“Preserve the old, but Know the new” — Ancient Chinese Proverb
A Network for Trees and their Friends
An active Maine Tree Crop Alliance Facebook Group is online
and anyone interested in tree crops may ask to join.
A Bit of History from its Founder:
“Eliminating much of the detective work for the newbie grower is one of the reasons I started the alliance.”
“The Maine Tree Crop Alliance was instigated as an effort to unite existing plant and people resources and to promote a sustainable agricultural forest economy. It is a network of people working with and sharing in the generosity of the earth. By recognizing the value of trees as soil and planetary stewards, we can consciously design and manage for a landscape that will reward us with health, permanence and beauty.
“Civilizations have been born out of the immense fertility….provided by forest conditions.” — J. Russel Smith in his book Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.
“The Maine Tree Crop Alliance was launched by a starry eyed young man in 1983, with a healthy glimpse into the past and an optimistic eye to the future. There were other true believers in the area and in the country who saw unrealized potential in trees, well beyond their current use. I saw a need to link both human and natural resources and felt prompted by both. Thus the Alliance was born.
Amidst a windfall of information on the Internet, I still find it particularly difficult to extract practical and reliable advice. I have always believed that an observant individual, spending time with a particular plant can make a significant contribution to illuminating us all. More importantly perhaps, by avoiding the status of expert, they remain open to possibilities.
Would that be you? I’m willing to go out on a limb and suggest that plants have a lot to teach us and that our listening skills improve as we watch them. Maybe they shape our reality or at least our realization that we all truly live in a garden. Do you have an experience to share? What would you post here? I’m not in a position at this time where I could handle any deluge of requests for info, yet I would still like to help facilitate the flow of ideas that will help us construct a bountiful future. Send your suggestions on how to improve this network to me . . .”
—Jack Kertesz
Jack@mainetreecropalliance.org
Today the MTCA is experiencing a resurgence of activity statewide. This website hopes to act as an archive of Alliance activities, publications, and links to other groups of interest to those interested in Tree Crops.
MTCA table at the 2019 Seed and Scion Exchange at MOFGA
Version: 27-Nov-2019
