The Climate Learning Forum is developing and delivering several learning initiatives, the first of which is Healthy Trees.
The “Healthy Trees” initiative addresses and advances issues identified as priority areas - ecosystem protection, managing heat and water, and climate justice. As the first area of focused discussion, healthy trees is integral to many of the USDA’s NRCS Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry practices (CSAF). The first Healthy Trees gathering was held at in Vermont at Meach Cove Farms in Shelburne, Vermont in June 2023.
Are you interested in being a part of a Healthy Trees discussion?
Please share your experience and expertise by joining us to discuss projects with partners and other stakeholders at monthly online meetings. Please email Suzy Hodgson at sbhodgson@uvm.edu to be added to the group.
Healthy Trees Issues raised in discussion sessions to date
- Regeneration limited by predation, heat stress, pests and disease.
- Agroforestry - steep learning curve
- Urban forestry, climate justice, and tree equity
- Climate changing faster than we and trees can keep up with
- Carbon sequestration and storage
- Trees: to cut or not to cut?
- Supply chain bottlenecks
- Improving ways to work with tribal governments
- Funding and technical support
Events
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Silvopasture & Hedgerows: Designing with the Climate
Join us at Meach Cove Farms for a site assessment, planning and design workshop considering silvopasture in the field and considering how new woody plantings can be introduced. This workshop covers multi functions and co-benefits of climate smart grazing.
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Forest Farming: A Climate Smart Practice
Join us at Smokey House Center for a field session on forest farming - a USDA-recognized agroforestry practice that involves cultivating and stewarding shade-tolerant non-timber forest products in the forest understory.
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Climate Smart Practices: Agroforestry - Alley Cropping and Silvopasture
USDA Northeast Climate Hub, UVM Extension, Meach Cove Farms, Interlace Commons, and NRCS-Vermont invite you to a hands-on training session in Shelburne, Vermont covering two of the most in demand agroforestry practices - silvopasture and alley cropping.
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Healthy Trees for Climate
USDA Northeast Climate Hub's Climate Learning Forum, UVM Extension, and Meach Cove Farms invite you to a walk and talk on healthy trees for climate, carbon storage, and agroforestry.
Press
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Forest Farming and Composting
Ever wanted to find out how (and where) ginseng is grown? UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture in cooperation with the USDA and the Smokey House Center in Danby, Vermont is educating people about the ecological and economic benefits of forest farming. In our second story we learn how to become a UVM Master Gardener master composter.