& Silvopasture

Fall 2002

VENEER MILL 

ON WHEELS

Inside 

3

4

EQUIP YOUR LAND AND 6 WATER WITH EQIP

TAKING STOCK OF 

SOUTHERN SILVOPASTURE

Patrick Shaver

Rangeland Management Specialist 

NRCS Grazing Lands Technology Institute

Corvallis, Oregon

Silvopasture systems attempt to optimize the production of both wood products

and forage. Where did these concepts and

ideas come from? 

Grazing animals and fire played major

roles in the development and maintenance of

naturally occurring savannahs throughout

North America. A savannah is defined as a

vegetative cover type comprised of opengrown trees or shrubs with an understory

composed primarily of grasses and grasslike plants. Savannahs were typically void of

dense woody undergrowth made up of

shrubs and young trees that are commonly

found in the fire-protected forests and woodlands of today. Silvopasture systems create a

vegetative structure, similar to the historical

savannahs, that can carry a ground fire but

does not have the heavy fuel loads that often

lead to destructive crown fires. Grazing animals and fire are increasingly used today in

the development, maintenance and management of silvopasture systems.

There are several production and conservation reasons for using fire in silvopasture management:

1. Wildfire fuels management – This

objective is becoming more and more important and common. As wildfires across the

country become larger and harder to contain,

fuels management is becoming a very important objective of silvopasture management.

The main objective of fuels management is

to control the amount, structure and distribution of fuels available for wildfires. By managing these characteristics of available fuels,

the frequency and severity of wildfires can be

greatly reduced. The reduction of fuel loads,

developing discontinuities in the fuel beds

and eliminating ladder fuels are the main

goals in silvopasture fuels management

schemes. see FIRE on page 7
are provided a

detailed technical workbook, videotapes,

and a CD ROM with corresponding Power

Point slide presentations. Funding is provided to defray the cost of participation.

This year’s workshop was designed and

coordinated by the USDA National

Agroforestry Center. Additional funding was

provided by the USDA Forest Service,

Washington Office of Civil Rights; USDA

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

USDA Forest Service, Southern Research

Station; USDA Forest Service, Region 8,

State & Private Forestry; and the USDA

Cooperative States Research Education and

Extension Service, Sustainable

Agriculture Research and Education.

Workshop participants received both

classroom instruction

and hands-on field

examples.

Silvopasture is on the mooooooove!

NAC Director’s Corner

A commentary on the status of agroforestry

by Center Director, Dr. Greg Ruark

This issue of Inside Agroforestry again visits the topic of silvopasture. In the past few years the demand for and recognition of silvopasture has grown tremendously, especially

in the southeastern United States, where southern pine and forage

systems composed of both cool and warm season grasses are

being successfully blended on the land. This growth is due to several factors: 1) numerous workshops have been conducted to train

natural resource professionals and landowners in the region along

with 2) specific effort to train faculty at the 1890 Universities; 3)

two cost-share programs in the new Farm Bill, the Environmental

Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Forest Land

Enhancement Program (FLEP), can be used to foster the adoption

of silvopasture; 4) silvopasture systems are increasingly valued by

landowners for their potential to diversify on-farm income by providing for an annual income from grazing, while trees are grown

for long-term profits; 5) managed silvopasture systems are at a

low risk for catastrophic fire due to their low understory fuel loads

and the low stocking density of trees which are often arrayed in

widely spaced rows; and 6) regional markets for high quality

veneer and sawtimber softwood logs continue to expand.

2 Inside Agroforestry | Fall 2002

To date, three 1890 faculty agroforestry workshops have been

held at Alabama A&M

University. The first workshop was

held in June 2000 and provided a general overview of all agroforestry practices. The following year focused on the

technical design of riparian forest buffers for

water quality. The third workshop was held

this June and focused on the technical design

of silvopasture systems, that combine timber

production with livestock grazing of understory forage. Silvopasture is especially

attractive to minority and limited resource

farmers in the Southeast who are looking for

ways to generate an annual income from

grazing, while producing high quality timber

for long-term profits.

This year, 27 individuals participated,

including faculty from twelve of the eighteen 1890 universities and staff from the

Alabama Farmers Federation, the Alabama

Forestry Commission (Outreach Foresters),

Auburn University, and the U.S. Forest

Service. Many of the participants at this

year’s workshop noted the increasing

demand for goat products in the Southeast

due to the influx of immigrants from cultures where goats are a primary source of

food and other products. Faculty from eight

of the 1890 institutions agreed to jointly

write and submit a research grant proposal

to study the potential of silvopasture systems for goat production.

The workshops are designed to enable

1890 university faculty to incorporate agroforestry technology into their teaching,

research, and extension efforts. Participants

3rd Annual 

1890 University

Faculty Training

Workshop on

Agroforestry
Fall 2002 | Inside Agroforestry 3

People are learning and silvopasture use

is growing! This year the National

Agroforestry Center (NAC) and its conservation partners provided technical training to

over 300 natural resource professionals.

Trainees included staff from Natural

Resources Conservation Service

(NRCS), State and County Extension,

State Forestry and Conservation

Agencies, 1890 Universities,

Conservation Districts, NonGovernment Organizations (NGOs),

private consultants, and landowners. 

According to Jim Robinson, NAC

NRCS Agroforester, “The objectives

of these workshops are to increase silvopasture awareness and to encourage

professionals to incorporate silvopasture into their courses, research, extension efforts, and ultimately on the ground.” 

Robinson continues, “The workshops

are fine examples of how NAC works in

partnerships. The workshop’s are designed

and coordinated by NAC with funding support from several groups. The bulk of the

funding is used to defray the meeting cost of

workshop participants.” Technical training

was primarily held in Alabama, Florida,

Georgia, and South Carolina. At each site,

professionals from the local area assisted

with training. Included among NAC’s silvopasture cooperators are: University of

Florida-Gainesville, Florida Cooperative

Extension Service, Auburn State University,

Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative,

NRCS from South Carolina, Alabama,

Florida and Georgia, Clemson University,

Georgia Forestry Commission, and

Kimberly Stuhr

Technology Transfer Specialist, NAC

Lincoln, Nebraska

Louisiana State University Hill Farm

Research. 

Over 250 landowners attended three

workshops and a tour on silvopasture. The

good word is getting out to landowners.

These meetings were held in Alabama,

Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas and were

sponsored by a wide array of organizations.

For example, the Mississippi workshop was

co-sponsored by NRCS, Southeast RC&D,

Mississippi Cooperative Extension, US Fish

and Wildlife Service, Appropriate

Technology Transfer for Rural Areas

(ATTRA), Federal Land Bank, Soil and

Water Conservation Districts, US Forest

Service and Commissioners from nine counties, and rural fire protection. The Federation

of Southern Cooperatives in Epps, Alabama,

the Stephen F. Austin University and Piney

Woods RC&D in Nacodoches, Texas, sponsored the other workshops. 

Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative

sponsored a July tour for landowners and

technical assistance staff from various agencies at the Louisiana State University (LSU)

Hill Farm Research Station near

Homer, Louisiana to see a working

silvopasture system.

Silvopasture

Gaining Momentum in the South

Silvopasture

combines forage

and livestock production, maximizing the yield of

both enterprises. 
4 Inside Agroforestry | Fall 2002

The portable veneer mill produces peeled four-foot

-wide veneer at the harvesting site and eliminates the

need for long distance trucking of raw material. The

mill can easily peel cottonwood, hybrid poplar,

Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, larch, and hemlock. It is

constructed on a 26-foot semi-truck trailer and is ideal

for entering poplar plantations and silvopasture sites. It

handles logs as small as five-inch diameter cut to fourfoot lengths, producing 48-inch by 54-inch veneer. The

mill recovery rate ranges from 60 to 75 percent. The

remaining core, after peeling, can be used for fencing,

firewood, handicrafts, or ground for fiber products.

According to Possinger, under normal conditions, the

Pacific Northwest consumes 240 loads of veneer core

per day.

Currently, the veneer panels that this portable mill

produces are shipped to a company in Eugene, Oregon

to produce finished red alder products. The waste from

the veneer production is used for corrugated cardboard,

and can be used for bulk fuel and pellet fuels.

