we are currently contemplating to buy a 80 acre piece of land to set up a Permaculture education center in eastern Canada. The area is recently clear cut (recently as in the last weeks and as I write this). The land is rather inexpensive and has access to a lake as well as some springs on the ground.
I wonder about the stumpage that will be left in the ground after the cutting process. I don't think that I will have money or means to clear all the stumps off the ground. However, our plan forsees a large agroforestry system and food forest. How would I best deal with the stumps. will I just leave them in the ground and plant trees next to them? Will that hamper the growth of the trees.
The first idea that comes to my mind as to how to deal with them is to innoculate them with edible mushrooms, but that might be quite a task on 80 acres.
It is a good plan to plant new trees next to stumps. As the stumps and the old roots break down, the new roots will follow along the resulting channels.....
The mushroom idea also had crossed my mind. I wonder whether you can grow ceps close to the old pine and fir stumps? Oyster mushrooms should work great and shitakee on the hardwood.
I am glad to hear that the planting side by side also echoes my thoughts.
Unfortunately, I think most of the best and most readily available mushrooms (shiitakes, oysters, etc.) prefer hardwood. Unless the stumps are very fresh, they are probably already inoculated with wood-eating fungi anyway....
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