Forest Gardening: Ecologically Intelligent Design for Human Living
"The ultimate goal of forest gardening is not the only of crops, but also the cultivation
and perfection of new ways of seeing, of thinking, and acting in the world".
~ Dave Jacke, Edible Forest Gardens
In this workshop we inform and engage you in creating ecologically sustainable sanctuaries for human living and planetary sustainability.
You will learn how to apply practical Forest Gardening design to a diversity of landscapes with a focus on dense urban environments and temperate regions.
Learn how to grow your own food no matter how big or small your backyard is. Design your own property, and learn how to 'be a part of the solution' using forest gardening principles.
Passionate, long-time gardeners, forest gardeners, permaculturists, herbalist and eco-spiritual guides, Shantree Kacera D.N., Ph.D. and Lorenna Bousquet-Kacera, invite you to discover this remarkable model for creating gardens that support oneself and the Earth.
This is a hands-on-experiential training in ecosystem structure and function, and in landscape understanding. It will show you how you can achieve the same benefits that natural systems demonstrate: stability, resilience, self-maintenance, self-renewal, increased soil quality, and nutrient conservation.
A Conversation with Shantree
Forest Gardening Details
A garden is a place of beauty; it is a sanctuary for the spirit, that goes back to ancient times, when gardens and forests were part of our common spiritual tradition.
The practice of Forest Gardening will provide you with the necessary medicines and culinary nourishment and open the gateway to a deeper understanding of your ‘roots'.
What happens during a Forest Gardening Experience?
How can humanity gracefully and ethically descend from the dangerous peak of energy and resource use 
upon which we find ourselves?
This training offers practical answers to this question, by learning to apply ecological design solutions in your own back yard.
We will study and learn from natural plant communities. Through a study of the natural plant communities we will learn core sustainability principles, soil ecology and self-renewing fertility processes.
You will have the opportunity to develop practical design principles, practices, patterns, and processes for garden design and management. Using ecological principles you will learn skills on how to mimic and create your own 
backyard forest garden.
This training is for gardeners, designers, and students of gardening, ecology, and design. If we designed our whole culture this way, what might it look like? Come get a glimpse of humanity's possible future! Listed below is some of the topics we will cover. Each training will cover various topics depending on the month, season and specific interests of the participants.
What You Will Learn:
- Edible Forest Gardening Theory
- Vegan Organic Gardening
- Conscious partnering with Nature
- Regional Adaptation
- Importance of Biodiversity
- Conventional vs. Organic vs. Wild
- Growing your own Super~Foods
- Garden planning and Companion Planting
Hands-On Learning
Edible Forest Gardening Experience
- Cultivating Soil Building Practices
- Effective Microorganisms (EM)
- Role of EM in Creating Healthy Gardens
- Composting and Mulching Practices
- Vermiculture: The Miracle Work of Earthworms
- The Life-Death-Rebirth Spiral
- Plant Identification of local wild and cultivated plants
- Cultivation Practices both in a garden and woodland setting
- Inspirational plant walks through woodlands, swamps, fields & meadows
- Ecological ~ Sustainable Gardening Practices
- Organic Insect Control
- Wildcrafting Practices and Storage Techniques
- Wild Food Foraging
- Growing Indigenous Plants
- Seed Saving and the Essentiality of Biodiversity
- Field trip: Native Seed Search, indigenous seeds of the area
- Harvesting and Storage of Seeds
- Learning from plants through Sensory Awareness
Who would benefit?
Those looking to: - Design your own enchanted healing garden
- Expand your understanding of growing & tending to plants
- Improve your garden skills and create beauty and food for yourself and for the neighborhood
- Reconnect to your ancestral roots
- Become part of the change in restoring the earth to it's greenness
- Deepen your union with the source of life
FAQ 's on Forest Gardening
Forest Gardening attempts to mimic the structure and function of natural ecosystems in food-producing
ecosystems. This training explores the vision, theory, design, and practice of ecosystem agriculture using the temperate deciduous forest ecosystem as the model.
Lectures and experiential learning will reveal the nature of ecosystem architecture, social structure, underground economics, and succession.
Forest Gardening is a practice, yet it also represents a radically new way of seeing our landscapes and our world. Seeing nature as a model of wellness; we can grow a diverse range of plants together in mutually beneficial groupings that are primarily self-maintaining.
