"Hey Richard,
That's the ecological trajectory I've taken. Natives are recovering quickly, and I'm holding off on seeding anything else until livestock (and maximizing their production) becomes an immediate reality.
Y'all better…"
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Ben Harris
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Shade-tolerant forage seed species and sources?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Ben Harris Sep 29, 2020. 14 Replies 0 Likes
As I thin some woods and open up some edge lines, I'm hoping to seed some perennial shade-tolerant forages. I'm mainly focused on wildlife at this point (I don't yet own livestock), and hope to get…Continue
Searching for tree seeds
Started Jan 11, 2020 0 Replies 0 Likes
Hey y'all,I'm in search of tree seeds - fruits, nuts, fodder, N fixers, etc. Do you have favorite seed/nut sources or cultivars? I'm looking for production and vigor. Disease resistance will reveal…Continue
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"If wildlife rather than grazing areas for domestic animals is your focus, you need to focus on native biomass rather than non-native biomass, most of which is not usable, or not efficiently usable by wildlife. What wildlife you intend to support…"
"I would agree with Brett, this is pretty impressive Ben. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Brett, I totally agree with you on trefoil and i have observed the same things here in Michigan, Trefoil is only growing out in the full sun areas of…"
"Impressive, Ben - and clear that you're carefully thinking it all through"
"That's great!
Thanks for the feedback Ben!"
"Hi Sienna,
I haven't planted anything, just created the opportunity for the seed bank to express itself. This area is in a floodplain along a riverbank that usually floods at least once/year, often 2-3 times per year. A few years ago, this was…"
"Hey Ben,
Your forest looks great so far after your selective tree thinning! Were those grasses that you currently have already present when you thinned or did you plant them?
We have a few goats and have been selectively thinning our woods and using…"
"Yeah, lots of understory trees, for sure; I've tried not to open things up too fast. A good portion of them are shell bark hickory and pawpaw, which I like for the wildlife value (and, for myself...pawpaws are delicious). Many are other…"
"Ben,
From the photo, it appears that your nice trees are well-spaced for silvopasture, but that there are still a significant number of small-diameter stems - most or all of which are probably non-commercial species and/or suppressed shade-tolerant…"
"Thanks, Brett!
Unfortunately, stilt grass is growing in the sunnier spots right now. BUT in sections of the woods that I selectively thinned 1-2 years ago, the same stilt grass has given way to a much more diverse mix of cool and warm season grasses…"
"Limited shade tolerance studies indicate that Reed Canary, Orchardgrass and Tall Fescue and Bluegrass are amongst the most shade-tolerant cool season grasses, roughly in that order. However, varieties within species seem to matter.
The…"
"Again, I am not sure where you are located, but in my regular pastures in central MI, i have a fair amount of trefoil, which i like. I wonder how that would perform in a silvopasture. If any on this forum can weigh in, i would like to learn about…"
"Thanks, Kable. I've looked at orchard grass, and it's towards the top of my list. If only it spread more prolifically... That it's so deep-rooting is appealing, for sure."
"Hi Benjamin, here is MI, our forage specialist recommended Orchard Grass as one of the grass species. Not sure what you would plant in your area. Good Luck! "
Shade-tolerant forage seed species and sources?
As I thin some woods and open up some edge lines, I'm hoping to seed some perennial shade-tolerant forages. I'm mainly focused on wildlife at this point (I don't yet own livestock), and hope to get perennial or re-seeding annuals with substantial root mass to break up heavy clay North Carolina soils. Recommendations for species / mixes / seed sources? I've done some preliminary research, but am hesitant to buy mixes without specific input from silvopasture practitioners.See More
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- Benjamin Harris
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- North Carolina
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- Durham
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- learner, prospective practitioner
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- I'm the director of a nature-based children's summer camp on a 96-acre property, interested in environmental education and ethics.
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Growing Black Locust as a Timber Cash Crop in the Northeast
Started by Brett Chedzoy. Last reply by Brett Chedzoy Dec 15, 2020. 8 Replies 0 Likes
Posting the presentations here in the order they were givenContinue
Ecosystem Services from Silvopastures
Started by Brett Chedzoy. Last reply by Brett Chedzoy Nov 30, 2020. 1 Reply 0 Likes
One of the more interesting talks that I've heard over the years on grazing or silvopasturing was by Dr. Gene Garrett at the 2011 Northeast Silvopasture Conference titled: Silvopasture Ecosystem…Continue
Shade-tolerant forage seed species and sources?
Started by Ben Harris. Last reply by Ben Harris Sep 29, 2020. 14 Replies 0 Likes
As I thin some woods and open up some edge lines, I'm hoping to seed some perennial shade-tolerant forages. I'm mainly focused on wildlife at this point (I don't yet own livestock), and hope to get…Continue
Hedgerows and windbreaks: The paddocks edges.
Started by Joanne Vaughn Sep 16, 2020. 0 Replies 0 Likes
As we developed our plan we considered what to do about paddock edges. Hedgerows, windbreaks came to mind. Can't have an inside without a boundary condition.Is there a list of plants which are safe…Continue
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