Food Forests: What is a Community Food Forest?
September 01, 2025 | Source: Chelsea Green Publishing
Creating positive change can start in the heart of any city with the implementation of a community food forest.
With more than 80 percent of the US population now residing in urban areas food forests help provide a local food source. And they also serve as perfect platforms for community-building. Read on for a primer on community food forests!
The following is an excerpt from The Community Food Forest Handbook by Catherine Bukowski and John Munsell. It has been adapted for the web.
What Are Food Forests?
An on-the-ground, physical food forest mimics the spatial and functional patterns of a naturally occurring forest ecosystem.
Most people think of a forest as a large area, but from a biological standpoint a forest does not have to meet a minimum height or size requirement.
Rather, the term food forest signifies a highly integrated community of plants that has various vertical and horizontal plant and root layers that provide edible products.