Kenesaw Food Forest

On October 26, 2024, North College Park planted its first food forest. Good neighbors of the community far and wide, donning buttercup yellow t-shirts, convened on Davis Field with pickaxes, a rototiller, shovels, and pure grit to plant a variety of native perennials, fruiting trees and bushes. A massive overcup oak, which required the deepest of holes in the driest and rockiest of clay soil, was the star of the show (once planted) and will one day tower over the rest of the Kenesaw St. Food Forest.

The term food forest is not a new concept. It is an effort to mimic the natural structure of a forest by creating the different layers with plants that are edible, medicinal, herbal, or provide some other desired benefit. The top layer of a food forest consists of tall canopy trees (like the overcup oak). Below are the understory trees, followed by bushes, perennials, ground covers, and vines. The plants selected by the College Park Bee City USA Committee for the demonstration food forest are native to this region and provide a range of food and habitat benefits for the local pollinators. Several of the species of planted trees and bushes – including common persimmon (understory), serviceberry (understory), papaw (understory), highbush blueberry (bush), and red chokeberry (bush) – can bear fruit that is edible for humans, too.

The Kenesaw Food Forest at Davis Field serves as a native ecosystem, providing the necessary food, water, and habitat conditions for native pollinators – like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds – to thrive. In turn, the pollinators will provide pollination services for the trees and bushes within the food forest and for the forthcoming Hollywood Community Garden (at Davis Field), where residents will rent plots to grow their own fruits, herbs, and vegetables. This example of shared benefits between humans and pollinators mirrors many of the symbiotic relationships found in nature and our community where different groups come together, interact, and create something larger than themselves.

This feat was made easier by the contribution of many hands and generous donations. The College Park Bee City USA Committee would like to express sincere gratitude to everyone that has helped bring the project to fruition. The demonstration project will add to the network of food forests popping up in neighboring communities and complements College Park’s well-established permaculture garden along the Trolley Trail between Greenbelt Road (Rte. 193) and Tecumseh Street in Berwyn and UMD’s food forest along the Paint Branch trail on campus. The Kenesaw Food Forest will serve as an educational amenity for anyone interested in learning more about growing their own native food and pollinator-friendly garden.