Agroforestry

Agroforestry is a set of land management practices used around the world. They encompass the intentional integration of trees or shrubs with other crops or livestock. The five agroforestry systems commonly used in temperate agroforestry include: silvopasture, alley cropping, agricultural riparian buffers, forest farming/food forests, and shelterbelts/vegetative buffers. 

There are regional variations reflecting Temperate and Tropical systems. Definitions in use in British Columbia follow North American conventions, the context of which is the integration of agronomic principles, practices and production with both forestry and conservation management approaches.

By leveraging the advantages of integration, agroforestry systems can yield a variety of benefits, including production gains, economic and social benefits, enhanced environmental function (e.g. conservation of soil, water, air and biodiversity) and climate change mitigation and adaptation benefits.

Operationally, implementation might involve design and establishment starting from a blank slate.  However, it more commonly evolves from:

• deliberately retaining or adding trees or shrubs into existing crop or livestock focused agricultural production systems; or
• deliberately adding or enhancing crop or livestock management in forest production systems

Agroforestry farm practices

• Read about accepted farm practices related to agroforestry and specialty wood products (PDF)

Basic factors of agroforestry systems

Intentional: Systems are planned, designed and managed for a combination of crops, livestock and trees while simultaneously providing environmental and social benefits.

Integrated: Systems are a blend of agriculture, forestry and conservation management practices and outcomes.

Interactive: Systems are designed to minimize negative and maximize positive interactions among trees, other crops, livestock and humans.

Intensive or extensive: Management will typically be more intensive than conventional management approaches as additional complexity is introduced with integration. However, management intensity will vary depending on the system design and desired outcomes.

Silvopasture in BC 

Silvopasture blends trees, forages, and livestock managed as an integrated practice on the same land unit. These systems are purposefully managed for forage, livestock and forest products, or shrubs, fruit and nut trees. Silvopastures can be created by introducing or augmenting existing forages in treed systems or by introducing trees into pasture systems. In B.C., the use of silvopasture practices is typically supplementary to conventional forestry, range and pasture management. Silvopasture is not defined by grazing and forage production in the presence of trees and shrubs. Rather, all components (the livestock, forages and woody perennials) are combined through careful planning, implementation and management practices considering each of the elements and their potential interactions.

Examples might include grazing sheep or cattle among Christmas trees for competition management; beef cattle managed to graze fine fuels in the understory for wildfire risk reduction; adding forage, off stream water and retained shade to young forested grazing sites to attract livestock away from riparian zones; and, poultry use in orchards to reduce forage competition and consume insect pest and weed seeds.

Managing interactions

One way to view silvopasture is that it is about managing interactions. At a base level there are interactions between the trees and forage, forage and livestock, and livestock and trees.  The interactions and effects  on one another will shift over time with each having greater or lesser impacts on site resources depending on the stage of the silvopasture development.

Herbaceous Phase:  Trees, shrubs and forages can all be directly impacted by livestock. Forages (seeded or native) may dominate the site with trees and shrubs competing for light, and soil resources.

Intermediate Phase: The tree and shrub canopies are at a stage where they no longer compete with the forage layer for light. Competition or facilitation for soil resources can be prominent. Livestock interact with and impact the forage layer, but their impacts on trees and shrubs is usually limited to physical impacts from rubbing or stepping on large surface roots.

Arboreal Phase: Mature trees and shrubs are of sufficient size that they control the availability of both above and below-ground resources. They exert a strong influence on the site by influencing temperatures, wind and heating.  Livestock have limited to no impact on the tree and shrub layers, except for woody species that have a high concentration of surface or shallow roots which may be impacted by compaction or physical root damage. 

Silvopasture resources

Coming soon. Factsheets, reports, webinars and video clips will be uploaded to this site over the next few months as material produced from collaborative pilots, demonstrations and other projects becomes available.

What is Silvopasture

Cariboo Silvopasture Demonstrations, Planning for Silvopasture Applications on Private land

Silvopasture in British Columbia information series

Modular information series covering basic, intermediate and advanced topics.

Learn about:

• Planning, implementing and managing a silvopasture
• Why it might be, and has been, used
  • Enhance and diversify production
  • Buffer drought, heat and extreme weather
  • Reduce wildfire risks
• Where it is being used in BC
  • Case studies and producer experience

Other agroforestry systems in B.C.

Combining agriculture, silviculture and conservation practices in the same land use system.  Five main agroforestry systems are practical for use in British Columbia: