Silvopastoralism using tended poplars on New Zealand hill country: The opportunities

Abstract

The view of the presenters of this paper is that more trees need to be integrated into New Zealand farming systems. This is particularly relevant to some 3.7 million ha of North Island hill lands that require significant soil conservation measures. Trees have numerous benefits beyond soil conservation and these are outlined. The simplest and most effective means of implementing a large scale strategy of tree planting on land dominated by livestock farming enterprises is likely to be through the use of wide-spaced tended poplars. It is our perception that the full range of benefits (and costs) is not well appreciated within the industry, and so we have attempted to summarise and discuss them here. We have adopted the perspective of the individual farmer, who in the end is the one who will determine the role of trees in the rural landscape. Keywords: conservation, hill country farming, landscape, poplar, silvopastoralism, soil conservation