Abstract
Silvopastoral systems can be innovative solutions to agricultural environmental degradation, especially in hilly and mountainous regions. A framework that expresses the holistic nature of silvopastoral systems is required so research directions can be unbiased and informed. This paper presents a novel framework that relates the full range of known silvopastoral outcomes to bio-physical tree attributes, and uses it to generate research priorities for a New Zealand hill country case study. Current research is reviewed and compared for poplar (Populus spp.), the most commonly planted silvopastoral tree in New Zealand hill country, and kānuka (Kunzea spp.), a novel and potentially promising native alternative. The framework highlights the many potential benefits of kānuka, many of which are underappreciated hill country silvopastoral outcomes, and draws attention to the specific outcome research gaps for poplar, despite their widespread use. The framework provides a formalised tool for reviewing and generating research priorities for silvopastoral trees, and provides a clear example of how it can be used to inform research directions in silvopastoral systems, globally.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
The framework presents evidence that kānuka may have a similar longevity to holm oak as (1) they can potentially grow up to 400 years old [50], (2) hill country is their ecological range, meaning that they may be less susceptible to disease and (3)
The framework gives emphasis to the plethora of beneficial influences of trees to silvopastoral systems that are often not considered by New Zealand land managers, such as shelter provision, longevity, extra income from trees, the benefits of a winter tree canopy, the system’s hydrology, and habitats for local fauna populations
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. As an example of this, in the hill country of New Zealand (an area characterised by hilly or steep land (>15◦ ), being below 1000 m asl, and pastoral farming as its main land use) [8], there is a narrow research focus on the principal silvopastoral tree genera that are planted (poplar and willow). The framework will provide an opportunity for practitioners and land managers to see the full range of known interactions within a silvopastoral system It will clearly highlight the holistic nature of silvopastoral systems, and reduce the focus on only specific outcomes, as has been the case in New Zealand hill country. In time, a unit of value could be added to the different outcomes in the framework This would allow researchers, land managers, and land owners to quantifiably discriminate which tree may be best for a specific situation. Sexual composition of individual species in community (important for seed production and pollen flow)
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