We intend to create an edible forest by reforesting a degraded area in the town of Sancti-Spíritus, province of Salamanca.
Its final objective is to increase the biodiversity of the area, create a space that provides raw materials and food in a sustainable way and adapt it as a school forest to promote environmental education.
Why do we do it?
More than 90% of the surface of the Iberian Peninsula were forests in their multiple variants, of which only 10% remains.
In Castilla y León we are experiencing an environmental crisis characterized by severe impoverishment, erosion and desertification of soils, reduced rainfall, extreme temperatures, deforestation and loss of endemic species and biodiversity.
In the province of Salamanca, 85% of the territory is at risk of desertification due to the loss of forest cover.
Among the multiple factors that cause this ecological crisis, it is worth highlighting extensive agriculture, monocultures and the excessive use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers associated with the current model of food consumption.
Consequently, it is necessary to recover green areas, develop new forms of regenerative agriculture and sustainable consumption, and promote environmental awareness. For this reason, from MolinoLab we propose the project 'Amadrina un árbol' to achieve the reforestation of a degraded area creating an edible forest, in order to increase biodiversity and generate a space for sustainable food use while promoting environmental education.
What is the project about?
The “Sponsor a tree” project will reforest a degraded area by creating an Edible Forest.
An edible forest is an agroforestry ecosystem designed in such a way that it mimics a natural system in terms of its diversity and functions. It is biologically sustainable, able to withstand disturbance and stress, and requires very low maintenance. This type of young forest helps to regenerate natural dynamics and becomes an ecological niche for many species, while providing food and materials.
MolinoLab belongs to the Iberian Network of Edible Forests and Gardens , experts from whom we have received support for the design of our project.
What will our forest be like?
The forest will be located in Sancti-Spíritus, a Mediterranean bioclimatic region, with clay loam soils and high humidity due to the proximity of the water table, it will be divided into strata and will have various functions. The location of each species will be decided based on its place in the plant succession and its interaction with other species. The space dedicated to the forest will be spatially organized with "islands and mini-islands", in which we will find associations of 2 to 7 species.
Division by heights:
(vertical layers of the forest)
- Protective canopy: trees taller than 10 m and shrubs taller than 4 m
- Medium stratum: trees over 4 m tall and shrubs up to 4 m tall
- Shrub stratum: shrubs less than 4m. herbs and perennials up to 2m
- Climber: vines and climbing plants
- Creeping and grass: cover plants, herbaceous and creeping
- Under the ground: Roots, tubers, fungi and mushrooms
Functions of the edible forest:
- Food (fruit, legumes, aromatic plants, etc.)
- Materials (wood, cork, hemp, etc.)
- Medicinal
- Combustible
- Species conservation
- aesthetic beauty
- Area of study
It is an ecological and regenerative forest since it does not require the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and the land is enriched and regenerated thanks to the organic matter that the forest itself generates. In addition, it will be populated by endemic wild species of high ecological value for the area. With all this we achieve cycles of high production and low energy expenditure, the main basis of permaculture.
Finally, it will be a School Forest , which are spaces designed according to permacultural criteria to disseminate in situ the main values of environmental conservation to the population, expand knowledge of the environment, agriculture and all the elements that make up the relationships between animals, plants and humans. .
You can virtually visit the forest and follow its evolution by clicking on the image.
We are developing a full technical report that we hope to publish soon.
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