The indigenous Mesolithic societies of Europe never disappeared: they adapted, and survived in new ways. Their cultures, values, spiritual beliefs, and relationships with the land are encoded in the folk traditions and regional agroecological systems that persist throughout Europe. The elegance of these systems is shown in how they have thrived for millennia on some of the most contested land in Europe, surviving climate change, war, pestilence, drought, and economic upheaval. They are part of a 30,000-year-old unbroken tradition and relationship with the land, but they are rapidly disappearing. What’s at stake in their survival is not the preservation of a bygone relic, but the protection and expansion of relationships with the land that can feed our communities, preserve biodiversity through climate change, and create productive ecosystems that last for millennia.

Agroforestry, Assisted Migration, Crop Preservation, Native EcologyMax PaschallJuly 22, 2020agroforestry, agroecology, permaculture, nature, Europe, indigenous, native, hazel, hazelnut, filbert, apple, crabapple, hawthorn, sloe, grain, cereal, hemp, flax, poppy, papaver, opium, orchard, climate change, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Natufians, agriculture, farming, hunter-gatherer, diversity, hybrid, creole, decolonize, decolonization, colonization, imperialism, resistance, forest garden, controlled burn, swidden, culture, society, war, peace, maple, grape, vine, Roman, Etruscan, British, European, shaman, stone age, natural architecture, reeds, willow, wicker, basket, basketry, salix, vitis, corylus, morus, mulberry, malus, global warming, nuts, oak, dehesa, coltura promiscua, coltura mista, arbustum gallicum, vite maritata, alberata, hautain, nettle, knotweed, duck, hunting, ivy, forest, forests, environment, fire, wheat, emmer, einkorn, spelt, barley, rye, reindeer, deer, coppice, pollard, ice age, Ice Age, Sweden, hoe, ploughing, night soil, maslin, ancient, prehistoric, pigs, boar, aurochs, cork, cork oak, Quercus, colonized, endangered species, endangered, biodiversity, medicine, tools, fodder, livestock, fields, crops, corn, maize, beans, legumes, peas, lentils, hedgerow, hedgerows, violence, Italy, milpa, Native American, Iron Age, chestnut, olive, elm, vegetables, herbs, polyculture, monoculture, diverse, resistant, resilient, climate resilient, citrus, Sicily, Italian, Rome, Gaul, Celt, Celtic, Tuscan, Tuscany, Toscana, Permaculture, climate, grains, cereals, Bere, mashlum, domesticated, wild Comments

Dawn Redwood: In the Forest of Living Gods

When botanist Wang Zhan, dodging civil war and foreign invasion, discovered living Metasequoia trees in a remote valley of China in 1943, it was like someone had found a living dinosaur. The villagers who lived near the trees had long revered them as gods, having built shrines beneath them where they left offerings. This ancient tree has existed almost unchanged for 150 million years. Unlike redwood species native to the West Coast, dawn redwood grows so well on the East Coast that there are specimens less than 70 years old that are already over 130 feet tall here. Given another 70 years, these trees may very well become the largest living organisms on this side of the continent.

Could Ants Revolutionize Organic Pest Management?

For organic gardeners, farmers, and foresters in North America, utilizing predatory ants to control insect outbreaks is one of the most promising strategies that has been almost completely untested. Finding the right predatory ants for each bioregion could revolutionize pest control, and offer a far more sustainable and inexpensive way to manage crops and timber products.

The Incredible Potential of Non-Invasive English Ivy

English ivy can be a powerful new tool for organic orchardists, a vital nectar source in autumn for native pollinators, a natural means of lowering mosquito populations, and a useful medicine for herbalists. Wild-harvested is always best, but if you must plant it, the only responsible choice is the non-invasive sterile variety ‘Woerneri’.

Native Ecology, AgroforestryMax PaschallFebruary 3, 2019ivy, hedera, apple, scab, fire blight, mildew, spray, herbal medicine, medicinal, mosquito, malaria, pollinator, monarch, butterfly, bees, wasps, organic, orchard, organic spray, apple culture, organic apples Comments

Peaches Were America's First Invasive Species

Agroforestry, Assisted Migration, Native EcologyMax PaschallSeptember 5, 2018peaches, indigenous, invasive, native, Hernando de Soto, orchard, peach Comments

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