Best Practices for Native Stand Christmas Tree Silvopastures

Research and many years of practical experience have shown that Christmas-tree management in silvopasture settings is compatible with achieving multiple values, to the benefit of industry and conservation goals.  With funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, Kootenay Tree Farms has refined silvopasture techniques for enhanced production of forages for both wildlife and cattle, and, tree management for rhabdocline (Rhabdocline pseudotsugae) disease control.

Forage Production

Forages are a key consideration in any silvopasture operation.  In the context of Christmas tree silvopastures in the East Kootenay region, they have direct relevance to livestock production potential, and also are a variable of consideration for land use decisions and wildlife enhancement.

The Kootenay/Boundary Land Use Plan recommends periodic entries of prescribed burning, thinning and partial-cutting to maintain open forest conditions and rangeland values.  And, ecosystem restoration projects are currently underway in several areas of the region.  To date however, no projects have compared the effects of different types of Christmas tree management systems on forage production.

One of the objectives of this operational trial was to demonstrate that a silvopasture system will benefit forage production, improve forage quality and increase the grazable area of a pasture.  Treatments (with untreated controls) were installed, representing the effect of the silvopasture management system on plant communities that are dominated by native and domestic vegetation, respectively.  The first post-treatment monitoring took place in 2013.  Preliminary results have shown that forage cover, production and species diversity increases with decreasing overstory, under a silvopasture scheme.  The long-term suitability of silvopastures to contribute as an ecosystem restoration / forage enhancement land management tool will require additional monitoring to see if these trends hold.

Economics

A production system cost-benefit analysis has been developed based on the project results with regional Christmas tree production and market information.  The production model, which Kootenay Tree Farms has evolved is based on years of practice in the East Kootenay region, is rooted in the philosophy of ‘doing it the best way for the greatest return’.  Underlying this management concept is a goal of providing agroforestry management options to producers which enhance producer and ecological sustainability, while complementing larger landscape-level management strategies. 

The review gathered economic and production data for a hypothetical Christmas tree enterprise in the East Kootenay region of BC.  It was undertaken primarily for Christmas tree producers and those potentially interested in becoming a Christmas tree producers, and was designed to provide a starting point for them to assess the potential of a Christmas tree enterprise.  The analysis provides a beginning economic assessment from which to consider one's own notions about production and economic factors, and the potentials and pitfalls of a Christmas tree enterprise in this region.

Disease Control

Christmas trees have been pruned for a long time to improve tree quality but never to control disease.  In this project component, Kootenay Tree Farms investigated different management methods to control or eliminate Rhabdocline disease in Douglas-fir Christmas trees.  The results indicate that techniques that build the soil duff layer, improve soil fertility, or reduce surface temperatures or humidity can contribute to significant reductions in disease levels in the trees.   Using pruning and tree thinning methods that improve air flow through the production site, together with practices that improve the health of the trees are key.

2013 Kootenay Silvopasture Tour, Sept 19

Annual Kootenay Silvopasture Tour
Thursday, 19 September 2013, 08:00 – 12:00
Start from junction of Pritchard Road and Hwy 3/93, Cranbrook 
Free to participate, but you must arrange your own transportation and lunch.

Kootenay Tree Farms, with funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, is pleased to host its annual tour of Christmas tree - silvopasture production sites near Cranbrook in the East Kootenay region. 

This year's tour will include discussions of:

1. Livestock distribution in silvopastures;
2. Tree diseases and the relationship to temperature and bud break;
3. Pruning and spacing of trees to maximize tree production and forage;
4. Raising of the level of the tree canopy for air flow and forage production;
5. Fertilization techniques for the benefit of trees and forage;
6. Managing soil water retention for trees and forage;
7. Managing saskatoons and rough fescue for elk and other wildlife; and,
8. Forage cover in relation to trees.

