Medicinal Forest Garden Trust Update January 2026

I suppose you could describe medicinal forest gardening as a mix of agroforestry, harvesting, healing trees, herbal medicine, permaculture and sustainability plus a good dose of enjoying plants and all that they offer. On a quarterly basis I gather together items that I have come across fitting this range of interests for the Medicinal Forest Garden Trust. In this January update you can see more on seed source information, hand-harvested birch produce, books, plus online resources, courses in propagation and foraging.

SEED AND PLANT RESOURCES

Seed suppliers in North America listing

The last issue of the Medicinal Forest Garden Trust Update in October 2026 included a list of seed suppliers, mostly in Europe and UK. If you are in North America, I have since discovered an excellent listing available from Chestnut Herbs for suppliers in the USA and in Canada. Entitled ‘Herbal Seed Suppliers and Nurseries: Ethical Sources for Medicinal Seeds and Plants’ by Meghan Gemma and Juliet Blankespoor, it is well worth checking out here ...

Edible Canopy Nursery takes on Agroforestry Trust site in Devon

Some people will know that the nursery part of the Agroforestry Research Trust has changed hands. Plants will be available from spring 2026 and you can sign up to hear about the latest details of the launch here….

BOOKS

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: How to Produce High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale, revised edition by Jeff and Melanie Carpenter

At almost 400 pages, this is a really fantastic source about herb growing for the market and the revised version was published in September 2023. The text is based on US experience but nevertheless includes many plants that have worldwide use as medicinals, and can be grown in temperate climates. Over 50 plant species are detailed here from alfalfa to hawthorn and valerian, and the business side is covered with lots of case studies. The authors have lots of direct experience of growing at scale, so the book includes very useful guidelines on machinery that works and also information about drying management. If you are interested in developing a herb business, this is a must-have mine of information from Chelsea Green Publishing for £35. At the time of publication there was a discount offer of 35% at this publisher here ...

The Power of Permaculture Principles by Wilf Richards

This new book on permaculture is due out in March 2026. In this collaborative book from Permanent Publications, Wilf Richards plus a collective of experienced permaculture teachers and elders from across Britain and beyond, explore the permaculture principles: their origins, evolution, and stories of how they are now being used, understood and applied. You can enrich your knowledge of permaculture and how to apply it to your own life. It is inspiring, practical, and written from years of experience. It is essential reading for the well versed and the newcomer alike, showing how to apply permaculture to our lives and our own communities. Pre-orders for £19.95 here ...

Free download about foraging

The Wild Gatherer: A Guide to Sustainable Foraging is available free online. It is authored by the creator of Gifts of the Land, Samantha, who offers several guides to seasonal activities and use of plants. She says ‘I am a plant tending, herb gathering, nature loving creative & mama living in Portugal with my 5 year old daughter, partner and two cats. I have had a life long passion for plants and nature and have studied various courses and modalities relating to the natural world; from permaculture and farming to herbalism and botany’. You can find the download here… and check out Samantha’s latest posts on Substack:

Summerfield Books

Based near Penrith in UK, Summerfield Books offer a select range of books online, both new and secondhand about the environment and natural history. There are extensive specialist guides with field guides and floras pertaining to species on every continent. And they have an excellent range of handheld magnifiers for plant identification. The website includes ‘Treesource’ which is intended to support professional arborists and foresters. There are some hard-to-find second hand books and great prices on useful guides such as the Collins Tree Guide at considerable reduction. You can also see a good roundup of books about nature in 2025, and look out for the Tree Book Newsletter here ...

ONLINE PODCASTS

‘How to Start a Medicinal Food Forest’ with Anne Stobart

A series of podcasts recorded with Louis de Jaeger, Belgian author of Save Our Soils, is called the Food Forest Podcast. An interview with Anne Stobart about medicinal forest gardening was published in November 2025. Find out why you do not need a big garden to grow your own medicine! Herbalist Anne Stobart provides insights into the world of herbal medicine, holistic health and growing medicinal plants. The discussion covers aspects of clinical herbalism, the importance of education, and how herbalism can complement conventional medicine. Available on YouTube and Spotify.

