SilvoPasture with Hybrid Poplar and Sheep GreenWood Resources Columbia Tree Farm Clatskanie, Oregon.

SilvoPasture with Hybrid SilvoPasture with Hybrid Poplar and SheepPoplar and Sheep

GreenWood Resources

Columbia Tree Farm

Clatskanie, Oregon

GreenWood Resources, Inc.GreenWood Resources, Inc.

Natural resource management company established in 1996, based in Portland, Oregon

GreenWood Resources, Inc.GreenWood Resources, Inc.

Currently manage nearly 15,000 acres of hybrid poplar plantations

6,000 acres west of theCascade Mountains

8,700 acres east of theCascade Mountains

GreenWood Resources, Inc.GreenWood Resources, Inc.

World-wide development and management of poplar plantations

Development of elite hybrid poplar and cottonwood genotypes

ChinaChina

ChileChileNew ZealandNew Zealand

FranceFrance

JapanJapan

N. AmericaN. America

What is Hybrid Poplar?What is Hybrid Poplar?

Crosses between Populus species– Black cottonwood

(P. trichocarpa)– Eastern cottonwood

(P. deltoides)– Japanese poplar

(P. maximowiczii)– European black

poplar (P. nigra)

Creating Hybrid PoplarsCreating Hybrid Poplars

Traditional hybridization through controlled pollination, propagation and testing of progeny

Uses of Hybrid PoplarUses of Hybrid Poplar

Wood products including veneer & lumber

Photo courtesy of British Columbia Ministry of Forestry and Lands

Uses of Hybrid PoplarUses of Hybrid Poplar

Pulping fibers for the paper industry

Uses of Hybrid PoplarUses of Hybrid Poplar

Feedstock for energy industry; co-firing with coal and liquid fuels

Uses of Hybrid PoplarUses of Hybrid Poplar

Land application of municipal effluent Phytoremediation of industrial sites and waste

water treatment

Uses of Hybrid PoplarUses of Hybrid Poplar

Carbon sequestration

The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)

Established in 1982

The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)

50% owned land, 50% leased

The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)

Initially created to support area pulp andpaper mills

The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)The Columbia Tree Farm (CTF)

Operate as agriculture, employing many conventional farm practices and equipment

Characteristics of the CTFCharacteristics of the CTF

Soils are loams to silty loams with high organic matter, low clay content

Excellent soil nutrient capacity Moderate temperatures throughout the year Rainfall up to 45” annually, primarily in the late

fall, winter and spring Plantations were initially planted with 600 to

900 trees-per-acre for rotations of 6 to 8 years

CTF Management StrategyCTF Management Strategy

Became independent of paper company in December, 2000

Free to pursue highest value markets for wood products

Transition to:– Longer rotations, 12 to 15 years– Wider spacing, density of 300 trees per acre– Pruning in sequential lifts to produce clear lumber – Larger piece sizes to maximize board-foot yields

Challenges at the CTFChallenges at the CTF

Longer period of weed control– Four versus two years– Mechanical and chemical

control– Increased cultivation

expense Increased potential for

damage from voles where vegetation creates good habitat

Purpose of SilvoPasture TrialPurpose of SilvoPasture Trial

Explore the range of plantation ages and stock types where sheep grazing could take place without injurious effects

Demonstrate benefits to plantation management and sheep ranching

To see if sheep grazing can be an effectivemeans of weed control in wider spaced plantations

Test SitesTest Sites

4 year oldtrees, from14” cuttings

Test SitesTest Sites

2 year old trees, from 5’ to 6’ tall whips

Test SitesTest Sites

1 year old trees, from large 6’ to 7’ tall whips

Test SitesTest Sites

Thirty-six-tree plots were established inside and outside of each grazing plot for evaluation and comparison of tree growth and performance

Fenced grazing plot

ControlGrazed

Preparation of Test PlotsPreparation of Test Plots

Sowed cover crop in April, 2004

– Disked between the tree rows

– Forage oats at 50 lbs per acre

– Forage rape at 10 lbs per acre

– 50 lbs N fertilizer per acre

Preparation of Test PlotsPreparation of Test Plots

Oats established well, rape did not establish

Preparation of Test PlotsPreparation of Test Plots

Electric fence and water supplies installed in late July, 2004

Introduction of SheepIntroduction of Sheep

Sheep were placed on August 2nd, 2004

Introduction of SheepIntroduction of Sheep

Sheep were 4 to 4½ month old lambs, and weighed 60 to 65 pounds

Introduction of SheepIntroduction of Sheep

The number of sheep per plot ranged from 7 to 20 head, based on quality and quantity of forage

Introduction of SheepIntroduction of Sheep

Targeted one month of grazing within each plot

Introduction of SheepIntroduction of Sheep

Mid-month adjustment in number of head per plot, based on how rapidly the forage was being consumed and trampled

Results from Sheep Grazing Results from Sheep Grazing

Lambs gained 6 to 7 pounds during 29 days grazing on the test plots

Slightly below average weight gain compared to lambs grazing pasture with no supplemental feed

Failure of rape reduced the quality of forage; additional weight gains may have been seen had it established

Evaluation of the lambs during and at the end of the grazing period showed them to be vigorous and healthy

Results in Age 4 TreesResults in Age 4 Trees

Tree Tree AgeAge

(years)(years)

TreatmentTreatment 2004 2004 DiameterDiameterIncrementIncrement(inches)(inches)

2004 2004 HeightHeight

IncrementIncrement(feet)(feet)

DamageDamage

4 Grazed 1.2 11.2 Minor leaf browsing

4 Control 1.1 11.0 Nodamage

Results in Age 4 TreesResults in Age 4 Trees

Results in Age 2 TreesResults in Age 2 Trees

Tree Tree AgeAge

(years)(years)

TreatmentTreatment 2004 2004 DiameterDiameterIncrementIncrement(inches)(inches)

2004 2004 HeightHeight

IncrementIncrement(feet)(feet)

DamageDamage

2 Grazed 0.8 7.7 Minor leaf browsing

2 Control 0.7 7.5 Nodamage

Results in Age 1 TreesResults in Age 1 Trees

Tree Tree AgeAge

(years)(years)

TreatmentTreatment 2004 2004 HeightHeight

IncrementIncrement(feet)(feet)

DamageDamage

1 Grazed 0.6 17% showed stem and/or terminal

damage

1 Control 0.6 Nodamage

Conclusions Conclusions

Minor positive growth impacts with no damage were seen in the 2 and 4 year old grazing plots

Trees age 2 and older can can be grazed successfully Trees that are 1 year old, even if established from

whips, suffer unacceptable levels of browse damage Sheep remained healthy and vigorous, but weight

gains were not exceptional

ObservationsObservations

Careful management of livestock density is critical Current grazing lease rates in the lower Columbia

River area do not justify the expense of sowing a cover crop for forage

Grazing only native vegetation could prove more cost effective and might substitute for one or more mechanical cultivations

As a result of this trial, approximately 500 sheep were wintered in several fields of the CTF, with favorable results reported by two different ranchers

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

This study was funded by a grant from Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (WSARE), under project number FW04-109

We wish to acknowledge the contributions of:– McClellan “Mac” Stewart, Magruder Farms,

Clatskanie, Oregon, for technical assistance in selecting cover crops and managing livestock

– GMO Forestry Fund 3, Boston, Massachusetts, for their in-kind contribution of the land and tree plantations on which the study was conducted