Kootenay Silvopasture Tour, Sept 20, 2012

Kootenay Silvopasture Tour
Thursday, 20 September 2012, 09:00 – 14:00
Start from junction of Pritchard Road and Hwy 3/93, Cranbrook 

Free to participate, but you must arrange your own transportation and lunch.

Kootenay Tree Farms, with funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative, is pleased to host a tour of Christmas tree - silvopasture production sites near Cranbrook in the east Kootenay region. 

The tour will include:

1. A discussion on Christmas tree disease and control with a demonstration of tree pruning techniques;
2. A comparison of disease incidence in pruned and unpruned test plots;
3. A forage identification session and demonstration of using portable forage cages and clipping to determine annual production; and,
4. A look at how silvopasture methods can enhance forage and tree growth in these systems. 

Car pooling from the Pritchard Road / Hwy 3 junction, or other locations, to the tour sites will be available if there is sufficient demand.

New Research Will Determine Best Practices for Christmas Tree Production in Silvopastures

Research and many years of practical experience have shown that Christmas-tree management in silvopasture settings is compatible with achieving multiple values to the benefit of industry and conservation goals.  With funding from the BC Agroforestry Industry Development Initiative (AIDI), Kootenay Tree Farms will work on refining silvopasture techniques for enhanced production of forages for both wildlife and cattle, and, tree management for rhabdocline (Rhabdocline pseudotsugae) disease control.

Christmas tree management in silvopastures can benefit understory forage and reduce disease

The production model which Kootenay Tree Farms has evolved is based on years of practice in the East Kootenay region, and is rooted in the philosophy of ‘doing it the best way for the greatest return’.  Underlying this management concept is a goal of providing small-scale agroforestry management options to producers which enhance producer and ecological sustainability, while complementing larger landscape-level management strategies.  Managed within a silvopasture scenario, previous demonstration work and operational experience provide good indications of the potential increases in available forage, concomitant with Christmas tree management through pruning and fertilization.  Likewise, it is known that livestock in silvopastures are an important contributor to Christmas tree production by means of controlling competing vegetation.  Christmas tree silvopastures have the potential to enhance areas wildlife and livestock on public lands within the region, plus contributing to other values, while the costs can be maintained by the Christmas tree permittee.

The new work will compare forage production at two sites incorporating differing treatment combinations of fertilization, pruning and forage composition.  The project is located on a stump-culture native-stand Christmas tree production area on a BC Hydro transmission line right of way (ROW).  Kootenay Tree Farms has been operating this management area in conjunction with BC Hydro for over 20 years.  Christmas trees produced on site are predominantly Douglas fir and the whole tree farm is just under 400 ha.  The demonstration will utilize five, 2 ha blocks of the Christmas tree production area, descending in elevation and separated by other operational Christmas-tree production areas.  Each block will include the following three treatments:

1. Pruned, spaced and fertilized - with domestic forage in the understory;
2. Pruned, spaced and fertilized - with native grasses/forages in the understory;
3. Unpruned, unspaced and unfertilized – with domestic forages in the understory. 

Productivity and species composition of both domestic and native grasses will be estimated and the Christmas trees will be monitored via a rating system for the occurrence of rhabdocline disease and response to pruning and elevational position (onset of bud break via temperature relationships).  The Christmas trees will also be evaluated for variables which impact their marketability including form, colour and needle/branch density.

A production system cost-benefit analysis will be developed based on the project results and regional production and market information for a communication fact sheet.  And Kootenay Tree Farms will also work with the Christmas tree, range management and wildlife organizations by sharing information and inviting members to field workshops.

Kootenay Tree Farms, of Cranbook, has been in business for over 25 years producing native-stand Christmas trees on both a BC Hydro right-of-way (under a lease agreement) and a -permit area on Crown land.  Christmas trees have been the focus of production however, Kootenay Tree Farms also has experience diversifying production through related products such as boughs, wreathes and garlands.

For more information on silvopasture management using Christmas trees please see AIDI Extension Note 3.