Cold-Climate Food Forest Design and Methods

Increased interest and demand for regional food forest models and education was the motivation behind Clear Sky Farm's agroforestry demonstration near Fort Steele, BC.  With funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, Clear Sky has implemented a showcase food forest model for Southeastern British Columbia that is both ecologically sound and productive.

Cold-climate Food Food Forest Design

The 1-acre food forest site is situated in an area previously used as a hay field and was created with a design that fits well with the existing structures, activities and landscape.  With a goal of trying to grow as many types of foods suitable to a Zone 4 climate as possible and other site influences, including cold winds from two opposing directions, an oval design was chosen for the food forest.   The outer ring of the food forest contains primarily windbreak species chosen for their rapid growth rate and hardiness (e.g. caragana, linden, poplar, and willow).  The windbreak has the tallest trees in the entire food forest system, to give as much site protection as possible, and tall vegetation on the north side also acts as a solar catchment.  The south side of the food forest has less tall trees, but still enough to provide wind protection.

As one moves into the centre of the food forest oval, there is an increase in heat accumulation, making it more conducive for fruit and berry production.  The inner circles of plants (including blueberries, haskap, raspberries, currants, apple, pear, plums, hawthorn, and saskatoon) have a higher demand for pollinators and soil nutrition, therefore the design has included both a higher concentration of pollinator plants and nitrogen fixing species.

An important aspect of the design is the concept of 'vertical stacking' where different levels of fruit trees and shrubs make good use of vertical space.  Plant placement, especially important for herbaceous stock, was chosen according to water demand, sunlight and shade requirements.  In the outer rows, annual crops can be grown in beds between the large tree and shrub species for at least 4 to 5 years.  Green manure crops that die in the winter can also be interplanted to help build the soil.

The inner three circles also have a far higher density of total plant material.  This reflects the need for more attention with harvest, pruning and water needs, as they are easier to care for in the centre ring of the food forest.  All the species, especially the food plants, have been chosen to be perfectly hardy in the cold climate conditions of the East Kootenay.  Cultivars with a wider range of ripening time were also selected, which will give some type of food from snow melt until snow fall each year.

Incorporation of sand beds, some woody material, long-season flowering and native plants has also been used to benefit the establishment of a healthy pollinator populations.  Sand beds provide nesting sites for many of the beneficial wild bees.  And woody material works well for providing habitat for many species of ground beetle.  Together with the high plant species diversity within the food forest area, these methods help to achieve excellent control of disease and insect problems.