Ecoscape Article on a Permaculture Food Forest

The folks at Ecoscape Environmental Design, located in Boulder, have an article about Permaculture Food Forests. (I think the article is on an old version of their website, but the article is interesting so I'm going to link to it.)

When applied to a landscape design, Permaculture requires a more complex set of standards than the conventional approach. For example, a spatial aggregate of trees, shrubs, vines, flowers and grasses should work together functionally as well as aesthetically. Plants should provide each other (and us) services as they do in nature. Some plants process and serve up foods like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to other plants which otherwise can’t consume them. When sited and selected skillfully, plants can provide habitat for beneficial birds and insects that will keep pest outbreaks in line. They can also give wind protection and shade, act as visual barriers, control dust, mitigate noise, produce oxygen, yield food and medicine, and more.