Bruce Flitcroft: The Making of a Custodian Woodland Farmer

1. Background and Revelations from Ancient Forests in Costa Rica

My journey as a farmer started in 2000 on a backcountry trip through the jungle of the Central Pacific Coast in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. As we made our way through the rainforest, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the abundance of wildlife we encountered: white-faced capuchins, howlers, squirrel monkeys, two and three-toed sloths, armadillos, and different kinds of snakes. Flying through the trees were toucans, woodpeckers, and motmots.

After five days of climbing and using machetes to cut through the dense brush, our guide suggested we make our way over a ridge to a hard-to-access and more remote section. Difficult to access was an understatement. We traveled by horse until the road ended and continued to hike over a mountain until we descended past a steep ridge into a valley under the canopy. And although the previous days had stretched my capacity for amazement, nothing had prepared me for the wonder I felt in the valley. Life under the canopy was a lush interconnected system of giant treetops 150 ft high, teeming with life and activity. Sunlight flickered through the canopy, and the thick underbrush was replaced with thousands of flowers and low-growing plants where you could easily observe frogs, snakes, and other reptiles, all in their natural habitat. The forest pulsated with the different sounds of insects buzzing, birds singing, and animals scurrying that ricochet off the trees.

1. Conservationist

I wondered why life in the valley was so different from the rainforest we had explored in the previous days. I questioned whether the valley’s ecosystem had been allowed to flourish undisturbed because it was inaccessible to most humans. I sought out local experts who confirmed my theory and told me that until 1960, farmers had cut down most of the trees on the Pacific slope of Costa Rica. Back in New Jersey, the memory and wonder remained with me and inspired me to restore and preserve some of the areas we had visited on the pacific slope. A year later, I began my journey as a conservationist. I purchased 70 acres and began restoring it to its original state.

• The Trials of a Gentleman Farmer

In 2004 I bought 10.75 wooded acres in Mendham, NJ. Like Costa Rica, the land had been developed as a farm and cleared twice in the 100 years prior. The woods on the property were populated with a variety of large trees, including Red and White Oaks, Tulip poplars, a few ancient Sugar maples, Black Locust, White Ash, Black Walnut, and Red and Norway Maples. Below, invasive plants like Japanese barberry, Multiflora Rose, and Burning Bush covered the ground and made most of the property inaccessible.

I was committed to creating an organic woodland farm but had little knowledge. I read extensively and tried to learn all I could. But the practice proved harder than anticipated, and in my first few years I experienced one setback after another.

• My trees succumbed to disease: Black Knot killed the Black Cherry trees, and the Asian Ash Beetle attacked the Ash trees.
• The resident family of Deer ate every sapling I planted
• The flock of chickens I established on the property enjoyed foraging in the woodland underbrush until every fox in the area got wise to an endless supply of chicken dinners.
• I removed invasive species, which grew back within three years, overtaking the native and crop species I planted.

Invasive species became a particular area of concern for me. Invasives appeared to prey on every plant that surrounded them without contributing to the welfare of the whole. Many of the invasive woody bushes always had a head start in Late March through April capturing the forest floor sunlight before the trees got their leaves.  Literally stealing the sunlight from the native species that needed it.  My native crops withered in their presence.  These invasive species depleted the environment of the surplus energy the ecosystem needed to withstand disruptions.

1. Becoming an Organic Woodland Farmer

After six years of minimal success and many setbacks, I recommitted to finding a way to farm this land organically and sustainably based on direct observation and scientific research. I learned about surpluses created in balanced ecosystems and the role natural disruptions play in the lives of forests.

I established a beehive of wild bees on the property and introduced hives of Italian Honeybees as well. I diligently observed their habits and which plants and trees they favored, given the multiple blooms available. Although they visited every flower, pollinating natives and invasives alike, I noticed they preferred native species and the “good” invasive species such as Clover, Queen Ann’s Lace, and Dandelions, who did contribute to food production and soil health.

I kept thinking back to the valley in Costa Rica, an untouched forest in perfect balance, resilient enough to survive for centuries. What would ecological balance look like in New Jersey? How could I restore equilibrium to an environment that favors invasives that deplete resources? Was I capable of mimicking the success and energy of invasives with natives to grow food in a forest? What type of soil would be needed to restore equilibrium?

