Agroforestry
Promising land management strategies for climate drawdown.
Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and woody plants into cropland or pasture.
Carbon Harvest is placing special priority on agroforestry projects in the Southern Appalachians because these types of projects have the highest carbon sequestration potential within the family of carbon farming practices.
The combination of the carbon stored in trees and the carbon captured in the soils of agroforestry systems make these projects our #1 priority as we build a regional carbon offset platform in the Southeast.
Agroforestry Practices
for temperate regions
Riparian Buffers
strips of permanent vegetation along a stream, lake, or wetland
Alley Cropping
The cultivation of crops in alleys between regularly spaced rows of trees or shrubs.
Forest Farming
Cultivation of specialty crops under existing forest canopy
(Urban) Forest Farms
Diverse, multi layered plantings in small spaces, anchored by perennial food plants
Windbreaks & Hedgerows
Strips of trees or shrubs, designed to enhance crop or livestock productivity while producing conservation benefits.
Silvopasture
Intentional integration of livestock, pasture and trees (fruit/nut/timber)
Silvopasture is the highest-ranked agricultural climate drawdown solution in terms of mitigation impact, with an estimated average drawdown of 4.8 tons of carbon per hectare per year.
Source: Project Drawdown
Trees in the Landscape
Trees do more than store carbon.
They provide multiple benefits in virtually any system, including:
Preventing erosion
Providing shelter for livestock
Capturing fertilizer and pesticide runoff and residue
Purifying air
Cleaning water
Providing wildlife habitat
Boosting food security
Building Soil
Diversifying farmer income
Sequestering carbon
FAQ: Why is it important to use agroforestry to offset carbon regionally?