What Was New ... and Is Still UsefulWe invite you to browse this archive of past "What's New" listings for new book and report announcements, links to websites of interest, research updates, and news of people and institutions. "What's New" archives are listed below chronologically by date of posting on the AFTA website or publication in The Temperate Agroforester.
September 2005Search Agroforestry Activities in US & Canada
http://www.aftaweb.org/resources1.php?page=54 New agroforestry-related activities in Canada have been added to the online database as a result of a cooperative project between AFTA and Agriculture and AgriFood Canada. Some of these projects are described in French and others are in English, and there are now search tools in both languages. Conservation Buffers Dynamic Bibliography
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/Bibliographies/dynamic.html The Water Quality Information Center at the USDA National Agricultural Library offers dynamically-generated bibliographic searches of topics related to conservation buffers, including alley cropping, riparian buffers and windbreaks. Agroforestry Update (BC) The latest edition of "Agroforestry Update," published by the British Columbia Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, includes several interesting stories. In southeastern BC, the Hawthorn Agroforestry Demonstration Farm trials are experimenting with alley-cropping the native hawthorn (Cratageus spp.) for medicinal herbal products. To receive a PDF copy of the latest "Agroforestry Update" or to subscribe, contact George Powell at agroforestry@uniserve.com . Tree Establishment Using Ground Covers in Alley Cropping Research on Midwestern farms investigated alley cropping systems with trees and forages. Crop and tree growth were evaluated in alley cropping systems using four forage intercrops compared to weed control treatments or no management. Nutrient Trading in Conestoga River Watershed, PA
http://www.asiwpca.org/presentations/docs/wlsraleigh/SMarkPANutrientTradingReverseAuction.pdf Nutrient trading seeks to foster financial agreements between point and nonpoint sources of nutrients such as phosphorus aimed at achieving water quality improvements at relatively lower costs. The Conestoga River in Pennsylvania, part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, is the site of a model nutrient trading scheme. ARS Investigates Silvopasture Management for Appalachia
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug05/sylvan0805.htm Scientists at the USDA ARS Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center in Beaver, West Virginia report in the August issue of "Agricultural Research" on lessons learned from on-going silvopasture research. July, 2005Pine Straw Harvesting
http://www.agriquip.com/marangon/index.shtml Pine straw for landscape mulch is a profitable agroforestry product for forest owners large and small in the Southeast. Although pine straw can be harvested with a conventional hay baler, custom rakes and mini-bale rollers are available to harvest straw between closely spaced trees. Conservation Effects Assessment Project
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/ceap/ The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) will study conservation practices, including riparian buffers, windbreaks and alley cropping, that are subsidized by programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Trees and Markets
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treesandmarkets/ Trees and Markets, an on-going program of the World Agroforestry Centre, seeks to "improve livelihoods through better trees and tree products within agroforestry systems." UMCA "Agroforestry Practices" DVD
http://www.centerforagroforestry.org/ The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA) recently completed a series of videos to illustrate all five major agroforestry practices, now available on a single DVD. International Ecoagriculture Conference
http://www.ecoagriculturepartners.org/Meetings/Nairobi2004/proceed_report.php This links to the final conference report of the 2004 International Ecoagriculture Conference and Practitioners’ Fair at the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, convened to assess the current status and future potential for ecoagriculture. Farmland Riparian Buffers for Income and Stream Protection
http://www.ruraltech.org/pubs/fact_sheets/fs014/index.asp University of Washington researchers are investigating both the environmental benefits and product harvest potential of farmland riparian buffers in western Washington. The aim of the research is to document management options for buffers to provide both water quality benefits and economic income for the landowner.
