AGROFORESTRY
Agroforestry integrates trees
with crop and/or livestock production to create more diverse and more
productive farms, ranches and communities. Some common examples of agroforestry
practices include; windbreaks, riparian
buffer strips, live fences, integrated fruit/timber production and forest
farming.
Perhaps
the most common of these practices on St. Croix is silvopasture, or livestock production combined with certain tree
species which improve the soil or provide shade, additional fodder, timber
and/or fruit.
At
the University of the Virgin Islands Agroforestry Program we are studying thirteen tree species which are native
to St. Croix. The trees being investigated were chosen with the assistance of
local experts from the agricultural, forestry and commercial nursery sectors.
The trees chosen demonstrate either, great potential in silvopastoral systems
or potential as an ornamental tree. All of them have had their natural habitat
so severely reduced that they are threatened with extinction from the island of
St. Croix.
Presently
we are conducting a phenology study
on the selected species. The word phenology comes from a Greek word for to show or to display and is the study of
periodic biological phenomenon such as flowering, fruiting and growing new
leaves. Results of the study will show how each species behaves and allow
future workers in the field to know the best time to collect seeds and/or take
cuttings.
As the trees produce fruits,
they are collected, the seeds are cleaned and germinated under greenhouse conditions. A variety of pregerminative
treatments are applied to the seeds to determine the fastest and most efficient
way to grow these native St. Croix trees.
If you want more information
contact
Brian Daly at 340-692-4078
or email bdaly@uvi.edu
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