Silvopasture

Written By Shealagh Crowley

In the early nineteenth century, around sixty to eighty percent of New England was deforested for pasture, tillage, orchards, and buildings.  Today, the forests have returned, with eighty-one percent of New England under trees. Agroforestry is a system that can adapt to the changing landscape and climate. One such method is Silvopasture, the practice that combines livestock, forage, and trees into a single managed system, opening farming operations to create multiple streams of income. Forests become the pasture, rethinking traditional pastureland from static grass fields to an alive agroforestry ecosystem. In this blog, you will get a taste of what silvopasture is and the methods used in this practice.

To understand what makes silvopasture projects successful and what practices you need to consider, Six Key Principles for a Successful Silvopasture is a great starting point. It discusses the land you have, what animals and trees you should choose, and the best management.

For a video introduction, Silvopasture Series: EP 1 Introduction is part of a video series on silvopasture systems in the Northeast.  The first farm covered is Wellspring Forest Farm. Here, they go over how they utilized their resources to adapt their grazing operation. They have created a diversified system that can adapt to changes in climate through the use of various species, opening up their livestock to an expanded palate.

Another great video is Transforming Overgrown Forest into Productive Pasture which breaks down how to utilize a new growth forest best for silvopasture. The video goes over using animals to get ahead with brush clearing, which trees to remove for the best tree genetics, using stumps for production, and using branches to make biochar for compost. This shows a great example of how to mix your land!

The University of New Hampshire’s Silvopasture: A Climate-Friendly Alternative to Conventional Open Pasture Practices is a great resource for local operations. It goes over research that has been done on this system in New Hampshire and the climate impact it has.

Silvopasture by the University of Minnesota Extension covers the two approaches of silvopasture, the benefits and limitations of the system, and design elements. Though this article is mostly specialized towards Midwest growing, many of the elements can be overlapped with the Northeast.

 In the USDA Silvopasture page, you can find resource links to research, information sheets, brochures, and photo examples of working silvopasture projects across the country.

   This blog is only the beginning of what methods and techniques silvopasture has to offer. Farmers across the world are starting to harness the power of agroforestry to adapt to climate change. With silvopasture, you can start taking the first steps to adaptation! 

Shealagh Crowley
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