Day 16: Kooyman Forest Design

Dear Student,

Allow me to introduce you to the work of Robert Kooyman, an Australian forester who currently works in the Department of Biological Sciences of Sydney’s Macquarie University, along with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney and the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Kooyman does research in evolutionary ecology and botany, and he’s come up with a “forest design” method of planting that economizes space and improves growth quality by using natural growth tendencies to your advantage. A version of this method is a great way to establish a food forest that grows straight lumber and productive fruit trees with minimal effort over the life of the forest.