Establishing Silvopasture in Horse Fields

[Susan Skalak]

Hi,

I am in Central Virginia and interested in establishing silvopasture in prior cattle/horse fields with no trees or cover.  I am rotationally grazing goats/sheep and horses.  Anyone in mid-Atlantic doing something similar?

What species of trees did you use?

Thanks,

Susan

Free Union, VA

[Brett Chedzoy]

Susan,

Here's the thought process that I would go through in selecting both tree species as well as a design for the planting:

1. Do I want extensive shade (lots of trees) or just shade in spots (clumps of trees or maybe rows)
2. What species will do well on the site?  If in doubt, consult a local forester.  VA Extension, the state or even county Soil & Water probably has forestry staff that are available for "free" assistance.
3. Do I want the trees primarily for shade, or other purposes as well like timber and browse/mast as a supplemental food source for the animals?  If the first, most any tree will do although broader-crowned hardwoods would get you more shade with fewer trees/acre.  If the latter, there are plenty of interesting options - black locust and honey locust are two of the first that I would consider.  Somewhere here on the forum is an archived article written by Buck Holsinger for the Temperate Agroforestry newsletter about his use of black locust as a browse source for his livestock on his farm in VA. 
4. How will I protect the trees from damage by the animals.  If you expect to have minimal protection around the trees after the establishment phase, then select species that are less attractive and vulnerable to girdling and browsing, like pines.  Most hardwoods would require a more permanent protection around the trunks to prevent girdling by goats and horses unless you were very skillfully and intensively grazing around the trees - especially in the spring when the bark is loose. 

[Susan Skalak]

Thanks Brett,

Just met with NRCS, forestry extension and ag rep this week.  It was helpful to hear what they thought about tree species, although as a group they talked about triple row vs row "cropping".  My husband is really in favor of clumping.  

I will look for article by Buck Holsinger.  Protecting the trees from damage is the easy part because I rotationally graze using nets, so easy to fence out livestock.  

Thanks for the reply.  Glad I found this site.

Susan

Brett Chedzoy said:

Susan,

Here's the thought process that I would go through in selecting both tree species as well as a design for the planting:

1. Do I want extensive shade (lots of trees) or just shade in spots (clumps of trees or maybe rows)
2. What species will do well on the site?  If in doubt, consult a local forester.  VA Extension, the state or even county Soil & Water probably has forestry staff that are available for "free" assistance.
3. Do I want the trees primarily for shade, or other purposes as well like timber and browse/mast as a supplemental food source for the animals?  If the first, most any tree will do although broader-crowned hardwoods would get you more shade with fewer trees/acre.  If the latter, there are plenty of interesting options - black locust and honey locust are two of the first that I would consider.  Somewhere here on the forum is an archived article written by Buck Holsinger for the Temperate Agroforestry newsletter about his use of black locust as a browse source for his livestock on his farm in VA. 
4. How will I protect the trees from damage by the animals.  If you expect to have minimal protection around the trees after the establishment phase, then select species that are less attractive and vulnerable to girdling and browsing, like pines.  Most hardwoods would require a more permanent protection around the trunks to prevent girdling by goats and horses unless you were very skillfully and intensively grazing around the trees - especially in the spring when the bark is loose. 

[Scott O'Bar]

We're here in the tropics reforesting degraded cattle pasture on steep slopes. The degradation from erosion and the characteristic rainfall-related leaching of soils is somewhat on the extreme end of the spectrum here.

Some things we have learned by making mistakes or not taking the easiest approach:

1) If you want to continue your rotational grazing with the animals that are already present (sounds like you do) I highly recommend building tree alleys with barbed wire fencing. Keep the lowest strand a little high so the animals can reach under and graze near the trunks. Count on high inputs of mulch/manure for the first couple years as well as weedwacking. A sickle can be helpful in reducing the grass closest to the trunks of the trees. Don't rely on electric fencing to protect any of your plantings. Sounds like you'll probably need deer protectors for each tree too. 

2) Take multiple, detailed soil tests. Before you begin, determine the level of degradation. Keep in mind that certain species of trees are evolved to thrive in the old-growth situations of climax forest. If the land has been degraded, it is likely that you should start with easier species first such as the locusts and then later interplant with your more desired specimen species. Delayed gratification. This will help improve the conditions for the desired species, by mimicking natural succession to a degree, which will also reduce the need for continued soil amendments.

We planted extremely densely here. About 1100 trees per hectare (roughly one tree every ten feet on a triangular grid). About half the specimen tree species just couldn't adapt to the conditions. Tenacious species of Brachiaria grass, low organic matter soils, very low pH, nutrient-poor soils, etc. etc. Wish we would've planted in alleys, as we could've grazed from day one and actually had some cashflow. We probably would've been better served only planting the pioneer species initially and then after three years, interplanting the specimen trees. A lot of the trees basically died, because the conditions weren't right...yet.

Density depends on your personal taste like Brett says. Do you want more shade or more sun? Generally it's recommended to keep things even, so the animals do not congregate in one area too much. E.g. on a hot day. Also consider subsequent thinnings and costs involved.

Brett has some really good podcast interviews on the Regenerative Agroforestry podcast. Check them out. Very pertinent to what you're asking.