A Framework for Reviewing Silvopastoralism: A New Zealand Hill Country Case Study

Mackay-Smith, Thomas H.; Burkitt, LL; Reid, Janet; López, Ignacio F.; Phillips, Chris

doi:10.3390/land10121386

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…The contrasting results in this study could be a result of differing livestock interactions under poplar and kānuka canopies. Kānuka is a much smaller tree than poplar and has a more sheltered environment [49]. As such, livestock may prefer to spend more time under kānuka trees compared to poplars, resulting in more P nutrient transfer to kānuka pasture positions [65,89].…”

Section: Tree Bio-physical Attributesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the height of the main trees used in southern Europe (Q. ilex and Q. suber L.) and in Patagonia (N. antarctica) are typically between 4 m and 15 m [42,[45][46][47], and those in California (Q. douglasii and Q. wislizeni) are typically between 7 and 20 m in height [48]. This compares to poplars that are >30 m [49], and could pose a challenge for pasture production because larger trees have been shown to use more water [44,50,51].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of these species are trees that are naturally common in New Zealand hill country [55][56][57], which have similar attributes to N. antarctica and the oaks mentioned above. For instance, kānuka grow slower [28,30,43,58] and are smaller (8-20 m high) [49] than poplars, so most likely compete less for soil resources [44,50,51]. Moreover, kānuka is a native to hill country and is reported to grow for at least 300 years [58].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

et al. 2022

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‘Tree-pasture’ silvopastoral systems have the potential to become transformative multifunctional landscapes that add both environmental and economic value to pastoral farms. Nevertheless, no published study has found increased pasture production under mature silvopastoral trees in New Zealand hill country. This study takes a novel approach to silvopastoral research in New Zealand, and investigates a genus that has similar bio-physical attributes to other global silvopastoral trees that have been shown to increase pasture production under their canopies, with the aim of finding a silvopastoral genera that can increase pasture production under tree canopies compared to open pasture in New Zealand. This study measures pasture and soil variables in two pasture positions: under individually spaced native kānuka (Kunzea spp.) trees (kānuka pasture) and paired open pasture positions at least 15 m from tree trunks (open pasture) at two sites over two years. There was 107.9% more pasture production in kānuka pasture positions. The soil variables that were significantly greater in kānuka pasture were Olsen-P (+115.7%, p < 0.001), K (+100%, p < 0.001), Mg (+33.33%, p < 0.01), Na (+200%, p < 0.001) and porosity (+8.8%, p < 0.05), and Olsen-P, porosity and K best explained the variation between kānuka pasture and open pasture positions. Volumetric soil moisture was statistically similar in kānuka pasture and open pasture positions. These results are evidence of nutrient transfer by livestock to the tree-pasture environment. Furthermore, as there was a significantly greater porosity and 48.6% more organic matter under the trees, there were likely other processes also contributing to the difference between tree and open pasture environments, such as litterfall. These results show that kānuka has potential to increase pasture production in New Zealand hill country farms and create multifunctional landscapes enhancing both production and environmental outcomes in pastoral farms.

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Section: Tree Bio-physical Attributesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

et al. 2022

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“…There is unexplored potential for woody species such as tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus L. f. var. palmensis Christ) to supplement the production from pasture during drought and increase farm-system resilience (Mackay-Smith et al 2021;Tozer et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tagasaste silvopastures in steep-hill country. 1. Tagasaste edible dry-matter production and nutritive value

Tozer

Douglas²,

Noakes

et al. 2023

Crop & Pasture Science

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Context. Tagasaste (Cytisus proliferus) has potential to supplement pasture production in steephill country and increase pasture resilience. Aims. To (1) quantify production of edible dry matter (EDM) of pruned 2-year-old tagasaste shrubs and branches from unpruned 10-year-old tagasaste trees, and (2) determine the effect of proximity of the 10-year-old tagasaste trees on selected pasture species established as spaced transplants. Methods. A site was established on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand on steep-hill country (>20° slope). Tagasaste and pasture species production was measured over 3 years. Results. Tagasaste −1 shrubs produced an average of 2.7 kg EDM shrub −1 year and a tree branch produced 129 g EDM year −1 . The metabolisable energy content of tagasaste branches averaged 10.0 MJ kg EDM −1 , the crude protein content ranged from 18% to 27% and neutral detergent fibre content averaged 39%. Branch diameter and length were poor predictors of EDM branch −1 . There was no effect of increasing proximity to tagasaste on DM production of the resident pasture. Effects of increasing proximity to tagasaste on the growth and survival of selected pasture species are reported in a companion paper. Conclusions. Edible-DM production was much greater from shrubs than tree branches and it was not possible to predict branch EDM from branch diameter or length. Implications. A tagasaste silvopasture is likely to be more productive if tagasaste is managed for grazing in situ than if using mature trees for harvesting of branches for browse.

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“…Plant attributes determine functional capabilities that, in turn, determine relative performance for a purpose, and multiple functions may be required to achieve a purpose [19]. This approach is being applied in a variety of plant selection frameworks including ecosystem restoration [21,22], erosion control [23], stormwater pollutant removal [24] and agroforestry [25,26]. Decision support tools (DSTs) incorporating plant attribute data are now being developed, and some examples include plant selection DSTs for urban heat island mitigation [27] and stormwater biofilters [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree Advisor: A Novel Woody Plant Selection Tool to Support Multifunctional Objectives

Bentrup¹,

Dosskey²

2022

Land

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Purposefully planted trees and shrubs can provide multiple benefits when appropriately planned and designed. Tools to help select species that will function more effectively than other species for ecosystem services, production, and aesthetic purposes are generally lacking. To address this challenge, we developed an interactive plant selection tool entitled Tree Advisor that rates woody species for a wide range of different purposes based on plant attributes. In this prototype decision support tool, 90 species of trees and shrubs are rated for 14 different purposes in the northern and central Great Plains region of the United States. A rating algorithm was developed based on the scientific literature regarding plant functions and related attributes that determine relative performance of a species for each purpose. User input and best practices for developing effective decision support tools informed the tool development process. Based on user feedback, the tool supports multifunctional planning and enables a user to quickly develop a short list of the better species to use which can then be refined by the user based on suitability under local site conditions, commercial availability, and availability of locally adapted cultivars and hybrids. This tool development approach can serve as a model for producing multifunctional woody plant selection tools for other ecoregions.

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A Framework for Reviewing Silvopastoralism: A New Zealand Hill Country Case Study

Cited by 15 publications

References 65 publications

Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

Kānuka Trees Facilitate Pasture Production Increases in New Zealand Hill Country

Tagasaste silvopastures in steep-hill country. 1. Tagasaste edible dry-matter production and nutritive value

Tree Advisor: A Novel Woody Plant Selection Tool to Support Multifunctional Objectives

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