The winter of 2018 will mark the 9th planting year of the 72’, near net-zero energy usage tropical greenhouse at the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute, located at an altitude of 7,200’ in the mountains of Colorado. While many aspects of a typical tropical agroforestry system apply to this tropical oasis in the snow, the controlled nature of the environment provides additional considerations, and sometimes challenges. Without dramatic weather events such as hurricanes, and wet and dry seasons as factors to work with, there is, in effect, a controlled plant laboratory, with active soils and a functioning ecosystem, allowing for research to be conducted on plant responses to isolated factors such as different guild plantings, natural fertilizers, and pruning.
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Written by Jerome Osentowski and Callie Maron
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Agroforestry was well represented at the Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention, which took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico from November 15-19, 2017. Highlights included an all-day agroforestry field trip, an agroforestry session with six presentations, several agroforestry-related posters, and a strong turnout for the SAF’s agroforestry working group meeting.
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Written by Jim Allen, Northern Arizona University
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