NEW YORK—A food forest is taking root in a Syracuse, New York, community, thanks to a $299,999 USDA Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant.

Once completed, the project area will become a three-mile food forest corridor, incorporating plantings and green infrastructure in varied types of ecosystems. The project also serves to engage neighborhood and business community members, improve environmental quality and provide financial opportunities for residents.

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York is planting trees, shrubs and perennials during several local planting events held on multiple sites throughout the community as part of the Syracuse Urban Food Forest Project.

In recent months, project organizers from State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and Syracuse University met with community group leaders, determined local vendors, selected the numbers and types of tree and shrub species to be planted, created site-planting designs and approved site locations.

The most recent planting event was May 20 at the Kwanzaa Village Community Garden in Syracuse. The garden opened in 1996 and converted a vacant lot into a community focal point.

In all, the food forest project is expected to plant a total of 451 trees from 24 varieties and an assortment of 211 shrubs and perennials across more than 12 locations from pocket parks to large spaces, parks, vacant lots, riparian areas and elsewhere throughout the city.

Trees being planted include shagbark hickory, butternut, sugar maple, shellbark hickory, eastern redbud, chestnut, red mulberry, persimmon, serviceberry, pawpaw, American plum, cherry, apple and more. Perennials include indigo, comfrey, cone flower, sage, milkweed, mint and wild ginger.

One of the project organizers, Stew Diemont, said, “We’re looking at food availability, tree canopy justice and water quality concerns. We are greening up Syracuse together for the benefit of everyone.

“Our community partners are essential in this. They work directly with the community on the ground, and they are truly our partners. We could not do any of this without them. They are central to what we do.”

Diemont said between 55-80 people participated in each big planting event. The smaller school plantings had about 20 kids involved. “All told, we expect about 300-400 volunteers taking part in the events,” he said.

The city’s population has declined by one-third over the last 60 years due to industrial changes. Diemont said there are a lot of vacant open lots in Syracuse now, and the project plans to turn abandoned houses into a green center and provide economic revitalization and green space.

As planting is completed, program leads want to work on more community engagement and education, including foraging walks and showing people how a food forest works, including edible wild foods cooking  demonstrations.

“We have more that we need to do. A planting event in October will finish up the planting work.” Diemont added, “Community engagement is important, especially in communities that have been disenfranchised.”

 Forest Service Eastern Region watershed forester Karl Honkonen said the project is helping to green up vacant lots, urban parks and urban farms. It also provides a food source for an economically challenged community while adding green infrastructure and providing water filtration.

The two-year grant period is expected to be completed Dec. 31. The grantee was approved for an additional two-year round of initiative funding for $300,000.