Analog Forestry

Analog Forestry is a system of silviculture that seeks to establish a tree dominated ecosystem analogous in architectural structure and ecological function to the original climax or sub climax vegetation community.  It seeks to empower rural communities both socially and economically through the use of species that provide marketable products.

> Download the Updated Ecological Evaluation and Physiognomic formula files for using in your Analog Forestry Project.

What is a forest?

​by Ranil Senanayake 
What is known by science reveals the forest as an ecosystem of tremendous complexity. But surprisingly, trees constitute only 1 % of its total biodiversity, 99% is organisms other than trees. Thus biodiversity is what gives a forest its identity. The international response to the loss of natural forest ecosystems can be seen in the massive global investment in forestry. However, a great majority of these revegetation programmes around the world do not seem to provide an environment that is hospitable for sustaining local biodiversity. A situation brought about by neglect of the ecological and biodiverse reality of a forest in planning. There is no excuse to be found in the argument that there was no information. Forest Ecology, as much as Wildlife Biology has had long and distinguished histories in the scientific literature. The result of this neglect was that institutional forestry activity became centered on the growing of even aged monocultures with fast growing trees with no requirement to attend to the rehabilitation of forests. Read full article here

Analog Forestry Restoration at Work in Honduras

“It is the little things citizens do, that will make a difference. My little thing is planting trees”

~ Wangari Maathai, Kenya

Forest Garden Initiative

"In a world where restoring our forests is an ever more pressing necessity, there is an urgent need to reconcile forest restoration with economic imperatives. Silviculture systems that contain high biodiversity and mature forest structure are essential to ensuring that bringing back forests can be profitable. The Forest Garden Product concept was born out of this necessity of showcasing the products that come from forest gardens applying analog forestry."

- from the International Analog Forestry Network FGP Initiative

​​The Tree Project has its Honduras headquarters in the Analog Forestry Training Centre in La Union, on the Atlantic coast, and with a mandate for Biodiversity Restoration and Community Development.  The Tree Project is working to establish a local market in La Union, with produce vendors as well as educational workshops, artists and musicians.​

Visit our page on our Local Markets & Participatory Guarantee Systems Initiative in Honduras.

More articles on Analog Forestry

Publications, manuals available  at www.analogforestry.org/resources/publications

Strengths of the Analog Forestry (AF) network:

  • Very strong base in Sri Lanka, Central America/Carribean, Cameroon, Uganda and Latin America with capacity building with on the ground CSOs/farmers .
  • AF is supported by a strong and wide on the ground network, with specific knowledge about the replication of agro-forest ecosystems, and offering practical farmer training that restores ecosystems and landscapes.
  • Re: AF product, certification. International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) completed its evaluation of the most recent version of the production standards for Forest Garden Products (FGP). The FGP standards have now been adopted into the IFOAM Family of Standards.  These are the first ones in the IFOAM family to have global reach, as well as the first standards developed in countries of the Global South.

The Buddha said, ‘The person who plants a tree grows merit both day and night”