Silvopasture 2021
Silvopasture 2021
Celebrating trees, pastures & biodiversity for long-term resilience & profit
Community Participation -
LP010-005
The issue
Landholders in the Southern New England have revegetated all soil types on all levels of slope to counter New England Dieback, however there is now another wave of dieback in another suite of species. Climate change simulations by NSW Office of Environment & Heritage identified New England species at risk of decline. Land managers planting trees and shrubs need them to survive a forecast 1.5 - 2 degree rise in average temperatures. Successful strategies for establishing seedlings are widely applied but there is much doubt about the species to plant for success into the future.
The solution
The Silvopasture 2021 webinar series was the confluence of two goals. It marked the 29th anniversary of “TreeFest” when 6000 attended the Taylor property 'The Hill' at Kentucky. It also delivered information on species selection for revegetation success, an outcome of our NLP funded Mustering Members for Climate Change Challenges Project. The event hosted:
- Rowan Reid, author of ‘Heartwood’, founder of the Australian Master Tree Grower program and the Australian Agroforestry Foundation, on Silvopasture theory, practice and species selection.
- Professor Nick Reid co-author of ‘Nature and Farming: Sustaining Native Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes’ on biodiversity benefits of silvopasture under a Changing Climate.
- Scott Hall, advocate and educator for Syntropic AgricultureMaintenance/Succession.
- Michael Taylor, The Hill, who runs the Taylor’s silvopasture enterprise on harvesting.
- Andrew Gardiner, research technician in seed collection/database management, Fields Environmental Solutions, Uralla on seed collection.
- Chris Eveleigh, Kentucky Tree Nursery on planting techniques.
The impact
Silvopasture 21 supported an audience of 34 to interact on Silvopasture theory and practice. Here's what some of them said:
- ‘Particularly helpful to better understand tree canopy cover and effect on pasture growth’.
- ‘The benefits of planting trees, not only for the environment and biodiversity, but how it can also increase productivity. During Nick's talk it was very interesting to see the graphs showing land productivity versus the number of trees planted’.
- ‘I am an experienced forester and forest grower but events like these always provide learnings through hearing of the experiences of others’.
- ‘I need to think about species and the supply into the future to take account of the potential of climate change’.
- 'There is a need for science to be better reflected in native forest management as one way to tackle climate change. Thinning ... to turn over these generations as quickly as possible favours a more adapted population of trees and shrubs’.
Key facts
- Increased biodiversity through Silvopasture is beneficial to pastures and grazing livestock.
- Silvopasture assists with carbon storage.
- Attention to species selection may help manage climate change challenges.
- More research is required to quantify the benefits of Silvopasture for resilient landscapes.