‘Medicinal Resilience and Essential Permaculture’ with Taj Scicluna

The Elder Tree Podcast is an Australian resource for herbal medicine established since 2022. I discovered this delightful series of podcasts in late 2025 and have been trying to catch up on the many episodes recorded. There are four segments about education, permaculture, sacred and selfcare herbalism. A recent episode, Medical Resilience and Essential Permaculture with Taj Scicluna (no. 161) ‘reflects on the deep relationship between herbalism, permaculture, and medicinal resilience. Drawing from personal experience, ecological ethics, and hands-on growing knowledge, the conversation explores why herbalism must extend beyond clinical practice into land stewardship, ecosystem care, and community resilience’. Definitely worth a listen here…

‘Agroforestry Through the Elements - Air’

Part of a new series exploring agroforestry, from the Organic Research Centre in UK, using the elements as a framework to deepen understanding and challenge assumptions around trees on farms. The overarching aim is to explore how trees on farms contribute to more than just individual functions, holding the ability to transform whole landscapes and ecosystems. In this episode issued December 2025 the theme is ‘Air’. Wallace Currie is joined by Martin Crawford (Agroforestry Research Trust founder), Helen Browning (Chief Executive of the Soil Association), and Will Simonson (Organic Research Centre). They explore how trees can shape airflow, shelter crops and livestock, and support vital pollinators with benefits for the health of the soil and livestock. Find out more about the series here ...

‘Why We Need Positive, Practical Permaculture‘ with Morag Gamble

Morag Gamble has tons of interviews about permaculture in all walks of life in the SenseMaking in a Changing World series. This latest short podcast is about why permaculture’s positive practical approach matters so much right now, and offers inspiring support for carers of the environment. Even small actions add up! Further episodes will focus on designing for health, cultural repair and livelihoods in permaculture. See more here ...

‘Topical Herbal Remedies That Work’ with Rosalee de la Foret

This is a fascinating podcast about external herbal remedies which is Episode 212 in the series with Rosalee de la Foret. She is an experienced herbalist, member of the American Herbalist Guild and author of bestselling books on herbal medicine. ‘When Topical Herbal Remedies Really Work’, published 14 January 2026, is a 30-minute podcast about external remedies and how the different preparations from infused oils to poultices may be used in various ways, listen here...

ONLINE INFORMATION RESOURCES

Agroforestry Hub

A website all about integrating trees into farming systems including looking into health benefits of trees for animals. The Agroforestry Hub offers practical resources to support agroforestry in the UK. It brings together case studies, research summaries, farmer profiles, blog posts, toolkits, videos and podcasts relevant to projects of all scales. Showcasing a diverse range of material from Agricology’s archive and trusted partners, the Agroforestry Hub is designed to support farmers, advisors and land managers at every stage, from species selection to first harvest and beyond and can be found here…. 

Irish Agroforestry Forum

This organization actively promotes the potential, and benefits of agroforestry as a multifunctional land use option that integrates trees into agricultural and horticultural systems. There are some funds available for forest gardening - though conditions apply! For example the Afforestation Programme 2023-2027 FT8 Agroforestry Support Measure Silvopasture grant can mean €8555/ha with a Premium grant of €975/ha/year for 10 years. There is a pilot scheme also for forest gardening. See the website for detailed advice on applications funded under the Forestry Promotion Scheme here ...

‘Seeing Double: The Hidden Costs in Herb Supply Chains’ with Ann Armbrecht

In a blog post on the Sustainable Herbs Initiative website, Ann Armbrecht discusses the problems encountered in trying to represent the real costs involved in producing and selling herbs. Certification matters but is not always readily taken up. Many issues affect the visibility of costs, and some items such as the time invested in creating relationships are difficult to quantify. Read more of this latest blog on Sustainable Herbs Initiative here ...

