Start with the site boundary
Position the project on a map or aerial image, then add known buildings, water and other site elements.
Map, plant and review
Agroforestry design software for layered planting plans
AgroForest Designer is browser-based agroforestry design software for food forests and layered planting systems. Map your site, select plants, generate an editable layout and review spacing, growth and indicative shade before preparing your planting plan.
- No payment details required
- Begin with a free project
Why it helps
Connect the site plan to the plants that will occupy it
A tree's footprint changes as it grows. Paths need room, understory plants need suitable light, and planting choices depend on the site. Keep these decisions together: research a plant palette, draw the physical layout, then inspect how the recorded plant dimensions affect your design.
Reserve room for access
Draw paths, planting rows and zones before filling the available area with trees, shrubs and lower layers.
Generate a layout to inspect
Choose a recipe, planting density and design horizon. Review a temporary proposal, its plant count and any warnings before applying it.
Use a researched plant palette
Filter recorded soil, light, hardiness and plant dimensions, then keep your selected species and cultivars together in a recipe.
Compare growth and light
Inspect crown sizes, spacing, sun paths and indicative shade alongside terrain contours and seasonal harvest periods.
Refine individual decisions
Move plants, adjust paths and regenerate one planting layer while keeping other layers and manual placements. Save versions as the design develops.
From start to result
From site information to an editable agroforestry plan
Bring a location, a usable site boundary and what you know about growing conditions. Build the plan in stages and verify important assumptions on site.
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Locate and structure the site
Draw the boundary, check it against field measurements, and mark existing objects, paths and areas you intend to plant.
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Choose plants and planting layers
Use the public plant search to build a recipe. Check local suitability, mature size and cultivar requirements before linking it to the project.
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Place plants or generate a proposal
Place individual plants and rows manually, or paint an allowed planting area and generate a layout using your selected density and growth horizon.
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Inspect and revise
Review generator warnings, plant spacing, access and indicative light conditions. Adjust the layout and save a named version.
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Prepare the planting information
Review the inventory and harvest periods. Use the output available in your plan to support discussion, purchasing and implementation.
Inside the planner
Tools for spatial agroforestry planning
Combine manual design with generated planting layers. Each tool exposes a different part of the plan, from the site boundary to the information you need for planting.
Digital site planner
Keep the planting layout aligned with the project location and the site features you have recorded.
- Map, satellite, combined and orthomap views
- Editable boundaries, drawings and planting zones
- Visible-building import from OpenStreetMap data
- Reusable structure templates and annotations
Path and access designer
Reserve access to planting areas and inspect path dimensions while you develop the layout.
- Freehand paths and standard or permaculture templates
- Width presets with live length and surface calculations
- Curves, snapping, splitting and joining
- Conflict checks against plants and mapped objects
Custom planting plan generator
Create a starting layout from a linked recipe, a painted planting area and your design preferences.
- 1, 5, 10 or 20-year plant dimensions
- Spacious, balanced or intensive spacing
- Plant-count or estimated-cover targets
- Food, functional-diversity, medicinal or balanced preferences
Plant research and reusable recipes
Carry the species and cultivar choices from plant research into the spatial design.
- Public plant database with growing-condition filters
- Reusable recipes, cultivars and personal plant records
- Recorded dimensions across available growth horizons
- Plant details available from the plan
Site and design review
Look for potential conflicts in plant spacing, sunlight and site structure, then check critical findings in the field.
- Sun path and plant-shadow preview
- Indicative shade maps and light-compatibility flags
- Elevation contours with adjustable intervals and labels
- Distance, area and ground-control measurements
Implementation and presentation
Review the inventory as the layout changes. Pro and Max add professional delivery and presentation tools.
- Plant inventory and seasonal harvest views
- Plan notes and saved versions
- Professional PDF and SVG technical drawings
- Professional 3D views, plan sharing and QGIS workflows
Product views
See the site, planting layout and vertical layers
These product captures use a demonstration project to show the information you can inspect while developing a layered design.
Product capture
Site boundary and base map
Set the project area against real-world imagery before developing the planting plan.
Product capture
Planting plan in site context
Review plant positions, mature spread and layout directly on the aerial image.
Product capture
Planting section across the terrain
Review mature plant heights, crown widths and terrain elevation together in an exportable profile view.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of agroforestry design can I plan?
Use the workspace for spatial planting designs such as food forests, edible tree and shrub layers, planting rows and orchard understories. Map the elements your project needs and check its site-specific requirements; the software does not validate every farming system or predict its financial performance.
Can I use it for permaculture mapping?
Yes. You can map the site, draw paths and planting areas, record existing features and arrange layered planting. These tools support the spatial part of a permaculture design; local observation and the wider design process still guide your decisions.
What does the planting plan generator do?
It creates an editable proposal from a linked plant recipe, the permitted planting area and your chosen density, objectives and design horizon. Review its assumptions and warnings before applying it. You can also design manually or regenerate one layer while retaining other layers and manual plants.
How accurate are the growth and shade views?
Growth views use recorded plant dimensions. Shade is an indicative model based on plant sizes, seasonal leaf assumptions and mapped raised objects; it does not include terrain or every surrounding obstruction. Verify critical spacing and light conditions on site.
Which design tools can I use for free?
The Free plan includes the core site, planting, path, generator and analysis workflow within its account limits. Pro and Max add tools including technical drawings, 3D visualization and plan sharing. Check the plan comparison for current allowances.
Explore the planning workflow in detail
Use the documentation for individual tools, or follow a design example before starting your own project.
Your design starts here
Create your first design for free
Start without payment details. Add capacity or professional features later, when your project needs them.