by Andrew Morrison | Seattle will soon become home to the United States’ first “food forest”, a seven acre plot forest garden of apple, pear, persimmon, chestnut and walnut trees supplemented by bushes of blueberries, lingonberries, raspberries, and other tasty things besides. Beacon Food Forest will be located in the city’s Beacon Hill neighbourhood (2.5 miles from downtown), and all of the food within will be free for picking and gathering. Another pie in the sky concept? Nope. It’s already underway.
According to the Beacon Food Forest’s website, the project’s mission is “to design, plant and grow an edible urban forest garden that inspires our community to gather together, grow our own food and rehabilitate our local ecosystem.” The perennial permaculture forest project, believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S., will eventually be self-sustaining, much like the way a forest in nature works. Creating the self-sustaining environment is reliant upon the types of soil, insect life and companion plants placed strategically within the environment (via).
A solution to the Viaduct question? Your move, Vancouver.
UPDATE: a reader reminded us about the Copley Community Orchard near the Nanaimo skytrain station. Check out the video below. Though it’s only a 7th the size of Beacon Food Forest in Seattle, it’s a good start!
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The City of Vancouver has supported the Copley Community Orchard, a project spearheaded by the Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA) . It’s has it’s official opening on June 2, and will have 70 fruit trees, and over 100 perenial fruit bearing shrubs. (A forest, right?) It’s located near Nanaimo Skytrain Station. Check it out here http://www.copleycommunityorchard.com/
You’re absolutely right! I can’t help but still (selfishly) want to see something a little closer to downtown! The viaducts would be fantastic.
This is a great initiative in Seattle, Copley is definitely a start for Vancouver as well but I hope to see a lot more of this in the future.