This experiential training is your opportunity to get a glimpse of an achievable Paradise ~ one that can be created in a rural field, a suburban yard, or 
even a vacant city backyard.
The ultimate goal of Forest Gardening is to weave together the broken threads of our native ecosystems, regardless of where we live.
For both the beginning and advanced gardening enthusiasts.
Daily Flow
Forest Gardening is offered as a one day workshop, weekend workshop or 3-day training. Sessions begin at 9am. The morning will include hands-on training followed by an Organic Vegan Live-Food lunch designed by The Living Centre. The afternoon includes a lecture, interactive exchanges and concludes with a Sevenfold Path of Peace meditation. The session ends at 5pm.
Recommended Reading
• Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape, Robert A. De J. Hart
• Edible Forest Gardens: Volume One: Vision & Theory, Dave Jacke with Eric Toensmeir
• Edible Forest Gardens: Volume Two: Design & Practice, Dave Jacke with Eric Toensmeir
• How to Make a Forest Garden, Patrick Whitefield
• Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, Toby Hemenwa
• Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability, David Holgren
Certificate
A Certificate of Completion will be issued upon completing three of the 3-Day Trainings.
We have a New Forest Gardening Correspondence Course we have just completed.
"Our vision is to inspire and empower individuals to create food forests everywhere for an abundant and beautiful future."
Forest Gardening History
All of life as we know it depends on TREES!
Forest gardening (also known as 3-Dimensional Gardening) is a food production and land management system based on replicating woodland ecosystems, but substituting trees (such as fruit or nut trees), bushes, shrubs, herbs and vegetables which have yields directly useful to humans.
By exploiting the premise of companion planting, these can be intermixed to grow on multiple levels in the same area, as do the plants in a forest.
In part based on the model of the Keralan home gardens, temperate-climate forest gardening was pioneered by the late Robert Hart on his one eighth of an acre (500 m²) plot at Wenlock Edge in Shropshire.
Robert began the project over thirty years ago with the intention of providing a healthy and therapeutic environment for himself and his brother Lacon, born with severe learning disabilities.
Starting as relatively conventional small landholders, Robert soon discovered that maintaining large annual vegetable beds, rearing livestock and taking care of an orchard were tasks beyond their strength.
However, a small bed of perennial vegetables and herbs they had planted was looking after itself with little intervention. This led him to evolve the concept of the "forest garden". Based on the observation that the natural forest can be divided into distinct layers or "storeys", he used inter-cropping to develop an existing small orchard of apples and pears into an edible polyculture landscape consisting of seven levels.
Qualities of a Well-Planned Forest Garden
A well planned forest garden will:
- Capture sunlight at many levels
- Offer many different fruit, nut, herb, root, vegetable, spice, mushroom, medicinal, floral, essential oil, fiber, resin, dye, coppice and other crops in a continuous flow throughout the year
- Have diversity of species as well as in varieties of similar species
- Offer redundancy of ecosystem function as well as in crops produced to offset occasional anomalies
- Provide habitat for wildlife, including beneficial insects to maintain pest/predator balance
- Be self-fertile
- Sequester carbon
- Protect itself from wind
- Prevent erosion and nutrient leaching
- Build and protect soils
- Absorb rainfall
- Transpire water
- Moderate dry periods
- Be very low maintenance
- Exhibit stability
- Have social and spiritual value
An Idea Whose Time Has Come Back
Dave of Darlington, a vegan organic grower who operated a commercial no-till box scheme in Durham, England, and wrote on agricultural efficiency, believed for years that only annual plants could provide enough yield to feed the growing global population. He did some research into the work of the Land Institute of Salina, Kansas, and Plants for a Future of Cornwall, England, which illuminated for him the problems of annual cropping and the benefits of perennials.
Today's agriculture, even organic agriculture, requires a large and increasing amount of energy to accomplish. Much more energy is put into the system than is taken out in calories. Energy is used to till the soil, process, package, deliver and plant the seed (for conventional systems: produce, deliver and apply the fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides), to harvest the crop, to manufacture and maintain all of the equipment necessary to perform these functions and so on.
