The 7 Layers of Syntropic Systems and Forests: A Basic Overview

History

Syntropic systems are an idea most recently patented by a Swiss farmer named Ernst Gotsch, but these principles were practiced by many indigenous cultures across almost every continent. The three sisters garden grouping of corn, beans, and squash is one of an unfathomable number of combinations of plants (both “wild” and heirlooms) used across coastlines, forests, grasslands, mountains & hillsides alike.

Introduction

1. Canopy Layer:

The canopy is the tallest layer of a syntropic system or forest; typically composed of large native trees and fruit & nut trees that can reach heights of over 30 feet. This layer provides shade and shelter for all the other layers below and includes species like walnut, oak, and chestnut to name just a few out of the hundreds of possibilities. These trees are essential for creating a microclimate that benefits the entire syntropic system. The spacing of these trees is very dependent on the intention of the space; plant them further apart for old growth designs and gardens or closer together for intensive regeneration & for speeding up initial forest establishments.

2. Understory Layer:

Beneath the canopy, the understory layer consists of smaller trees that thrive in partial shade, such as dwarf fruit trees like apples and pears; or native trees like Spicebushes and Eastern Redbuds. Some smaller species, such as large native sunflowers, are technically also considered part of the understory layer. The same principle of spacing for the canopy layer applies to the understory layer; depending on the intention of the space you’re using.

The closer the understory and canopy trees are when planted, the more dense shade you’ll have in that area as the trees grow. The more densely they grow together, the more frequently you’ll have to prune them to make gaps of sunlight. The less you prune them, the more reliant you’ll have to be on shade-loving plants. There’s still a wide variety of plants that can grow in mostly full shade, but it comes with far more limitations. Think shade tolerant greens, edible roots, mushrooms, and various native medicinal plants. Some vine species are resilient enough to push through the shade as well but this requires experienced timing.

As the trees grow, you can alter the amounts of light coming through by intentionally pruning different areas. You can do this by either intentionally cutting the entire trees as they age, leaving the strongest & tallest standing ones as you go; or by pruning the actual branches as the trees grow older and taller. Or both; that’s the great part about using this system: there are no rules, only observations and experimentation.

Just to name one other process, you can also plant fast-growing trees super close together and thin them out as they grow; cutting each where the trunk meets ground and leaving the root system in tact. The cuttings can be used for crafts, mulch, firewood, mushroom logs, medicines, and sometimes even food depending of the tree species. Mulberry is a good example; which provides protein-rich edible leaves whenever it’s pruned. Keep an eye on which species thrive and which ones struggle; keep the ones that thrive, gradually cut out the ones that struggle.

 Various indigenous communities throughout New England would find openings in forests canopies (either from intentional tree thinning or natural death of trees) and plant intentional food crops during the first few years until new canopy & understory trees grew older. The three sisters garden “guild” (group of plants that grow well together) is one of countless combinations of crops and native plant species grown together by indigenous cultures across the entire United States. Which brings us to our next layer:

3. Shrubs

The shrub layer includes berry bushes, native shrubs as well as other mid-sized plants. Personally I would categorize any plant between 3-8 feet tall and 3-8 feet wide as a shrub in this case. Shrubs can be planted in gardens, forest settings, and even open meadows & fields; each setting and unique plant providing various benefits.

For garden settings, I would recommend planting shrubs that produce berries, medicine, or sources of biomass (each time you prune it you use those prunings for mulch, fertilizer, or compost); and spacing them significantly far apart. As the shrubs grow, I would recommend pruning them consistently throughout the season as the other crops grow; the production of those shrubs is meant to be an additional bounty, not the main focus. So if the production is slightly stunted when you prune don’t fret; observe how and when it prefers to be pruned and adjust your timing & techniques slightly every season. Around the perimeter of each shrub there are various semi-passive vines, roots, and herbs that can handle partial to heavy shade; plant these up to a couple feet around the shade-cast areas of each shrub for even more additional abundance. American Groundnut is a perfect example of a native food crop that can be grouped around shrubs. Large garden plots and big crop fields are perfect for this practice. You may “lose” some space for different plants, but the complexity of microbiology, mycelium, pollinators & predatory insects introduced to the garden alone is well enough to compensate. Not to mention some crops will benefit immensely from the partial shade provided during the height of summers. If you’re working with a small garden or raised bed, I’d recommend planting just one shrub per bed and choose either a berry or a biomass candidate. As the shrub grows, continuously prune it to your desired size and add the fresh prunings directly on top of your garden to add a slow-release nutrient source. Believe it or not temperate climates have plenty of options for cold-hardy fruit & berry shrubs too. I’ll try to add more examples in the online store as time passes.