Questions on mill operation and production capabilities should be directed to Doug Erickson,

Erickson Products, Port Angeles, Washington,

phone (360) 452-3680 email coya@olypen.com.

by Gary Kuhn, NAC NRCS Agroforester, Spokane, Washington

a Veneer Mill on Wheels

“I

t’s got everything that a normal veneer plant has,”

says Will Possinger, Jr., of Lincoln Industrial

Corporation, Inc. in Port Angeles, Washington. He

continues, “It’s efficient to operate even while other

mills have shut down.” Possinger is the owner of this

one-of-a-kind mill and has received a lot of positive

response from interested producers. He is proud of the

mill, which has quickly become a model for others.

Currently, good quality hybrid poplar is being

used for high-valued molding, paneling, and furniture

stock. While low-quality poplar is being sold for $30 or

less per green ton for pulp. This new veneer mill can

take low-quality, unpruned logs and produce veneer

sheets. Possinger says that the price for veneer is down

right now, but typically four-foot veneer sells for $140

to $200 per green ton.

Easy access and the

high quality trees

grown in silvopasture

systems make 

harvesting or 

thinning using a

portable veneer mill

an attractive option
Fall 2002 | Inside Agroforestry 5

Cattle, Trees and Leo Hollinger

He is a cattleman. He is a tree farmer.

He is a sportsman, a conservationist, and a

gardner. He is an innovator who likes to

explore different ways to do things. He is

Alabama farmer Leo Hollinger.

Leo was one of the first cattlemen in

Alabama to integrate trees with livestock

through silvopasture. This practice can provide multiple benefits to landowners if managed properly. Trees in a livestock operation

can reduce the stress on livestock and maintain forage production. A landowner who

includes trees in the forage system can produce additional income from

the land by selling timber,

Christmas trees, or nut and

fruit crops; or from commercial wildlife or recreational

opportunities provided by the

trees.

Sid Brantly, NRCS

Regional Grazing Land

Coordinator and Raleigh

Wilkerson, ALFA Director

for Bee, Sheep, Goat, and

Ratites (ostriches, emus, etc),

has worked with Hollinger to

get his silvopasture operation

up and running. They visited

the research farm at

Louisiana State University

(LSU) where they found that

silvopasture could be profitable and could

enhance the aesthetics and value of the property.

“When we returned,” Hollinger

explains, “I planted 40 acres of pine

seedlings in our pasture. Next year I will

plant 25 or 30 acres and I will continue to

plant until all my open land is in pines. The

trees are genetically improved second-generation loblolly pine developed by a local

paper company to fit our particular site.

Once we get into production and the trees

are marketable, we expect a good cash flow

because we will have trees ready to thin or

harvest every year or every other year

A Winning Combination

Joan Love Smith

USDA Natural Resources Conservation

Service, Auburn, Alabama

depending on the growth and the markets.

With wide spacing and good fertilization,

we expect faster growth than what we

would get on a regular plantation. The trees

will be shorter than in a traditional pine

plantation, but they will be fatter.”

“Our pasture is predominantly common

Bermuda and Tifton 9 Bahia grass with a lot

of volunteer rye grass and crimson clover,”

Hollinger continued. “We plowed the field

and attempted to establish the Bahia grass

by overseeding with a conventional planting

drill. We will graze the pasture until the end

of February, then plant trees, then cut some

hay from it, hoping that the clover will

reseed to continue the process. The trees are

planted in rows 32 feet apart.”

Hollinger is convinced that having trees

in his pasture is much better than open pasture for what he wants to do. “It is going to

be real pretty out here in 10, or 15, or 20

years. It will look like a park,” he explains.

“I plan to remove trees to create 32 foot by

32 foot spacing and they will really do some

growing.”

Conservationist Leo Hollinger explains

“To my way of thinking, these wide row

spaced pine trees with the grass between

them will be better for wildlife. The grass is

going to hold more soil in place. The water

coming off the grass will be cleaner than if

we had just a solid stand of real thick pine

trees with pine straw on the ground.”

