Abstract
Wood-pastures are gaining importance in various parts of the planet, either for their role in combating desertification, protecting endemic faunas and flora, or their role in animal welfare or nutritional value in all year round grazing systems. On Pico Island and on other islands in the Azores, farmers have been using tree pastures for a long time, especially in the winter, when there is a shortage of grass and the climate is harsh, mainly because of the wind. The studied pasture comprises a mixture of grasses, based on ryegrass (Lolium perenne), white clover (Trifolum repens), tufted grass (Holcus lanatus) and lambs’ tongue (Plantago lanceolata), on the border of trees, grasses and shrubs. As trees and shrubs, there is incense (Pittosporum undulatum), holly (Ilex perado), ginger lily (Hedychium gardnerianum) and acacia (Acacia melanoxylon). The wood pastures, according to the results achieved by us, can be used for animal feed in the livestock production of Pico Island, mainly for meat production. However, further studies should be carried out to assess the impact of the use of wood pastures on the production system, on the mitigation of greenhouse gases produced by animal production and on animal welfare. Key words: Wood-pastures, unconventional forages, Pico Island, grasses, trees and shrubs.  
Highlights
Wood-pastures are part of the cultural heritage of different parts of the world, playing an important role in providing food for animals and preserving biodiversity (Bergmeier et al, 2010)
Further studies should be carried out to assess the impact of the use of wood pastures on the production system, on the mitigation of greenhouse gases produced by animal production and on animal welfare
The areas corresponding to the wood-pastures were delimited based on the observation of the landscape, in a study visit made to the island of Pico, using the method of digitalization above the corresponding aerial photograph, creating a shape file with geoinformation in a Geographic Information System where these areas are included using the WGS 1984 UTM Zone 26N georeferencing, with an additional information table that includes the area in square meters and zonal images
Summary
Wood-pastures are part of the cultural heritage of different parts of the world, playing an important role in providing food for animals and preserving biodiversity (Bergmeier et al, 2010). In the Azores, especially in islands such as Pico, during periods of lack of grass, with two clear periods of scarcity in both summer ( August and September) and winter (November through February), especially in the winter, animals are kept in the so-called "invernadores", as a way of protecting them from the adverse conditions, especially the rain and wind (Borba et al, 2015). There, they feed on branches, mainly incense, preserved foods, hay and straw, corn cane and, more recently, silages and some concentrates: corn grain or even commercial concentrate. A portion of this pasture will be characterized in terms of chemical composition and nutritional value of conventional and non-conventional fodder that can be grazed by the animals
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