Bad news about forests in Indonesia is reported by Earthsight

One of Indonesia’s worst deforesters in recent years, PT Industrial Forest Plantation (PT IFP), has been certified as ‘sustainable’ under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Between 2016 and 2022, the company cleared nearly 22,000 hectares of natural forest within a key orangutan stronghold in central Borneo. Despite a public pledge to end deforestation in August 2023, PT IFP continued to clear natural forest for at least 10 months after this date. Auditors were aware of this, yet still approved certification in November 2024.  PEFC standards allow companies to greenwash their image by certifying only selected areas that meet sustainability criteria – even if other parts of the of the same concession have been recently deforested. The scandal exposes deep flaws in voluntary certification and shows that only legislation can compel companies to deliver meaningful sustainability. PEFC International should revoke PT IFP’s certification and revise its standards to exclude companies that have cleared natural forest anywhere on their land since 2010, along with other companies in the same corporate group, say Earthsight here….

Traditional Medicine Global Library and World Health Organization (WHO)

Reports of a recent WHO Conference referred to the linking of the WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library (TMGL) as a resource through Research4Life which provides free or low cost access to academic and professional peer-reviewed content online. The Research4Lifeorganization is a public-private partnership with a number of academic publishers and universities. Access is focused on institutions in lower income countries. The stated basis for this development is to ensure that traditional medicine knowledge is accessible, protected, and integrated into evidence-based health systems. TMGL brings 22 peer-reviewed titles covering research from 1933 to 2025, spanning traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, herbal medicine, and integrative clinical practice. The list of 22 journals with access links can be found here ...

COURSES

Learn about propagation with the Agroforestry Research Trust (ART)

This one day course on propagation in Devon, UK, in June or July will enable you to propagate trees, shrubs and perennials in the Edible Canopy (formerly ART) nursery. The day is aimed at both the amateur grower and those thinking of starting a small nursery themselves. The subjects covered include: propagation by seed, cuttings, grafting, layering, propagation of bulbs and tubers, nursery logistics and selling plants. Sounds like an amazing opportunity for anyone interested in propagating woody plants! Cost is £79 per day, more details here ...

Foraging Courses with Eatweeds and Robin Harford

Join Robin Harford, best-selling author on ethnobotany and foraging, for a day course in May 2026. At the time of writing only a few places remain and the location is near Exeter in Devon. Robin explains ‘We meet under a tree twenty minutes from Exeter. I’ll show you safe identification using the Domei sensory approach. How to read contaminated ground. When to harvest without destroying a patch. And the practice of meeting plants as neighbours, not resources. Eatweeds is the craft of foraging. Domei builds kinship with plants. You get both. Eatweeds is the practical knowledge that keeps you safe. Domei is the relational practice that keeps you connected.’ These are morning sessions, booking is online and cost is £65, details here ...

PRODUCTS

Hand-gathered birch products from Priestlands Birch

Priestlands Birch offer products made using hand-gathered birch ingredients, including sap and leaves from Exmoor, UK. The foraging of birch (with landowner permission) is a unique selling point and they are really proud of it! Priestlands Birch products include spring-harvested birch sap (can be frozen so you can store it). They explain that there are plenty of reasons to drink birch sap including:

1. Refresh a tired mind and body after a long day

2. Rehydration after a run or a work out

3. Metabolic stimulation

4. Flush out uric acid from your kidneys

5. Help break down cellulite and lose some unwanted weight

6. Top up on trace elements, minerals and electrolytes

7. Help your skin look and feel rejuvenated

8. Relieve a hangover

9. Calm an upset stomach.

Further products include leaf tea, gorgeous soaps, skin moisturisers, balms etc. There is a unique and tasty selection of birch alcohol, including Birch Spirit, Birch Vermouth, Sloe Birch Sparkling wine and delicious birch liqueur Chocolate Truffles. For more information go here ...

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AND FINALLY…

Contribute to the next update on medicinal forest gardening!

If you have something relevant to medicinal forest gardening that you would like to add to the next update then do get in touch by end of March for the April issue.