Wildlife habitat is a major objective of

Hollinger’s. Turkey and deer

are plentiful on the property

and he trades turkey and deer

hunting rights on his land for

duck hunting rights on land

owned by some of his friends.

He also is looking toward

some non-consumptive uses

such as wildlife viewing and

photography. Pastures and

trees are located for ease of

viewing the species as they

cross the land. He does not

plan to exclude hunting but

will take advantage of this

additional use of his natural

resources.

To provide a little spending money for the children

and to help them experience the benefits of

farming, Hollinger has planted watermelons

in alleys between rows of pine trees (alley

cropping).

Leo Hollinger and his wife, Jeannie, a

county extension agent, enjoy their life in

the country. They have a wonderful family,

a beautiful home, and their land. Their

legacy is one of good stewardship – to

leave their land better than they found it

and to pass it on to their children and

grandchildren.

Reprinted from: Grazing Lands

Round-Up, Volume 8, July 2000.

“Once we get into 

production and the trees are

marketable, we expect a

good cash flow because we

will have trees ready to thin

or harvest every year or

every other year depending

on the growth and the 

markets,” – Leo Hollinger
Ranchers and forest landowners should

look seriously at how they can utilize the

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

(EQIP) for silvopasture systems. EQIP is a

voluntary USDA conservation program to

treat identified soil, water, and related natural

resource concerns on eligible land. It provides technical and financial assistance with

up to 75 percent cost-share on conservation

practices. A landowner may also receive

incentive payments for implementing land

management conservation practices important to improving and maintaining the health

of natural resources in the area. 

Eligible land includes cropland, rangeland, pasture, private non-industrial forestland, and other farm or ranch lands. Sixty

percent of EQIP dollars must be spent on

livestock related issues. EQIP’s authorized

budget of $6.1 billion over six years starts

with $400 million in fiscal year 2002 and

increases to $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2006.

The decision on which practices will be

funded is made locally. 

An Idaho Example

As we in the western United States are

very much aware, maintaining forest health,

protecting watershed and riparian areas, and

reducing fire hazards is a priority on public

lands. Since watersheds don't follow clear

property lines, these issues also impact private landowners. It only makes sense that

private landowners are also dealing with the

same issues and are trying to implement

resource management systems to achieve

similar objectives.

In 1999 a project area was designated to

apply many of the same solutions that the

public land management agencies use. The

6 Inside Agroforestry | Fall 2002

shed planning committee recognized these

problems and the opportunities available to

restore health and diversity of the forest and

capitalize on the grazing resources using silvopasture technology. Today, almost 25 percent of the eligible lands in the area are

under EQIP contract.

Mike McCann is a private landowner in

the treatment area. Mike manages almost

3,000 acres of forestland for livestock grazing and timber production goals. Through

EQIP contract financial assistance and with

NRCS technical guidance, Mike is actively

restoring his forests with tree planting and

thinning. He commonly applies pre-commercial thinning and tree harvesting on a

block of land and immediately seeds the area

to a grass mixture for cattle grazing. By following these guidelines, Mike controls the

spacing, species selection, and vigor of his

forest trees while at the same time increasing

livestock production opportunities. This silvopasture application reduces the fire danger

and increases opportunities for short and

long-term economic return from livestock

and tree production.

Mike's relationship with the USDA

serves as a model for other landowners in the

project area. The other contract holders (both

private and Tribal owners) are also applying

pre-commercial thinning and tree planting,

but Mike is specifically addressing timber

and livestock production in a very intensive

way. Mike is also putting in cross fences,

water developments, and other practices.

This project is a joint effort between the

Natural Resources Conservation Service, the

Nez Perce Soil and Water Conservation

District, Idaho Fish & Game, Idaho

Department of Lands, and the Nez

Perce Tribe (Forestry and Land

Services Departments).

Soldiers Meadows Project began with an

area water assessment publication. In 2000,

because of the large amount of Nez Perce

Tribe ownership, this watershed received

funding utilizing EQIP dollars that were set

aside for tribal use. The project was set up as

a geographic priority area. The local Natural

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

office began developing Resource

Management System (RMS) plans and

awarding contracts that year. 