Study Finds Persistent Eutrophication Problems from P Fertilizer
www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0503959102 A study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that agricultural soils enriched by years of phosphorus fertilizer application can continue to leach excess P into water bodies, which leads to eutrophication, even after P fertilization ceases. March, 2005The Traditional Tree Initiative will provide vital information needed to advance sustainable agriculture and economic development while protecting genetic and species diversity. This is an example of third-party certification creating new markets for sustainably-harvested nontimber products (source: NWFP Digest). Asia Pacific Agroforestry NewsletterThe Asia Pacific Agroforestry Newsletter (APANews) covers agroforestry research and practice in throughout the region. For information on how to receive APANews, email fao_apanews@yahoo.com. Results of a paired-watershed study in Minnesota showed that both net farm income and environmental benefits (e.g. water quality, erosion control, wildlife) increased under land use scenarios with greater crop diversity and more perennial vegetation compared to conventional corn and soybean agriculture. January, 2005The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service has compiled a useful collection of publications and online resources that address water use, water quality, and water conservation. . The Natural Resource Conservation Service's Plant Materials Program newsletter highlights the importance of living snow fences to help prevent auto accidents on roads subject to blowing and drifting snow. Non-wood News is an annual newsletter produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (Forestry Department) of the United Nations.The aim is to provide information on the potential of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and their contribution to the sustainable development of the world's forest resources. Working Trees for Water Quality
www.unl.edu/nacThe USDA National Agroforestry Center has released a new publication in the "Working Trees" series: Working Trees for Water Quality. The full-color brochure describes how not only riparian buffers but other agroforestry practices as well can contribute to an integrated watershed approach to protecting water resources. The NRCS Plant Materials Center in Montana has issued a new Technical Note on the emerald ash borer, a significant insect pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.), including green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica which is used extensively in the central and western U.S. for windbreaks, shelterbelts, living snowfences, etc. The latest issue of Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) magazine (Vol. 20, no.4) is devoted to ecoagriculture / agroforestry. ILEIA (Institute for Low External Input Agriculture) worked with Ecoagriculture Partners and others to identify practical examples of ecoagriculture practiced by farming communities at a landscape scale that are highlighted in this special issue entitled "Farming with Nature." October, 2004Woodland Chicken Project ( UK )
http://www.faifarms.co.uk/poultry.htm One of the research projects sponsored by the Food Animal Initiative in the UK studies silvopasture with poultry. The Poultry in Natural Environments (PINE) project seeks to address research questions relevant to both chicken production and commercial forestry. Research is investigating the effect of tree cover on the foraging activity of free-range broiler chickens. Forests, Trees and Climate Change
http://www.rcfa-cfan.org/english/profile.19.htm In response to the concerns about climate change, the Government of Canada created the Canada Climate Change Development Fund (CCCDF). One of the initiatives under CCCDF is to investigate agroforestry systems that have potential for carbon sequestration and storage in both soil and biomass. Ecoagriculture Partners Newsletter
ecoagriculture@listserv.uga.edu Ecoagriculture Partners (EP) is an international, nonprofit organization that promotes “sustainable agriculture and associated natural resource management systems that embrace and simultaneously enhance productivity, rural livelihoods, ecosystem services and biodiversity.” Stay current by subscribing to the newsletter listserv; send a message containing the command "subscribe ecoagriculture" to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods
www.foreststreesandlivelihoods.co.uk This international, peer-reviewed journal focuses on issues related to rural development forestry, e.g. socioeconomics, tree and forest management systems, nontimber products and services, trees in agricultural and land-use systems, and public policy. Inside Agroforestry
www.unl.edu/nac/ia/summer04/summer04.pdf The Summer, 2004 issue of the Inside Agroforestry newsletter from the National Agroforestry Center looks at software and decision-making tools that assist with the design of windbreaks and riparian buffers. Sustainable Production of Wood & Non-Wood Forest Products
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr604.pdf (PDF 2.0 MB) This proceedings is a collection of 18 papers presented at the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) All Division 5 Conference held in New Zealand last year. Twelve of the papers are related to nontimber forest products and are contributions of the IUFRO Non-wood Forest Products Research Group. Trees and Biodiversity: A Guide for Australian Farm Forestry
www.rirdc.gov.au This new publication from the Joint Venture Agroforestry Program provides a case study, in an Australian context, of how farm forestry can help protect and enhance biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. The book aims to help landowners, extensionists and others understand how farm forestry and agroforestry practices can be designed and located to improve biodiversity.Top Forest Farming Nontimber forest product development is one of the special areas of research underway at the Brooks Forest Products Center on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA. The following are among the current projects: A Regional Assessment of the Non-Timber Forest Products Industry (www.srs4702.forprod.vt.edu/unit/ntfp_industry.htm)
This study is aimed at providing public forest managers in the South with better information on the harvesting and marketing of nontimber forest products so that harvest levels, resource impacts and management needs can be monitored. Non-Timber Forest Products from Riparian Zones (www.srs4702.forprod.vt.edu/unit/ntfp_riparian.htm)
This projects looks at the ecological effects of harvesting native plants for nontimber forest products in forest riparian zones, particularly related to biodiversity and population dynamics, to enable forest managers to determine what sustainable harvest levels of these plants should be. Non-Timber Forest Product Output Assessment: A pilot effort (www.srs4702.forprod.vt.edu/unit/ntfp_output.htm)
This case study of selected native plants collected in the mountains of North Carolina will attempt to quantify nontimber forest product outputs and identify market outlets as a model for additional product studies in other geographic areas or with other species.