I felt the need to understand the native Oak/Hickory Forests.  I quickly learned that native forests used to be Oak/Hickory/Chestnut Forests and how important Canopy integrity was to their ecological advantage.  I needed to learn about these Keystone species and their role in establishing interdependent systems that provided the energy and food to support all the living organisms within the forest. This is when I discovered the importance of the Fungal Keystone species that up until very recently had been overlooked for their keystone role in the ecosystem.  Analyzing forests old and new had to incorporate the role of natural disruptions and how the system creates surpluses to hedge against these disruptions. My thinking and understanding finally started to appreciate the complexity and beauty of the ecosystem. The goals had to be about more than farming.

1. The Evolution of a Custodian Woodland Farmer

This article illustrates my journey thus far. The awe I felt when I witnessed the beauty of an ancient primeval forest became the inspiration to embark on a path where I transitioned from a Conservationist to a Gentleman Farmer to the Custodian Woodland Farmer I am today. As a Custodian Woodland Farmer, I am one of many organisms in the forest ecosystem. The decisions and actions I take are guided by the need to keep my ecosystem in equilibrium.  My welfare and survival depend on honoring and respecting the needs of every other species in the woods.

Our current battle with invasive species and insects ravishing our woods provides valuable lessons on how our forest ecosystem has lost the ability to thrive, protect itself and withstand disruptions. Invasives are here to stay, but healthy ecosystems have their own ways of containing invasive spreading.  But the ecosystem only has that ability once it is in equilibrium and can produce surplus energy.  A Custodial Woodland Farmer helps the forest get back to that equilibrium.  I believe in the power of Custodial Woodland Famers to make our sick and unbalanced forests flourish and thrive again for generations to come.

New farms begin by finding a forest that already has Oak and Hickory trees of about 80 years old or older.  The more there are, the faster the forest can be expanded and be suitable for Woodland Farming.  Existing Oak/Hickory stands may be able to be farmed in just three years or so.  Greenfield Woodland Farms take a century before they can be farmed and are therefore investments for future generations.

As the stresses on our planet continue, Custodial Woodland Farmers can create pathways to a better future. They could increase the availability and quantity of healthy food, mitigate the damage caused by human activity like over development and climate change, and restore resilient ecosystems capable of sustaining and renewing life. For our part, as residents of Mendham Township, New Jersey, we need to start by bringing back the Oak/Hickory/Chestnut forests. There is no one answer or solution alone capable of saving the planet, but Custodial Woodland Farmers need to be an essential piece of the puzzle.

1. Some Final Thoughts

Healthy Oak/Hickory/Chestnut Forest with their high canopies, larger trees and annual mast production, capture significantly more (30-50% more) carbon than the lower canopy mixed forests that have taken their place.  In a time when humans need to increase carbon sequestration it would be critical to get these forests back.

The benefits of Custodial Woodland Farming are not limited to environmental impact. Significant opportunities exist to impact socio-economic indicators by creating new small businesses with better lifestyle jobs, an increase to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through new agricultural production and domestic agricultural diversity contributing to food security.

There are endless possibilities and untold benefits we have yet to explore. Emerging scientific research shows great promise in developing new medicinal products from fungi grown in woodlands. Increasing the production of healthy natural foods like nuts, fungus, and berries can lower these foods costs and increase their availability for everyone.

Appendix A

The ABCs of Becoming A Custodian Woodland Farmer

1. Propagate keystone species within the forest. Plant nuts, acorns, and spread spores of primary Keystone species (Saplings and mycelium to get started).
2. Remove the selfish invasives by the roots for two or three years consecutively in an area.
3. Don’t disturb native plants and fungi attempting to colonize new areas.
4. Keep apex predators in the forest. Owls, hawks and Farm dogs will do. Wildlife will diversify and achieve healthy, sustainable populations without overpopulating.
5. Introduce native pollinators and EMFs. Let the ecosystem choose the winners and losers based on what it needs to maintain equilibrium.
6. Encourage nesting of bats and birds by leaving large dead tree trunks standing.  Top off the canopy branches if you can.
7. Do not overharvest nuts, fungus, and berries. A good rule of thumb is only to harvest half.
8. Never use Chemicals. What kills one species is sure to kill or harm others. Let nature do that job.
9. Be a responsible small business in your community.
10. Think of the Forest in succession periods, not only years or seasons. Successions are defined as the period it takes species of trees and fungal colonies to mature to be self-sustaining and self-propagating. Sustainable strategies take succession periods to implement. Typically, fungal colonies take three years and oak/ hickory trees take 40-50 years. An Oak/Hickory ecosystem takes over 100 years to mature in a greenfield environment.