Ep97: How to choose the right trees to keep for silvopasture

[@peterellis4262]

Agree about not cutting that ash until/unless it shows signs of being killed off. It might be the one with the genetics to survive the borer. We made that mistake with Chestnut and that was a near incalculable loss.

[@mathewpennington7049]

I have many chesnut Oaks here in North western North Carolina and they aren't the ones rotting out from the inside but rather the scarlet oak that the base gets bulbous and thus you can tell the carpenter ants are hard at work. I love a nice beech tree as well. We had some in elkton md that were over 6' across and were so beautiful.

[@peterellis4262]

There are quite a few things that tolerate juglone just fine, including mulberry and pawpaw. Mulberry produces fruit over an exceptionally long season, plus it's leaves are over 20% protein, making them good fodder in their own right. Pawpaw are well worth having for human consumption ;)

[@twbishop]

@4:07 with high maintenance, green ash can be treated annually or bi-annually with insecticide. at least you could save a few trees for future regeneration.

[@TheTrashologist]

I know this is a old one but that double trunk does have value maybe not for commercial timber but for slabs. Especially with all the hipsters wanting a slab table now.

[@peterellis4262]

Redbud seed pods are a decent nutrition source and at least here in SW Michigan are produced in great abundance. Whether or not it fixes nitrogen is a topic of substantial debate - but the pods are edible for humans, and I'm sure happily taken by pigs.

[@Tsiri09]

Thank you for making it clear to people that managing land isn't just about "let's do this." It's work and planning from the start.

[@wayne4768]

I am presently cleaning a 140 acre tropical farm with 40 head of cattle. I agree with a similar philosophy to yours but I bought a three point 7" chipper and 48" wood splitter. You could chip the small trees and split the larger and chip them too. The objective? Compost. It has worked fantastically for me. The cows love it

[@NadyaPena-01]

Thank you for dropping all this knowledge!

[@anthonydooley3616]

I don't usually consider a stand of hardwood trees a great silvopasture spot. Maybe after some controlled burning and sewing some food plots for deer habitat. Your pasture will be better on a south facing slop or on higher ground.

[@Theorimlig]

Another consideration is that some trees can be kept for wildlife and biodiversity. That "naturally pollarded" cherry you pointed out probably doesn't affect the growth of forage much, but it can be beneficial for lots of different bugs and birds that feed on them, for example. If it doesn't cost you anything to keep it, taking it out is kind of unnecessary. Obviously keeping a variety of species is important too, so if you only have a few trees of a certain species in a certain field, keeping them just so you have some makes sense even if you wouldn't consider them ideal.

[@tealkerberus748]

Profoundly envious of your native trees and your rainfall. Most of those trees wouldn't grow here - what we have instead is gum trees, which provide a nice bit of bee forage every two or three years and that's about it.

[@williamrakes4637]

Excellent video! Very informative.

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

Yeah. Troy knows his trees.

[@rochrich1223]

If your forage plan includes bees, which trees are the most valuable changes dramatically. The tulip poplar is high value, many maples, bass etc are too. Pussy willow with it's early pollen and swamp tolerance stops being a weed. Surprisingly sugar maple with it's short flowering time is low value.

[@d.t.4523]

Great work my friend. Studying the land like that is a dying art. I'll suggest that you study the American Chestnut blight, if you haven't already. Before the problem started, hog farmers in northern states fed their herds on the chestnuts. You might be as successful, so try fencing in a couple acres and seeing how the hogs fare. Good luck!

[@majesticsavage5322]

i can agree, try to contact the acf to buy some pure american chestnut seedlings

[@bullpuppy689]

did get the 2 feeder pigs a month ago, been working the flats ..clearing the brush and ect. ((qeustion)) what should i plant on these flats for the cattle and pigs.? thanks again in advance

[@RedToolHouse]

The best option for the pigs would be any protein producing trees (walnut, hickory, oak, etc) those are going to take 10 to 15 years to produce nuts. For cattle, the shade is going to be beneficial so you could plant a fast grower like willow (if it is wet) or other fast growing trees.

[@dennisst.germaine3497]

Happy Easter! Excellent video and very informative! Some states or counties have cooperative extension programs......don't panic I'm not saying bring the government of any kind on your property, but they often have websites or literature on these topics that is available. Poison Ivy.....I wish there was a bug that would eat it only and eradicate it! Land planning is a generational thing, I am so glad to see you taking things slow and putting a lot of thought into it!

[@RedToolHouse]

Happy Easter to you as well. I would definitely hire a forester to help with a management plan especially if trying to sell some of the trees that will be removed.

[@bradjenkins932]

Are wilted cherry leaves toxic to pigs ?

[@nancyfahey7518]

Brad Jenkins. My chickens were eating the wild cherry leaves and they are still alive.😊 But I think they have something that screws with any peach trees that are around.

[@RedToolHouse]

I haven't had any issues with them but I know for some ruminants it can be deadly.

[@bradjenkins932]

Yeah l know it is deadly to cattle. but l wasn't sure about pigs

[@estebancorral5151]

How do add value to the biomass from the diseased, felled trees? It sounds like you’re letting some cold hard cash slip through your fingers.

[@bradjenkins932]

@@estebancorral5151 What??

[@hotrodpetesgarage699]

Quite an enjoyable video. Anything that can be done about all the lip-smacking?

[@RedToolHouse]

Thanks for watching! Yes, that has been brought to my attention lately. I am working on a "lip smacking" filter.

[@ynotshowme2ur3times]

Most of the trees you mentioned we dont have up here.....only ash (witch is healthy) and beach witch is diseased......the beach is basicly extinct . We do have maples and popals tho

[@ynotshowme2ur3times]

,oh........we have plenty of birch trees

[@RedToolHouse]

Hmm, not heard of the beech tree disease. Is it a blight like the chestnut was?