Guilds There is an important concept in permaculture, the so-called guild. A guild, in permaculture terminology, is a group of different organisms that are mutually beneficial to each other. Each member or "element" of the guild performs certain functions. We call this filling a niche. One (simplified) example that we can often see in nature is a field of perennial grasses mixed with vetch and clover. Vetch and clover fix nitrogen from the air, making it available for grasses. Another element of this guild is a mower, which can be a grazing animal such as sheep, cows or goats, or it can be a person with a scythe or a lawn mower. This is the element that maintains the stability of the guild. Without the mower, there would be an empty niche, and the field would either burn regularly or become overgrown with bushes and eventually turn into a forest with its own guilds. This guild is actually very useful in agriculture. If the mower is a grazing animal, it creates its own niches that we can choose how to fill if we want. Grazing animals dump manure, often with eggs of parasites. Flies lay eggs in manure, and worms eat it. This is exactly the situation that chickens like. Cows create a niche for chickens. So, you have a grazing system in a paddock where cows graze one paddock, then sheep graze it even lower, then chickens come and clean up after the grazers, eating parasites, larvae, some worms and grasshoppers, and also scatter the piles of manure that remain. Thus, manure decomposes much faster and fertilizes the pasture more evenly. After the chickens leave, the pasture rests for 30 to 70 days. This is the period of growth during which plants again increase biomass. So, in permaculture, we will design guilds. We combine sets of elements into advantageous configurations. Let's consider four more elements. • Siberian pine. It gives nuts, resin and wood. It acidifies the soil. It has a deep root system that does not extend very far to the sides. It blocks the wind pretty well. • Spruce, which also tends to acidify the soil. Spruce has a fairly shallow spreading root system, and also stops the wind quite well. Spruce trees are often cut for the new year. • Then there is the birch. Birch has white bark and reflective leaves and can fix nitrogen. It gives a product - birch sap. • Blueberries. Blueberries produce delicious berries that are always in demand. It yields the best yields on acidic soil and in partial shade. Pine and spruce trees can grow very close to each other because their root systems occupy different areas of the soil. Birch actually transfers nutrients to coniferous plants, such as pines and firs, through fungi in the soil. So, you plant a row of pines and firs planted quite densely. On the sunny side of this line, you plant a more sparse line of birches, perhaps 1 for every three conifers. Between the birches and on the sunny side of them you plant blueberries, and then, a few more meters in the sunny side facing the sun, you may have another dense line of pines and firs. You can make several rows. How does this guild work? Birches help fertilize the entire guild and reflect light on blueberries, allowing pines and firs to be closer to blueberries from the sunny side than would be ideal without birches. Pine and spruce trees provide excellent wind protection for shrubs, and if the guild is located in a long strip through the landscape, it can also protect livestock from strong winds and the sun. A cow loses a lot of weight in the wind, just keeping warm. In addition, there are mushrooms that will inevitably begin to grow under the trees. You can also inoculate it with valuable mushrooms. Sometimes you can let chickens into this system to reap the fruits of the insects living under the trees. Thus, it can be seen that the guild is larger than the sum of its parts.