Abstract
Few studies have been conducted on the extent and nature of silvopasture usage in Washington state. The goal of this research was to investigate the livestock, forages, and tree composition of the silvopasture systems currently being utilized and landowner goals for these systems. To accomplish this, we conducted a statewide survey administered via interviews of practitioners to determine the social, economic, and ecological drivers and demographics of farmers utilizing silvopasture. To identify landowners using silvopasture and gain insights into its perceived usage and impacts, we contacted and interviewed multiple state and federal agency representatives. The farms identified for the study ranged from 2 to 1100 acres in size and found on both sides of the Cascades. Of the 19 landowners utilizing silvopasture, 100% had goals of diversifying revenue streams and incorporating ecosystem services into their management systems. Benefits cited by practitioners included regular revenue streams from forest products and livestock sales. The challenges identified included limited regionally specific literature and a lack of trained professionals familiar with silvopasture and associated best management practices. This research provided evidence that landowners are utilizing and adapting silvopasture systems to a broad array of bioregions within Washington state to meet their objectives. The ecological adaptability of silvopasture is demonstrated by the variety of trees, forage, and livestock combinations found throughout the study sites. For silvopasture to advance as a land management practice in this region, our research showed the need for further studies to occur to determine the best practices, economic viability, and ecological effects of silvopasture.
Similar content being viewed by others
Change history
10 January 2024
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00952-x
References
Allen VG, Batello C, Berretta EJ, Hodgson J, Kothmann M, Li X, McIvor J, Milne J, Morris C, Peeters A, Sanderson M, Forage T, Committee GT (2011) An international terminology for grazing lands and grazing animals. Grass Forage Sci 66(1):2–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2494.2010.00780.x
Bakker JD, Moore MM (2007) Controls on vegetation structure in southwestern ponderosa pine forests, 1941 and 2004. Ecology 88(9):2305–2319. https://doi.org/10.1890/06-1775.1
Brantly S (2014) Forest grazing, silvopasture and turning livestock into the woods. USDA National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE, USA
Brodt SB, Fontana NM, Archer LF (2020) Feasibility and sustainability of agroforestry in temperate industrialized agriculture: preliminary insights from California. Renew Agric Food Syst 35(5):513–521. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170519000140
Buergler AL, Fike JH, Burger JA, Feldhake CM, McKenna JR, Teutsch CD (2006) Forage nutritive value in an emulated silvopasture. Agron J 98(5):1265–1273. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2005.0199
Clason TR (1998) Silvopastoral practices sustain timber and forage production in commercial loblolly pine plantations of northwest Louisiana, USA. Agrofor Syst 44:293–303. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1006267114962
Cole HB, Quigley TM (1997) Forestry research west. Understanding the big picture: the interior Columbia Basin ecosystem management project (No. PB-97–186886/XAB). Forest Service, Washington DC
Cubbage F, Balmelli G, Bussoni A, Noellemeyer E, Pachas AN, Fassola H, Hubbard W (2012) Comparing silvopastoral systems and prospects in eight regions of the world. Agrofor Syst 86:303–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-012-9482-z
Frey GE, Fike JH (2018) Silvopasture case studies in North Carolina and Virginia. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Research and Development Southern Research Station, Birmingham
Gabriel S (2018) Silvopasture: a guide to managing grazing animals, forage crops, and trees in a temperate farm ecosystem. Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction
Haugo RD, Hall SA, Gray EM, Gonzalez P, Bakker JD (2010) Influences of climate, fire, grazing, and logging on woody species composition along an elevation gradient in the eastern Cascades Washington. For Ecol Manag 260(12):2204–2213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.09.021
Hessburg PF, Churchill DJ, Larson AJ et al (2015) Restoring fire-prone Inland Pacific landscapes: seven core principles. Landsc Ecol 30:1805–1835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0218-0
Jose S, Dollinger J (2019) Silvopasture: a sustainable livestock production system. Agrofor Syst 93:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-019-00366-8
Kingery JL, Graham RT (1991) The effect of cattle grazing on ponderosa pine regeneration. For Chron 67(3):245–248. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc67245-3
Lawrence JH, Hardesty LH, Chapman RC, Gill SJ (1992) Agroforestry practices of non-industrial private forest landowners in Washington State. Agrofor Syst 19:37–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00130093
