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Poplar & willow usage
Poplars and willows for environmental action and fodder
This is a farmer-led project which aims to help farmers and landowners to integrate poplar and willow trees into livestock farm systems for multiple uses, namely:
- To aid water and nutrient management
- To provide supplementary fodder in summer
- For sustainable control of internal parasites in lambs
- To promote the well-established role of poplars and willows in soil conservation, shelter and shade
The project is funded for three years, mainly by by MAF's Sustainable Farming Fund, with additional funding support from Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Massey University, and Meat and Wool New Zealand.
The project team comprises farmers and regional council land managers in the lower North and South Islands, with technical support from Massey University, Crown Research Institutes, and consultants.
Poplars and willows on farms - the issues
Poplars and willows are an integral part of many rural landscapes, ranging from hill country (used mainly for soil conservation) to gently undulating land (shelter, shade, riverbank protection). Many old trees have become too big to manage effectively and this will become an increasing problem as they age.
It is vital to determine what to do with these trees - we need to develop robust guidelines on optimum tree management and future planting patterns. Regular tree pruning will prevent potential hazards to farmers, livestock, fences and buildings. These trees can provide supplementary fodder during summer drought, poles and timber for on-farm use, and can increase understorey pasture production. At the same time however, pruning management must not unduly compromise the effectiveness of the trees for soil conservation.
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An option for sheep/beef farms with boggy areas is to establish tree-pasture systems (browse blocks), which have dual roles of increasing feed supply and environmental enhancement through nutrient and water management. On intensive dairy farms where effluent management is an increasing issue, alternatives to the commonly used method of spray irrigation of effluent on to pasture are needed. Tree-pasture systems offer potential environmental benefits and can supply supplementary fodder (by browsing and/or cut and carry) on smaller land areas.
Key project components
This project will:
- Produce a planting and management plan for poplars and willows on farms
- Define appropriate management for special-purpose blocks (browse and coppice/pollard)
- Determine tree effects on nutrient/effluent and water management
- Determine the effectiveness of tree fodder for controlling parasites in lambs and for mating as hoggets
- Conduct economic analyses of browse and coppice/pollard blocks in whole-farm contexts
We will conduct demonstration trials that include existing trees of various ages, and established browse and pollard blocks on farms, and new plantings. We will communicate our findings here and through a regular newsletter PWNews, by articles in farming magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, and field days.
Project participants
- Peter Gawith, farmer, Longbush, Wairarapa (Project Leader)
- Dr Grant Douglas, AgResearch, Palmerston North (Contact Person/Project Manager)
- Farmers in Hawke's Bay, Rangitikei, Wairarapa, Otago
- Hawke's Bay Regional Council, horizons.mw, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Otago Regional Council
- AgResearch
- Central Environmental Services
- Clutha Agricultural Development Board
- Greenfields Communications
- HortResearch
- Land and Forest Consultants Ltd
- Massey University
- Wilson & Keeling Ltd
Project Reports
PWNews newsletter
The project's newsletter is distributed to project participants and other interested parties. PWNews will be produced every six months and is freely available.
Previous projects
This project is a sequel to two recently completed projects, one on fodder from trees, principally poplar and willow, and the other on managing fresh dairy shed effluent using coppiced poplar and willow. Summaries of these in PDF format are available below.
Links
- HortResearch Poplars and Willows - Information on current research.
- The Willow and Poplar Research Collective - A voluntary grouping of Regional and District Councils aimed at supporting:
- Maintenance and development of willow and poplar genetic resources;
- Development of improved management regimes;
- Information transfer through applied research, meetings, workshops and hard copy material.
- NZ Farm Forestry Association - The New Zealand Farm Forestry Association is a national organisation with some 4000 members, who jointly own 200,000 hectares of plantation forests.
* HortResearch's contribution to this collaborative initiative includes providing a web presence for the project on our website.
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