Establishing a Food Forest to Commemorate the Underground Railroad

SilvoCulture was very excited to be awarded a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust in early 2022 to begin work on a Food Forest at the Button Farm Living History Center in Germantown, MD in partnership with the Menare Foundation and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. 

The Food Forest is a celebration of local ecology and local history of the Underground Railroad. The planting will include a mix of natives and food producers and will serve as a demonstration site for the economic viability of perennial ecologically-managed food crops such as chestnuts. Stay tuned for upcoming workshop opportunities on site, as we are excited to educate and share skills for food forest establishment. 

Plant species will include hybrid chestnuts, hickories, pecans, mulberries, hazelnuts, pawpaws, honey locusts, and black locusts.