Highbush blueberry, wild black cherry and jewelweed grow naturally in the Lehigh Valley.

The first two plants are edible and the third has medicinal qualities; liquid from jewelweed stalks soothes skin irritation caused by poison ivy.

Andrew Kleiner wants to put all of them and similar plants indigenous to this region in one place: the Lehigh Valley Food Forest. The forest will be a public space where people can gather food and learn about ecological restoration and sustainability while forging community ties, he said.

Kleiner, inspired by the

in Seattle and similar projects elsewhere in the United States, met Wednesday at the Bethlehem offices of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. with about 17 people who share his vision and are committed to cultivating it.

One volunteer said it could be beneficial to establish community gardens at the edge of the forest to draw people in. Others suggested hosting events -- art exhibits, performances, dances -- in addition to educational programs.

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The group needs 5 to 10 acres of land, preferably in one of the region's urban centers, to get started, Kleiner said. There are places in

and

that have potential, but Lehigh Parkway in

is ideal, he said.

People live near the parkway, it's easily accessible, the soil is unlikely to be contaminated and some of the plants that he'd like to see in the forest already grow there, said Kleiner, a 2012 graduate of Muhlenberg College's environmental science program.

No matter where the food forest ends up, there will be a lot of work to do -- physical and otherwise, he said.

"It's all there. It all can happen. We just have to do the work," Kleiner said.

The first few items on a long to-do list are establishing a board to direct the Lehigh Food Forest's activities, finding a certified public accountant to manage its finances and obtaining nonprofit status so the organization can accept donations and seek grants, he said.

While that's going on, he and others should scout locations so the group can secure a lease as soon as possible, Kleiner said. If all goes well, planting would begin in March and the organization would have something to show for its work by summer 2014, he said.

The goal is to make the forest a destination that will help rev the economic engine of whatever city serves as its host, Kleiner said.

"We play on a green level, both with trees and with cash," he said.

Contact Lehigh County suburbs reporter Precious Petty at 484-894-3854 or ppetty@express-times.com.