Forests can have both high environmental and financially remunerative value. In a Chats in the Stacks book talk at Mann Library commemorating this year’s Earth Day celebration, Steve Gabriel, author of Farming the Woods: An Integrated Permaculture Approach to Growing Food and Medicinals in Temperate Forests (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2014), will highlight proven ways that forest owners and stewards can successfully cultivate, harvest, and market high-value non-timber forest crops such as American ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, ramps (wild leeks), maple syrup, fruit and nut trees, ornamentals, and more.  Providing an in-depth guide on productive ways to manage an established woodland, Farming the Woods is a  must-read for farmers and gardeners interested in incorporating aspects of agroforestry, permaculture, forest gardening, and sustainable woodlot management into the concept of a whole-farm organism. 

The book is co-authored by Ken Mudge (Emeritus Professor, Horticulture Section, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences). Gabriel is agroforestry specialist for the Cornell Small Farms Program and farms mushrooms, maple syrup, and other forest products locally. 

Buffalo Street Books will offer books for purchase and signing, and light refreshments will be served.