Agroforestry Work & Learn: Coppicing, Live Staking, and Basketry

Over the past five years, the Horn Farm Center has established 16 acres of multifunctional riparian buffers that bring together ecological restoration, local economic opportunity and creative possibility.

Through a combination of hands-on volunteering and educational programs, we’ll spend the day exploring two versatile agroforestry products taking shape in the Horn Farm Center’s riparian buffers: shrub willows for basketry and native riparian plants suitable for live staking, or rooting from cuttings. Participants will experience the following:

• Managing a willow shrub field, including annual coppicing, sorting, and bundling to prepare rods for sale or later use in basketry.
• Using cuttings from native woody plants for propagation in home nurseries, community spaces, and riparian restorations.
• A tour of the ways that forestry and agroforestry products are helping remediate impaired woodlands at the Horn Farm.
• An introductory workshop on artisanal willow basketry presented by our friends at Foggy Blossom Farm.

Whether you are new to agroforestry or a seasoned land steward, this Agroforestry Work & Learn offers hands-on experience in the field, time with fellow agroforestry enthusiasts, and the opportunity to hear from experts and practitioners from the Horn Farm, Foggy Blossom Farm, and our state partners. Participants will also get to take home willow materials and live stake cuttings for their own projects.