WSU Extension > Working Riparian Lands Program > Forest Farming > Forest Farming Crops

Forest Farming Crops

Forest farming is an umbrella term for a practice that can include a wide variety of non-timber forest crops. These crops can be grown in the understory of a managed forest canopy, or be products of the forest canopy itself. The technical details of how to design, establish, and maintain forest farming systems will vary greatly between crops. The profiles below include native Washington species and some non-native species that are forest farmed in other parts of the world, and may be suitable here.

Technical details, particularly region-specific details, may be limited for many crops. These profiles include a summary of the process and inputs of each crop, considerations for applications in riparian buffers, and a collection of available guiding materials.

Ginseng being grown in rows underneath a forest from a distance.
Photo: Eric Burkhart, Penn State

Crop Profiles

Oregon Grape

Mahonia (spp.) can be cultivated in a forest understory and harvested for medicinal products, food, and decorative greenery.

Ginseng

American ginseng is a high-value medicinal herb commonly forest farmed in the Appalachians with potential to be grown beneath hardwood forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Ramps

Ramps (Allium spp.), also called wild onion, are spring ephemerals that inhabit forests in the eastern U.S. and are commonly forest farmed for their bulbs and leaves.

Wasabi

Wasabi is a semi aquatic plant cultivated for its leaves and root, which is used in Asian cuisine. Wasabi can be cultivated in forested riparian soils, particularly in or near springs and seeps.

Crop profiles in development: tea plant, stinging nettle, native truffles, forest greenery, forest honey, basketry willow, and shade-grown nursery stock and seed.

Are there other crops you would like to see profiles on? Let us know! Contact Patrick Shults at patrick.shults@wsu.edu.