Technology has increased productivity, or the amount of work done per person, to high levels. Unfortunately this commonly requires hybrid seed, synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, irrigation, expensive specialized machines and the like. The efficiency, or energy input compared to energy output, decreases to low levels in most of today's highly productive farming systems.
Annual cropping, Dave wrote, even done organically, is not sustainable and we must look toward perennials in the years to come. Perennials require much smaller amounts of energy to manage, especially when grown locally, organically, and fed to human beings directly. There are many perennial vegetables, legumes, grains and salad plants to choose from and most can make excellent additions to a forest garden.
Forest gardens are among the most energy efficient growing systems in existence. When forest gardens serve local populations, the energy input/output ratio becomes a surplus, often yielding several times more energy in output than total energy input. Robert Hart and even Martin Crawford-sized forest gardens can be managed with as little energy as one HP (human power) applied 10 to 20 days per year!
Forest Gardening in the 21st Century
Forest gardening is an idea whose time has come. We can consciously apply the principles of ecology to the design of home scale gardens that mimic forest ecosystem structure and function, but grow food, fuel, fiber, fertilizer, herbal medicines and have fun. Indeed, we must begin learning to apply ecological principles to the design of our food production systems now—we are rapidly approaching or are already at the peak of planetary oil production, and the world of energy descent is upon us.
This change in our culture will require that we learn to live within our energetic means and begin to rebuild ecosystems that support human and humane lives without diminishing the ability of the ecosystem to support our children and grandchildren.
While this global problem is huge, most of the solutions available to us are local, personal, empowering, and potentially enlivening, enlightening, and fun. Edible forest gardening is one of these solutions, and we now have the resources at hand to transform our own yards and gardens into productive paradises.
Facilitators
Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D. and Lorenna Kacera are founders and directors of The Living Centre and Living Arts Institute. Together they blend their over 35 years each, of experience to offer programs that support individuals in the practice of conscious living.
Through The Sevenfold Path of Peace, Ayurvedic Teachings, and a Live-Plant-Food-based lifestyle they support those with a passion to live healthier, happier & more spiritually fulfilled lives.
Lorenna and Shantree are internationally celebrated visionaries, authors, educators, nutritional researchers and world peace workers.
Shantree is an Ayurvedic Live-Food Nutritionist, Therapeutic & Shamanic Herbalist, Permaculture Teacher and Constitutional Iridology Educator with 35 years experience in the Natural Healing Arts. He is the founder and co-director of The Living Centre (1983), and Living Arts Institute.
Since the mid 1980's Shantree has been applying permaculture practices. Creating his own unique approach to how does Permaculture work in Canada. After 30 years he is now sharing his experiences with his students and apprentices who come to study Forest Gardening and Permaculture.
Shantree's laboratory ~ spiritually, emotionally, and physically ~ is the forest garden, from which spring ideas about shifting world paradigm through rethinking how we put our gardens together.
Learn more>
Lorenna Bousquet-Kacera is the founder of Shamanu Earth Wisdom Teachings. Her passion for self-realization and the awakening of consciousness has been the guiding force in her life. Her 35 years of being both student and teacher of spirituality, wholistic healing and the 'art of living' has gifted her with a diversity of healing modalities and wisdom which she is always deeply honoured and delighted to share. Learn more>
Testimonials
"Taking the edible forest gardening course with Shantree is like finding a new vision for gardening. Seeing that it is possible to garden in a way that Nature does (self-sustaining, self-weeding, self-mulching, self-watering, self-fertilizing, etc.) was so exciting. Not only is it MUCH less work year to year, the plants are edible. What a great way to garden organically in my own back yard to feed my family.Shantree's enthusiasm is very contagious. We were shown forest gardening at different stages on his property. This helped to develop my observation skills so now I can tell which plants would naturally grow together. It was so exciting to learn what to look for in each forest garden. I came home with a renewed sense of hope and inspiration about perennial gardening. There is a natural and easy way to garden like the forests do. And it is good for the soil, microbes, worms, birds, insects, plants, animals, and us humans. It's the way of the future. Shantree's knowledge as a herbalist and nutritionist now extends into forest gardening. He shares this knowledge with such clarity and ease. You feel that the path of a forest gardener resonates deep in your Soul. It's like coming back home to Nature's way." ~Barbara Westfall
