JANUARY 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
29 Forestry, forage co-exist at demonstration site
Okanagan data supports silvopasture practices
by TOM WALKER LAKE COUNTRY – A
silvopasture demonstration site in the hills surrounding Vernon Creek east of Lake Country was the destination for members of the Pacific Northwest Society for Range Management during the field trip that followed the association’s annual general meeting and symposium in October
Lisa Zabek, agroforestry specialist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, manages the site. Part of her work involves collecting data to test the results of management practices. “Forest grazing in this
province is moving towards full-on integration and that is really what silvopasture is,” says Zabek. “The intentional integration of a variety of needs in the forest landscape.” The site allows Zabek and her team to study how to maintain timber production for forest licensee Tolko Industries Ltd., provide forage for grazing licensee Coldwater Ranch, maintain riparian protection in the area, and provide upland grazing resources for wildlife. The data Zabek is
collecting shows that the various strategies on trial support the variety of uses. “What I am able to do at this site is to gather specific data on how effective these practices are, as well as track forage and timber productivity to help evaluate production potential and costs and benefits,” says Zabek. “What is key for me is the collaboration of all the players involved from industry, the water purveyor, the regional district, a variety of government departments and academic institutions.” Zabek has two study
blocks. One is a forestry plantation control plot; the other is a demonstration plot that contains examples of forage and timber production together as well as just forage alone. The project is now in its fourth year.
The demonstration plot
was originally drag scarified to prepare for forage seeding by helicopter. “We wanted to create, on
average, about 30% seed bed,” says Zabek. “We were not going for a hayfield; we were not cultivating.” The results have been encouraging. “We have good forage establishment and full-on grazing. The planted trees are up to a metre high in both plots and we are able to
collect data and do out-reach,” she says.
Zabek points out the
dearth of forage growing in the unseeded control plot. “When you look across the cut and see that it is green, people think there’s a lot of forage out there,” she says. “There may be some fireweed and sedges, but there are a lot of unpalatable species as well.”
Zabek and crew clip and
measure the plants growing in the centre of two metre- square sampling cages placed across the cut blocks to determine productivity. The unseeded plot produces on average 180 kgs usable forage per hectare. Zabek says there is a
reason you see cattle grazing along logging roadways and landings. “Yes, it’s easy access, but that is where the forage is,” she points out. “There is a reason they are grazing in riparian areas; there is water there, but there is also forage there, too.” A prepped and seeded cut block can produce a good volume of top-quality forage, according to Zabek's data. “In 2014, we had 1,600 kgs
per hectare on average and that ranged up to 3,500 kgs per hectare,” she says. “The average for 2015 was about 1,500 kg per hectare with as much as 6,000 kg per hectare in a couple of sample cages.” The test plot also shows
that trees can successfully grow alongside the foraging cattle. “We used obstacle plantings to prevent the cows from damaging the trees,” says Zabek. “Cows can inadvertently trample a young seedling which could lead to stem scars in a mature tree.” “Our data shows that good obstacle use really minimizes the opportunity for damage,” says Zabek. “When a tree is planted within six inches of
a better buy in BC. ANGUS
To Livestock Producers near and far the BC Angus Association wishes you a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year
p
www.bcangus.ca
Tom DeWaal President 250.960.0022 z Carley Henniger Secretary 587.830.4175 BC Angus Association 600 Bailey Road, Chase BC V0E 1M1
BC Angus Association, 1130 Linthorpe Rd, Kamloops V2B 7S4
Lisa Zabek, agroforestry specialist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, explains the layout of the Vernon Creek silvopasture pilot site. TOM WALKER PHOTO
an obstacle, I may see 2% damage.”
Watershed
Reducing cattle impacts on the watershed is another objective of the demonstration. “If something happens
upland, it can be in the Lake Country water system in as little as seven hours,” Zabek points out.
The site has examples of
debris fencing and log criss- cross barriers that use available materials to help control cattle, and off-stream waterers give the cattle a quality and accessible water source.
And again, Zabek has data. “Over the last four years,
we have had between 14 and 20 animals in the herd wearing GPS collars,” she says. “We took [readings] every five minutes from 5 am to 10 pm during the three weeks the cattle were in that area of the
range.” The data indicated that
cattle crossed the stream but didn’t move within the watercourse. “There is a lot of use of the riparian areas, but the cattle go in and out,” she says. “They are crossing perpendicular to the stream, which is what we want to see.” To further protect the riparian areas, soil site prep was halted 20 metres from a
stream and although it was heli-seeded, the forage does not grow as well as areas where the mineral soil was not exposed. “As you would expect, we find that as forage develops in a silvo-pasture site there is less use by cattle of the riparian areas,” says Zabek. “They graze the centre of the block where there is good forage with an off-stream waterer.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
CASE 420 COMPACT TRACK LOADER, 2008, CAB WITH HEAT & A/C . . . $32,500 CASE IH MAXXUM 125 105 PTO HP, CAB, 4X4, LX765 LDR, 6440 HRS . . 71,800 MAHINDRA mPOWER 85 2015, 70 PTO HP, CAB, 4X4, LDR, ONLY 405 HRS . . 52,500 JD 6115D 95 PTO HP,2015, CAB, 4X4, LDR, ONLY 1100 HRS . . . . . . . . . 78,500 JD 4255 120 PTO, HP, 4X4, POWERSHIFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,500 KIOTI NX5510 55 HP, CAB, 4X4, LDR, ONLY 265 HRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,800 KUBOTA BX25 25 HP, 4X4, LDR, BACKHOE, THUMB, 62 HRS . . . . . . . . . 18,900 NH 1432 2008, 13’ CUT, CENTER PIVOT, FLAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,900 NH 1465 2001, 9’3” CUT, VERY CLEAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,900 KRONE 3200 CV 2009, 10’CUT, 2 POINT HITCH, FLAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,500 KUHN FC303GC 2009, 10’4” CUT, CENTER PIVOT, 2 PT HITCH, FLAIL . . . 15,500 CASE IH RB464 2011, 4’X6’ TWINE & NET WRAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,800 NH 678 2001, 5’X5’, TWINE AUTO WRAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,500 MF 220 SERIES II WINDROWER,1999, C/W 18’ DRAPER HEADER . . . . 21,500 KUHN KNIGHT 2044 SPREADER, PRO PUSH C/W VERTICAL BEATERS . 28,600 KUHN MM122 4 BOTTOM ROLLOVER PLOW, NON STOP RESET, COULTERS . . 27,850 LANDPRIDE DH3510 10’6” TANDEM DISC . . .
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,950 NOBLE TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT LTD.
KAMLOOPS 580 Chilcotin Road 250/851-3101 TOLL FREE 1-888-851-3101
ARMSTRONG
4193 Noble Road 250/546-3141
TOLL FREE 1-800-661-3141
www.nobletractor.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
