HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – A James Madison University professor will host a tree and shrub planting event at the Edible Forest Garden on Friday, April 26, for Arbor Day. In a press release from JMU, Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies professor Mikaela Schmitt-Harsh, who runs the Edible Forest Garden, said Arbor Day serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of trees in our environment, both ecologically and culturally.

In celebration of Arbor Day, Schmitt-Harsh and her research students will be hosting a student volunteer day at the Edible Forest Garden between 12:30-4 p.m. Students are invited to learn about the garden and help plant shrubs, herbs and trees.

The Edible Forest Garden was established in 2021 is located on a half-acre of the hillside near King Hall on JMU campus east of Interstate 81. It includes a variety of plants, with fruit trees such as apples, figs, Asian pears and persimmons, as well as perennial herbaceous plants such as lemon thyme, lemon balm, spearmint, chocolate mint and rosemary.

Anyone who visits the forest garden can harvest crops.

The site is used by students for class and independent research projects that focus on biodiversity-, agriculture- and forestry-related topics. The Edible Forest Garden is always looking for eager volunteers who are interested in gardening and forestry.

“We haven’t yet experienced surplus years whereby ‘extra’ produce is available,” Schmitt-Harsh said. “In such a case we intend to donate produce to the JMU Campus Pantry, during the fall and spring semesters, or to community food banks, during the summer months.”

More information about the Edible Forest Garden can be found on its website at Edible Food Forest (jmu.edu).