July, 2004 WCA Highlights and Declaration
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/wca/
Documents from the 2004 World Congress of Agroforestry available on the Congress website include the Orlando Declaration (PDF, 75 kb), a summary statement for policy-makers, researchers, educators and practitioners that was adopted by delegates to the Congress, and the Book of Abstracts (PDF, 2.5 MB). Silvoarable Agroforestry for Europe (SAFE)
www.montpellier.inra.fr/safe/english/index.htm
The Silvoarable Agroforestry for Europe (SAFE) project is an effort by a multi-national group of European scientists to validate the profitability of modern alley cropping through modeling and to develop policy guidelines for the adoption of silvoarable agroforestry in EU countries. British Columbia Agroforestry Initiative
www.woodlot.bc.ca/html/agroinit/index.html
The government of British Columbia , Canada is supporting the development and expansion of an agroforestry industry in the province through the Agroforestry Initiative. The aim is the development of a BC agroforestry brand marketing strategy for value-added products from agroforests. Agroforestry Extension in Australia
www.iufro.org/iufro/iufronet/d6/wu60603/troutdale03-proceedings.pdf (PDF, 4 MB)
The proceedings of a recent IUFRO symposium contain a paper by Rowan Reid entitled A Conceptual Framework for Agroforestry and Farm Forestry (pages 277-290), which discusses approaches to forestry extension from the standpoint of farmers and of stakeholder who influence farmer's decision-making. EnviroMapper for Water
www.epa.gov/waters/enviromapper/
EnviroMapper for Water is a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) application that dynamically displays information about bodies of water in the United States that allows you to create customized maps that portray the nation's surface waters along with a collection of environmental data. New Vistas in Agroforestry
This new collection of scientific papers on both temperate and tropical agroforestry topics was launched at the recent World Agroforestry Congress in Orlando, Florida . To view the complete Table of Contents and order copies, visit the Agroforester's Bookshop. UMCA 2003 Research Highlights
The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry issued a new, full-color report, 2003 Research Highlights: Research, Partnerships and Technology Transfer, summarizes the scientific and education activities of the Center through last year. To request a copy of the 2003 report, contact UMCA: umca@missouri.edu or 573-882-9866. UMCA Publications on CD-ROM
University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry has also released a CD-ROM containing a selection of their training manuals and publications in PDF format, including nut trees (black walnut, pecan and chestnut), and several papers on agroforestry marketing and economics. To request a copy of the CD, contact umca@missouri.edu.
April, 2004 Florida Extension Publications on Agroforestry
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_Agroforestry
University of Florida Cooperative Extension has several publications available online that describe agroforestry practices suitable for the Southeast. This link takes you to a menu of related Extension publications available online. "Buffer$" Analyses Costs-Benefits of Conservation Buffers
www.unl.edu/nac/conservation/
The USDA National Agroforestry Center has developed a new computer program to help landowners and planners answer financial questions about windbreaks, riparian strips and other conservation buffers. Follow the link above to download, or to request a free CD, email Gary Bentrup at NAC. Farm Woodland Forum
www.agroforestry.ac.uk/
Formerly known as the UK Agroforestry Forum, the Farm Woodland Forum provides information about farming with trees in the UK. Members of the Forum are involved in research and practice on alley cropping and silvopasture practices appropriate for the UK and other temperate regions.
New Reports on Nontimber Forest Products
http://www.ifcae.org/projects/ncssf1/
The Institute for Culture and Ecology (IFCAE) has issued several new reports on the management of nontimber forest products (NTFP) in the US. The reports are based on research funded by the National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry.
Wildlife and Agroforestry
The latest issue of Inside Agroforestry, a regular publication of the USDA National Agroforestry Center, looks at ways that agroforestry practices benefit wildlife. To subscribe, contact the National Agroforestry Center, East Campus-UNL, Lincoln, NE 68583, Tel. 402-437-5178, www.unl.edu/nac. Adding Value Through Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship
http://redhot.ncat.org/mirrors/attra.internal.ncat.org/attra-pub/value-addedResource.pdf (PDF 501 KB)
This ATTRA publication provides a list of resources to assist farmers in developing and managing value-added agricultural enterprises and approaches. It will also be useful to landowners contemplating new enterprises and products based on agroforestry. Forest Management Certification Guide
A new book published by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation provides valuable resource for private, non-industrial forest landowners seeking relevant information about forest management certification. Copies can be purchased for $10 from Pinchot Institute for Conservation, 1616 P St. NW, #100, Washington, DC 20036, Tel. 202-797-6580, publications@pinchot.org.
