Food Forests: Working with Nature to Grow Fresh Food Register

Learn how a grassroots organization in Pennsylvania preserves and expands food forests as sources of fresh, healthy food. Restore Our Roots is a Downingtown, PA-based volunteer group that, since its founding in 2019, has planted nearly 1,000 native plants in community spaces, served as an advisory resource for both residential and municipal projects, and continues to advocate for a deeper understanding of the connection between people and their native landscapes. Restore Our Roots also works to preserve the John Hershey Food Forest, a historic entity started in the 1920s. They also help people establish their own food forests. Zak Hawk is 4th-generation Chester County resident and Audiovisual Engineer. A founding Restore Our Roots member and a Historical Map enthusiast, Zak and his wife Carrie are actively re-wilding a 2.8-acre homestead-to-be in historic Unionville. He will describe the concept of a food forest, including the historic John Hershey Food Forest, which was started a century ago. Michael Rolli is an avid plantsman who works as an estate gardener and lavender farmer at Warwick Furnace Farms in Chester County, PA. Just a few minutes away, Mike and his wife Krista steward a 2.5-acre food forest-style homestead with a huge diversity of plants, and they host a few classes related to permaculture and herbalism each year. Michael will discuss starting a food forest in your community or your backyard.

Webinar URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86150339725?pwd=oTjVrElA70WSxYkJ5Ip0NsbzHWXJEQ.1