Community food forest takes root in Sudbury

Sudbury Shared Harvest will break new ground today on the city's first ever community food forest. 

The forest, which has been in the works for more than a year, will take root on a 42-hundred square foot plot of land at Delki Dozzi park.

The groundbreaking takes place at 2:30 p.m.

Volunteers will plant approximately 30 species of mostly edible perennial plants, said Sudbury Shared Harvest spokesperson Carrie Regenstreif.

Most of the planting will take place next week.

When the harvest is ready people will be free to help themselves, Regenstreif said. 

"We won't be policing it, so to speak," she said. "We're hoping that as many people as possible will get involved in helping to take care of it, and certainly they'll be more aware when things are ready and how things are coming along."

The provincial government funded the first full year of the project with a $37,000 grant.

That covers plants, materials and a project coordinator for Phase One.

If the first year goes well the organization will expand the forest, Regenstreif said.

"We decided to keep it fairly small until we are sure we get enough volunteers to maintain it. If it goes well this year we'll hopefully be able to get more grant money for more plants and be able to plant Phase 2 next year, which would be about a similar size," she said.

The organization is holding educational workshops May 13 and 14 for people interested in volunteering with the forest.