January 2004Specialty Crops Marketing Info http://www.agmrc.org/speccrops/speccrops.html The USDA Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (www.agmrc.org) offers a website devoted to information on marketing, processing, production and case studies on non-timber forest products (aka specialty crops) that can be produced using forest farming. Free Newsletter on Sustainable Agriculture http://attra.ncat.org/newsletter/weeklyharvest.html Staff of the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) compile and distribute The Weekly Harvest, a digest of news gleaned from the Internet related to sustainable agriculture. Find Local Technical Service Providers for Conservation Planning www.techreg.usda.gov TechReg is a new database offered by NRCS to help landowners find local technical service providers for conservation planning and design, layout, installation, and checkout of approved conservation practices. This includes alley cropping, riparian buffers and windbreaks. The Herb Basket of Appalachia http://www.aspencsg.org/cbf/pages/occasional/occasional1.pdf This new publication traces the development of the Roots of Appalachia Growers Association (RAGA), an association of private producers of ginseng, goldenseal and other medicinal herbs. Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs This new book details how to grow valuable indigenous medicinal plants, including American Ginseng, Echinacea, Goldenseal, and others. Available from Horizon Herbs, (541) 846-6704, hhcustserv@HorizonHerbs.com, or www.horizonherbs.com. Managed Grazing in Riparian Areas http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/managedgraze.pdf This new ATTRA publication is designed to help farmers and ranchers identify and use locally appropriate grazing practices to protect riparian resources. Protecting Riparian Areas: Farmland Management Strategies http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/riparian.pdf This ATTRA publication describes what healthy riparian areas look like, how they operate, and why they are important for the environment and society. Butternut (Juglans cinerea) Bibliography http://ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/viewpub.asp?key=1861 An annotated bibliography of the major literature related to butternut from 1890 to 2002. Includes 230 citations and a topical index. Topics include diseases, conservation, genetics, insect pests, silvics, nut production, propagation, silviculture, and utilization. Black Walnut Symposium Proceedings Proceedings of the Fifth Black Walnut Symposium held 28-31 July 1996 in Springfield, Missouri. Reference: Van Sambeek, J.W., 1997, Knowledge for the future of black walnut; proceedings of the 5th black walnut symposium, General Technical Report NC-191, USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN. Agroforestry Options for Landowners This pamphlet from the Agroforestry Research Trust in England describes the main types of agroforestry system which are of main interest to farmers and other landowners - silvopasture, silvoarable, forest farming and forest gardening. Saskatchewan Forestry Centre
One of the programs of the Saskatchewan Forestry Centre (SFC) is to promote private land afforestation in the "Forest Fringe" region of the province. The Agroforestry Demonstration Network is a collaborative research and demonstration project with area landowners who have planted windbreaks and other agroforestry practices.
October 2003 (Vol. 11, No. 4)12th World Forestry Congress Cornell Agroforestry Resource Center Agroforestry in the Southeast (U. Florida) Land-Use Management for the Future
(1999 conference proceedings) Ecoagriculture (new book info)
discount order form
July 2003 (Vol. 11, No. 3)8th North American Agroforestry Conference 1st World Congress of Agroforestry UBC online agroforestry course
April 2003 (Vol. 11, No. 2)
January 2003 (Vol. 11, No. 1)Organic Certification Information
October 2002 (Vol. 10, No. 4)
July 2002 (Vol. 10, No. 3)2002 Farm Bill Nontimber Forest Products
April 2002 (Vol. 10, No. 2)2002 Annual Meeting: Tree-Crop Interactions: A Physiological Approach Arbor Day/UNL Special Forest Products Training
January 2002 (Vol. 10, No. 1)Landowner assistance programs that include agroforestry practices Some sources of information about Alley Cropping Some sources of information about Silvopasture Some sources of information about Forest Farming Some sources of information about Windbreaks Some sources of information about Riparian Forest Buffers
October 2001 (Vol. 9, No. 4)
July 2001 (Vol. 9, No. 3)
April 2001 (Vol. 9, No. 2)- 7th North American Agroforestry Conference - PFRA site
- Ramada Hotel & Convention Centre (conference venue)
- Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (conference host)
- City of Regina (official site)
- Tourism Regina (events, attractions, dining & nightlife, shopping, accommodations, etc.)
- In Regina (accommodations, entertainment, museums, restaurants, shopping, etc.)
- Saskatchewan Tourism (comprehensive province-wide travel info)
- City of Saskatoon info
- Travel Canada (official gateway for nation-wide tourist info and travel guides)
- Nursery Tests Combining Containerized Ornamental Plant Production with Forestry
January 2001 (Vol. 9, No. 1)
October 2000 (Vol. 8, No. 4)
July 2000 (Vol. 8, No. 3)
April 2000 (Vol. 8, No. 2)
January 2000 (Vol. 8, No. 1)
October 1999 (Vol. 7, No. 4)
July 1999 (Vol. 7, No. 3)
April 1999 (Vol. 7, No. 2)
January 1999 (Vol. 7, No. 1)- Minnesota Hosts Farming the Agroforest for Specialty Products Conference
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