Andrew Walton
Abstract
Scientific literature regarding forest garden systems highlights the potential for nature analogous species assemblages or polycultures. This literature forms a conceptual framework for analog species selection during the design process; taking plant structure, function, phenology and soil preferences into account along with additionality provided by potential yields (food, fibre, medicine) and facilitative actions such as nitrogen fixation. These criteria were applied to a worked example of a forest garden polyculture, modelling the significant potential for nature analogous designs. Results show that it is theoretically possible to create a polyculture of five different successional layers that is both productive, yielding food, fibre and medicine, and analogous with a native species assemblage that might ordinarily establish under a natural process of succession.
Keywords: Forest garden; Analog forestry; Nature analogous; Polyculture; Functional analog.