This 50,000-acre "watershed" is composed of the upper drainage of several

streams that eventually empty into Idaho's

Salmon, Snake, and Clearwater Rivers. The

area consists of forestland on a high elevation plateau, owned and operated primarily

by the Idaho Fish & Game, Nez Perce Tribe,

and private non-industrial landowners. The

Soldiers Meadows area of Idaho is characterized by gentle topography and historically

large amounts of old growth ponderosa pine

forests. In the early 1900s, this area was one

of the first to have large-scale logging. Over

the years preferential and frequent harvesting

resulted in a shift to late seral species

(Douglas-fir, grand fir) in most of the stands

and a loss of genetic diversity. Additionally,

nearly a century of fire exclusion has added

tremendous fuel loads to this area. 

The "Maloney Creek" fire, the largest private-land wildland fire in Idaho in 2000,

burned to the southern boundary of the project area. That event raised the level of

awareness in the project area to the threat of

wide spread forest fires. Threats of largescale, high intensity wildland fires could

adversely impact the hydrologic function of

the lower stream reaches of all the watercourses that originate in the Soldiers

Meadows area, severely impacting efforts to

restore native steelhead and salmon runs in

the lower portions of the streams. The waterEQIP Helps Producers Use Silvopasture

Technology to Protect Forests and Water

Frank Gariglio

NRCS Forester, Lewiston, Idaho

Are You EQIP’d?
5. Forage quantity and quality improvement – Another

common objective of prescribed burning is improvement of forage

quality. Prescribed burning is often used to remove old decadent

growth. This allows the fresh new growth to be readily available to

the grazing or browsing animal. When applied with a planned grazing management scheme that provides proper timing of grazing after

the fire, both forage quantity and quality are improved. The performance of the grazing animals is also improved by more and better

forage.

6. Improvement of grazing distribution – Prescribed burning

can be used to remove vegetative barriers to grazing and browsing

animals, making more area accessible to the animal. Prescribed

burning can also be used to erase the “land memory” of past grazing

or browsing patterns by making forages of the same species, equally

palatable.

All of the above conservation and production objectives may be

integrated into an overall plan of grazing and wood product harvesting. The proper planning and application of prescribed burning relies

on the development of prescription parameters that time the environmental conditions and vegetation characteristics to achieve the

desired results. Prescriptions must be specific to the objectives and

situation of the landowner. Assistance should be obtained in the

development and application of prescribed burns. Assistance may be

available from your local Natural Resources Conservation Service

(NRCS) office, County Extension Service office, state forestry

agency and/or USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife

Service, and non governmental organizations such as The

Nature Conservancy or Audubon Society.

Fall 2002| Inside Agroforestry 7

Fire

continued from page 1

8th North American Agroforestry Conference

Agroforestry and Riparian Buffers for Land Productivity and

Environmental Stability

June 23-25, 2003

Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

Conference emphasis is on opportunities for sustainable crop production in managed

riparian buffers and planted forests (nontimber forest products) in the Pacific

Northwest. Sessions will be on silvopasture, alley cropping, hybrid poplar, and specialty forest products. A one-day symposium is focused on design and use of riparian

forest buffers to enhance stream function and stability. Contributed papers can cover

all five temperate agroforestry practices. A full-day field tour to the Willamette

Valley will visit landowners who are successfully using agroforestry practices. A preconference tour will visit agroforestry practitioners in Central Oregon. Full and partial (daily) registration rates are available.

Co-sponsored by the Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA) and Oregon

State University College of Forestry. The North American Agroforestry biennial conference has been held since 1989.

Once details are finalized, the first conference announcement and call for papers will

be circulated by e-mail. To add your name to the contact list, e-mail Miles Merwin,

AFTA President, at mm1@onemain.com

Additional information will be posted on AFTAs website:

www.missouri.edu/~afta/Whats_New

2. Maintenance of tree densities – Prescribed burning may

be applied to enhance or retard reproduction of targeted tree species.

When natural reproduction is desired, fire can be an effective tool in

timing and completeness of regeneration. 

