ISF Organic Garden

Creating a Food Forest at the Frederick Islamic Society Community Center

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, on Wednesday, April 22, the Frederick-based non-profit SilvoCulture partnered with the Frederick Islamic Society Community Center and the Hood College Food Security Network to plant a food forest on the Islamic Society’s grounds.

Thanks to SilvoCulture, the Center’s s food forest incorporates nuts and fruits in many niches throughout the property and revitalizes existing oak tree plantings while providing an excellent complement to the C existing vegetable garden, rainwater capture grow-beds, and pollinator garden. As the food forest begins to produce, the fruits and nuts will be integrated into the Center’s community-building activities that focus on the connection between environment and food. The harvest will be donated to the Hood College Food Security Network for distribution to those in need across the broader Frederick community.

Jane Dennison, SilvoCulture’s Founder and Executive Director, notes, “We were thrilled to work with the Islamic Center and the Frederick Food Security Network to plant these trees and shrubs in honor of Earth Day. With COVID-19 impacting our community, we are all even more sensitive to the importance of our food security: these trees and shrubs will provide a food source for local residents while providing wildlife habitat and complementing ISF’s already beautiful grounds. We would have loved to celebrate this event with a tree planting ceremony, but now we can look forward to a harvest celebration. SilvoCulture is pleased to provide the plants, design, and labor for this important collaboration”.

SilvoCulture was created in 2019 as a response to a world of rapidly changing climates and vulnerable economies and promoting activities that will provide stable ecologies and financial security for future generations. The organization is currently involved with several food tree planting projects in the area. Middle Creek Farm is located just outside Frederick and is a SilvoCulture project several years in the making. Situated among beautiful rolling hills, SilvoCulture has added swales (gullies) in the upland portion of the property that help sink water into the earth for trees located downhill. A wide array of nut and fruit trees including chestnuts, pecans, black walnuts, oaks, apples, pawpaws, persimmons, aronia, goumi, elderberry, and pears also dot the landscape. SilvoCulture hosts environmental events on the property and looks forward to adding more events as the COVID-19 situation allows.

SilvoCulture is also partnering with Howard EcoWorks to install rainwater capturing swales, nut trees, fruit trees, and pollinator plant guilds at residential properties throughout Howard County. In addition to the countless benefits to wildlife and rainwater systems, with time, landowners will enjoy nuts and fruits for themselves, share with neighbors, or even sell to a local nut co-op for a profit. Several other projects are in the works, so stay tuned!