and bushes, such as nitrogen fixers.
I met a man with a 2 meter lathe, so this could be a business over the next couple years.
It is just one of the promising species we are focusing on, and one that can be quite tricky to germinate.
Absolutely amazing job farming and growing your own wood.
A lot of my Native American elders told me that I was making sung wood.
And then I also read author Robert Jordan who had also referenced the same thing about singing to the trees and working with them to grow what you needed.
It is pretty amazing how the intentions really shape the tree.
Best part is after you have told it what you need from it the tree is able to send you a ton of new shoots to start working with.
@ecosaint
I gotta be using the #edenbuxx tag for these posts! I am really excited because finally making some great forest garden project on the farm :)
YES! Don't forget about our poor little tribe and community page LOL. Also don't forget our #build stake. It's still very snowy here ... in a month or two ill start making some good #edenbuxx posts.
Super exciting !
I work outside and understand the concept of not wanting to waste sunlight 😀
Looking forward to seeing this grow.