3. Management of unwanted woody and herbaceous

plants – One of the most common objectives for using prescribed

burning is the control of unwanted vegetation. Prescribed fire, when

properly planned and applied, can effectively suppress or kill

unwanted plants in established tree stands. Most unwanted woody

plants can be controlled by the use of fire. Most non-sprouting

species can be killed by a fire that will not harm the existing established trees. Sprouting species can be managed to minimize competition and enhance production of established species. The need for

herbicides and mechanical treatments to control unwanted vegetation

can be greatly reduced through the use of fire. When combined with

a grazing management plan, both unwanted woody and herbaceous

plants can be managed effectively and economically.

4. Management of insect and disease pests – Insect and disease pests on trees, forage and livestock can be managed in a very

similar way as are unwanted plant pests. The use of prescribed fire,

timed to the life cycle of the insect or disease, can be a very effective

control method. This may be especially true when combined with

grazing management that breaks parasite and host organism cycles.

Chemical and mechanical methods to manage pests can be greatly

reduced when combined with fire.

Coming Soon: 

Two New Silvopasture

Agroforestry Notes 

NAC staff are working with Oregon

State University on the production of two

new Agroforestry Notes that will join the

Silvopasture series. 

The first of the Notes will present operational experiences with afforesting pastures

in the more humid maritime zone. The second Note will emphasize conversion of

forested land into silvopasture in the more

arid ponderosa pine and mixed conifer zone

of the interior western US and Canada.

Watch for these Notes in your

mailbox in 2003.
National Agroforestry Center

East Campus-UNL

Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0822

PRSRT STD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

USDA — FS

PERMIT NO G-40

October 25-26, 2002

Special Forest Products Production 

and Marketing Conference. Cape 

Girardeau, MO. Contact: Julie 

Rhoads, 573-882-3234, 

RhoadsJ@missouri.edu.

November 5-7, 2002

Excellence in Conservation Planning, 

SWCS Northern Regional 

Conference. Nebraska City, NE. 

Contact: Rob Glidden, 308-334-5655.

November 10-14, 2002

American Society of Agronomy Crop 

Science & Soil Science. Indianapolis, 

IN. Contact: David Kral, 608-273-

2021, dkral@agronomy.org.

February 2-7, 2003

International Society for Range 

Management. Casper, WY. 

www.rangelands.org.

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use, $300

Due to wild fire suppression costs,

NAC’s budget has been restricted for

the remainder of fiscal year 2002.

Consequently, no Summer IA was produced. Instead you are receiving this

special Fall newsletter in early October

and a Winter issue this winter. We then

plan to return to our usual production

schedule of Spring, Summer, and combined Fall / Winter newsletters.

Agroforestry | Fall 2002 Inside

Inside Agroforestry is published quarterly by the USDA

National Agroforestry Center. 

Phone: 402-437-5178; Fax: 402-437-5712.

Greg Ruark, Center Director ext. 27

Michele Schoeneberger, FS Research Lead ext. 21

Rich Straight, FS Lead Agroforester ext. 24

Bruce Wight, NRCS Lead Agroforester ext. 36

Kimberly Stuhr, TT Specialist/IA Editor ext. 13

Ryan Dee, TT Assistant ext. 14

Mike Majeski, FS Agroforester

St. Paul, MN phone: 651-649-5240

Jim Robinson, NRCS Agroforester 

Fort Worth, TX phone: 817-509-3215

Gary Kuhn, NRCS Agroforester 

Spokane, WA phone: 509-358-7946

www.unl.edu/nac

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) is a partnership of the Forest Service, Research &

Development (Rocky Mountain Research Station) and State & Private Forestry and the Natural Resources

Conservation Service. The Center’s purpose is to accelerate the development and application of agroforestry

technologies to attain more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable land-use systems. To

accomplish its mission, the Center interacts with a national network of partners and cooperators to conduct

research, develop technologies and tools, establish demonstrations, and provide useful information to natural

resource professionals.

USDA policy prohibits discrimination because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or handicapping condition.

Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any USDA-related activity should immediately contact the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

Opinions expressed in Inside Agroforestry are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the policy of the USDA

Forest Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Mission

Upcoming Events Editor’s Note