"The forest gardening training was really amazing. I learned and gained so much experience in a a few days. Shantree is certainly one of Canada's most experienced Forest Gardeners. " ~Susan
"I am loving listening to your sharings and your enthusiasm for the plants. I am soo wonder filled hearing you talk about permaculture, forest gardening and plants and your land your articulation and wisdom is awe inspiring. Much Thanks!" ~Natalie Krueger
"I learned practical ways of how to grow a food forest. The plants grown are selected so that the forest garden mimics a woodland ecosystem, but the plants give food yields for human consumption. By the simple act of layering plants along multiple levels within the trees, the garden can produce a significant amount of food and become a beautiful oasis in urban spaces." ~ Kevin
"The Forest Gardening Apprenticeship program has truly been a robust and juicy experience filled with joy and peace. Not only have I learned about organic forest gardening, Ayurvedic live-food Cuisine and sprouting, I have also learned about myself. Through living the Sevenfold Path to Peace at T.L.C., every day has been an opportunity to grow and each moment is a jewel to be grateful for. I found it easy to slip into the rhythms here, and the accommodations are very hospitable. It was so wonderful that I am coming back next year." ~Katie
"Shantree has vision and a special way of creating a garden that seems to match the spirit of the land. He brings touches to every corner that make the whole garden such a joy to be in. Thank you for all that you have given me and for the beautiful work you are doing!" ~James
"I've learned so many valuable lessons. Shantree you are so wise. You are such an honorable teacher. This has been a milestone along my path. For that, I am so thankful. " ~Maya
"I appreciated Shantree''s simplistic and passionate approach to forest gardening. I think with all the infomercials and gardening gadgets available today, it makes it easy to lose sight of the fact that nature has been growing food organically in a forest since the beginning of time." ~ Stephen
"Honestly, I loved your teaching style, really clear and confident presentation of sometimes really in-depth material. I found your teaching style to be compassionate and patient and never once felt afraid to ask a question. That was the best workshop on soils I've seen. I've studied with a number of organic gardening teachers and that's the first time someone has put it in a way that I can understand and see the big picture. Thank you. ~ Heather
"I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for contributing to our internship program this year. For the interns, our day at the Living Centre was a definite highlight of the internship. We left feeling inspired and full of new ideas. It was fabulous to see such a successful example of what Permaculture and forest gardening can be and how we can go about implementing their principles in our own lives.
Field trips, workshops and farm tours greatly enhance the internship experience by exposing interns to a diversity of farming and food systems and planting ideas for directions they will choose as they move forward. Not all interns will pursue farming as a career path, but what is certain is that they all have a deepened appreciation for farming and will become advocates for sustainable food systems in their own ways.
We deeply appreciate that you have been open to sharing your time and knowledge with us this season. On behalf of the entire Ignatius Farm CSA team, thank you once again for your involvement in educating for a healthy food system for the future.
With gratitude,
Kailea MacGillivray
Senior Education Intern and Volunteer Coordinator
Ignatius Farm CSA
Dates for the Forest Gardening
To accommodate individual needs a person can attend our teachings as a One-Day or Two-Day Workshop or as a Three-Day Training:
One-Day Workshop Dates
Two-Day Workshop Dates
Three-Day Training Dates
Times: 9am - 5pm.
If you are desiring a career in Forest Garden, check out our Forest Garden Teacher Training>
We have just launched a new educational experience for 2012 Carolinian Canada Forest Garden Internship Program
Forest Gardening is part of the Visionary Herbalism Educator Course. For information click here>
Register for Forest Gardening
Includes: workshop, educational material and organic vegan live-food lunches.
Transportation, tax and accommodations are not included in the pricing above.
Payment can be made through 'PayPal' below or by certified check. Please made checks payable and send to: The Living Centre, 5871 Bells Rd., London, ON., Canada, N6P 1P3
To receive your Membership and CSE discounts please call us at 519-652-9109 or 519-652-0230
Seasonal Focus
Edible Forest Garden Design and Theory (Spring)
Forest Garden Installation and Caretake (Summer)
Forest Garden Caretake and Harvest (Fall)
If you are desiring a career in Forest Garden, check out our Forest Garden Teacher Training>
We have just launched a new educational experience for 2012 Carolinian Canada Forest Garden Internship Program
Read our commitment and cancellation policy here
Click here to request more information
