Contact: Lee Holcomb - ljholcomb2583@gmail.com
Agroforestry Acres: 5 ac
Agroforestry Practice: Sheep Silvopasture
Agroforestry Goals
Our main goal was quick shade in our south facing pasture that had very little shade. We hope to achieve that with hybrid poplar. The other intended benefit was extending our grazing season with honey locust pods and persimmons in the fall. Other fodder species during the normal grazing season would be coppiced or pollarded hybrid willows and red mulberries. We have yet to coppice or pollard any species but hopefully will do that by season five of tree growth.
Agroforestry summary
We have established about 5 acres of silvopasture as a test plot for our Katahdin Sheep operation. We lacked shade in a predominantly cool season pasture and it was our most productive paddock. We planted five different types of bare root trees with tree tubes to see how successful the plantings would be in a well established cool season sod. We planted on the contour from existing terraces and went with a low density of about 25 trees per acre. In-row spacing was about 15 linear feet. In two years of drought we haven't had the full growth we would have liked but most of the plantings have survived and we look forward to the next 5-10 years to further develop our silvopasture knowledge. The main species planted were red mulberry, hybrid willow, american persimmon, thornless honey locust, and hybrid poplar.
What trees and shrubs do you use in your agroforestry practice?
As mentioned in other details we planted Red Mulberry, Hybrid Poplar, Hybrid Willow, American Persimmon, and Thornless Honey Locust species. Density was 25 trees per acre and planted on contour with old, existing terraces. Spacing between terraces averaged about 100 feet, and in-row spacing averaged 15 linear feet. 15 ft in row spacing was to accommodate larger farm equipment/trucks in the event we would utilize them in the future. For example, we utilized some beef manure being applied and this allowed for adequate spacing and no tree damage from spreading equipment. We started with low density to test how quickly we would get some shading effect. We may supplement fodder species at a later date in between rows as we capture cuttings from mulberries and willows.