For forest and meadow settings, your observations and understanding of the land is going to be your best teacher. Do your research on whichever shrub you’d like to grow and learn what conditions it prefers. Watch the land &area you live in and try to consider what animals and plants are already there- what’s already growing there? Will it hinder or compliment the shrub you’re planning to grow? Perimeters or boundaries of forests and forest edges are great places to begin experimenting with planting shrubs.

4. Herbaceous Layer

The herbaceous layer consists of non-woody plants, including vegetables, herbs, and native plants & wildflowers. Think of an open meadow where you see random wildflowers and small clumps of greenery; those are your herbaceous plants.

5. Ground Covers

The ground cover layer consists of relatively low-growing plants that slowly spread across the soil. As the greenery spreads, it protects the soil and the roots of other plants from the sun. This increases moisture retention and genuinely reduces the need for watering exponentially; it’s remarkable how fast you can the see difference . Common ground cover plants include wild strawberries, white clover, or even cucumbers. There are some forest groundcovers , such as wild sasparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), that can grow up to around a foot tall.

6. Roots

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The roots layer consists of crops and native plants that devote large portions of their energy to growing underground root systems. Roots have a multitude of uses; both for the soil and for people & creatures. Almost all plant root systems are beneficial for the soil, but the root layer of a forest specifically refers to larger, mostly crop-intended tubers, bulbs, and alliums. Some native wild species, such as Eastern Yampah (Perideridia americana) and Eastern Camas (Camassia scilloides) have had symbiotic relationships with humans for thousands of years- populations slowly spreading more and more after each harvest of the root systems.

Radishes, for example, can be grown as a cover crop in sandy soils or newly established gardens. As the radishes grow, they can be thinned out & harvested for food; leaving the largest & healthiest ones for seed saving. Or you can leave them as they are and continuously chop down the greens after the roots grow to a decent size. As the radish roots decompose they’ll leave behind pockets of nutrients & organic matter; while the greens can be eaten or thrown back onto the soil as a green mulch.

A good example of a native root would be Hopniss, or the American Ground Nut (Apios americana). These plants grow climbing vines that produce edible leaves flowers, & bean pods while slowly growing underground chains of edible roots. The roots are harvested every couple of years; fixating Nitrogen into the soil as they grow. When the roots finally are harvested, new crops or native plant seeds can be thrown onto the Nitrogen-charged, now disturbed soil.

7. Vining Plants

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The vining layer of a syntropic system or forest consists of native plants and crops that vertically or horizontally fill in walls, trellises, and shrub & tree bodies. As weird as it may sound, even having sparse/scattered vines growing directly over your garden plants can give them a great extra layer of protection against heat & sun in the height of summer. Some common examples of these vines include cucumbers/gourds, cold-hardy kiwis, passionfruit, climbing bean varieties, virginia creeper, and even American wisteria(Wisteria frutescens)…NOT JAPANESE WISTERIA (Wisteria floribunda) which is highly invasive and will block out entire forests. Here in the United States we affiliate most vining plants with density; huge walls of dense green that cover up entire forests openings & tree canopies… unfortunately a profoundly different reality compared to even as early as 100 years ago. Colonizer vines such as Porcelainberry, Kudzu, Asiatic Bittersweet, Japanese Honeysuckle; these are just a few of species responsible for this skewed perceptron of what vines could be. Native vines, on the other hand, can be added to spaces and compliment the forests and surrounding plants; each in their own unique way. American Wisteria creates slow-creeping vines that showcase beautiful purple flowers without taking over space. Native grapes on the other hand grow slightly more quickly but still nowhere near as fast as colonizer species; and as the grap vines climb nearby trees it rarely stunts their growth.