Lindgren PM, Sullivan TP (2013) Long-term responses of tree and stand growth of young lodgepole pine to pre-commercial thinning and repeated fertilization. For Ecol Manag 307:155–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.06.058
Mack RN (1981) Invasion of Bromus tectorum L. into western North America: an ecological chronicle. Agro-Ecosystems 7(2):145–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3746(81)90027-5
Mayerfeld D, Rickenbach M, Rissman A (2016) Overcoming history: attitudes of resource professionals and farmers toward silvopasture in southwest Wisconsin. Agrofor Syst 90:723–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-9954-7
Mercier KM, Teutsch CD, Fike JH, Munsell JF, Tracy BF, Strahm BD (2020) Impact of increasing shade levels on the dry-matter yield and botanical composition of multispecies forage stands. Grass Forage Sci 75(3):291–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.12489
Nyland RD (2016) Silviculture: concepts and applications. Waveland Press
Orefice J, Carroll J, Conroy D, Ketner L (2017) Silvopasture practices and perspectives in the Northeastern United States. Agrofor Syst 91:149–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-9916-0
Pfister JA, Provenza FD, Panter KE, Stegelmeier BL, Launchbaugh KL (2002) Risk management to reduce livestock losses from toxic plants. Rangel Ecol Manag J Range Manag Arch 55(3):291–300. https://doi.org/10.2307/4003137
Plieninger T, Huntsinger L (2018) Complex rangeland systems: integrated social-ecological approaches to silvopastoralism. Rangel Ecol Manag 71(5):519–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2018.05.002
Rigueiro-Rodríguez A, Fernández-Núñez E, González-Hernández P, McAdam JH, Mosquera-Losada MR (2009) Agroforestry systems in Europe: productive, ecological and social perspectives. Agrofor Eur Current Status Future Prospect 6:43–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8272-6_3
Ruiz-Mirazo J, Robles AB, González-Rebollar JL (2011) Two-year evaluation of fuelbreaks grazed by livestock in the wildfire prevention program in Andalusia (Spain). Agr Ecosyst Environ 141(1–2):13–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2011.02.002
Rummell RS (1951) Some effects of livestock grazing on ponderosa pine forest and range in central Washington. Ecology 32(4):594–607. https://doi.org/10.2307/1932728
Sharrow SH (1991) Tree planting pattern effects on forage production in a Douglas-fir agroforest. Agrofor Syst 16:167–175. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00129747
Sharrow SH (1999) Silvopastoralism: competition and facilitation between trees livestock and improved grass-clover pastures on temperate rainfed lands. Agroforestry in Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Lewis Publ, New York, NY
Sharrow SH (2007) Soil compaction by grazing livestock in silvopastures as evidenced by changes in soil physical properties. Agrofor Syst 71:215–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-007-9083-4
Sharrow SH, Ismail S (2004) Carbon and nitrogen storage in agroforests, tree plantations, and pastures in western Oregon, USA. Agrofor Syst 60:123–130. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AGFO.0000013267.87896.41
Smith MM, Bentrup G, Kellerman T, MacFarland K, Straight R, Ameyaw L, Stein S (2022) Silvopasture in the USA: a systematic review of natural resource professional and producer-reported benefits, challenges, and management activities. Agric Ecosyst Environ 326:107818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107818
Stewart A, Coble A, Contosta AR, Orefice JN, Smith RG, Asbjornsen H (2020) Forest conversion to silvopasture and open pasture: effects on soil hydraulic properties. Agrofor Syst 94:869–879. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-019-00454-9
Wilkens P, Munsell JF, Fike JH, Pent GJ, Frey GE, Addlestone BJ, Downing AK (2021) Thinning forests or planting fields? Producer preferences for establishing silvopasture. Agrofor Syst 96:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-021-00665-z
Zimmerman GT, Neuenschwander LF (1984) Livestock grazing influences on community structure, fire intensity, and fire frequency within the Douglas-fir/ninebark habitat type. Rangel Ecol Manag J Range Manag Arch 37(2):104–110. https://doi.org/10.2307/3898893
Funding
This research was partially funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research Education (SARE) Graduate Student grant (Grant number: 138360–001). Funding included: (1) graduate student salary and travel expenses for Mark Batcheler; (2) funding for outreach and education event; (3) stipend for landowners who participated in this research project.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Mark Batcheler wrote the manuscript and prepared tables and figures All authors reviewed the manuscript
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The original online version of this article was revised: In this article the author’s name Mark E. Swanson was incorrectly written as Mark Swanso.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Batcheler, M., Ostrom, M., Carpenter-Boggs, L. et al. Design and application of silvopasture in Washington state. Agroforest Syst 98, 523–534 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00905-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00905-4