Shade Trees for Livestock - Ask Extension
Hi! My wife and I live in Millsboro, DE and we have horses, donkeys, alpacas, pigs, goats, and chickens. Our property doesn't have any shade trees and...
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Shade Trees for Livestock #877993
Asked July 20, 2024, 7:08 AM EDT
Hi! My wife and I live in Millsboro, DE and we have horses, donkeys, alpacas, pigs, goats, and chickens. Our property doesn't have any shade trees and we are looking to add some for the animals that are fast growing and also not hazardous/poisonous to the animals. Do you have any suggestions?
Sussex County Delaware
Expert Response
Without knowing the environmental conditions of your pasture area here are a few suggestions with notes about water needs.
River Birch- Betula nigra - One of my favorite fast growing trees, prefers a moist environment, but I have mine growing in sandy western sun in Millsboro and my 12' tree planted 5 years ago is now 35 'tall and proving beautiful dappled shade. I do water during drought like we had in June this year.
Tulip tree - Liriodendron - Grows 2-4 ft. per year, will generally start flowering in years 5-7. Grows well in this area in a variety of soils and moisture levels.
Northern Catalpa - Catalpa speciosa - Grows 2-4 ft. per year, considered a messy landscape tree, but that probably doesn't matter in a pasture.
American Sweetgum - Liquidambar styraciflua - Medium to fast growth with a broad range of environmental growth condition
Sycamore -Platanus - Fast growing tree that tops out at 100' plus. We have been seeing more anthracnose in Sycamores so this link contains a listing of preferred sycamore cultivars that are resistant:https://news.delaware.gov/2013/05/28/delaware-forest-service-tree-health-update-sycamore-anthracnose/
Hackberry - Celtis occidentalis - 40-60' height and medium to fast growing.
Weeping Willow - Salix babylonica - This is a fast growing tree, 4'+ per year, but requires a moist or damp environment such as at the edge of a pond, watering hole, etc. This is also a great tree to place in a low spot that might tend to hold water and make it untenable for the livestock as the roots absorb the water and dry that area out faster.
Pines, excluding the Ponderosa pine, are not poisonous and are fairly fast growing. These are not usually thought of as shade trees, but a grove can create shade as many of them limb up as they grow. they also provide a winter windbreak.
Oaks - Pin oak is the fastest growing oak, but livestock do tend to eat the acorns. While not poisonous, excessive eating of acorns by certain horses can contribute to founder.
For all of these trees, you will need to protect them with fencing so they a re not eaten by the animals until they are a certain height, especially the goats. My suggestion would be to plant a multitur=de of trees rather than a single species to prevent the loss of all your trees if a specific pest or disease comes tot his area.
While elm & ash are fast growing trees we do not recommend planting them now due to Emerald Ash borer and Dutch Elm disease decimating these tree populations.
River Birch- Betula nigra - One of my favorite fast growing trees, prefers a moist environment, but I have mine growing in sandy western sun in Millsboro and my 12' tree planted 5 years ago is now 35 'tall and proving beautiful dappled shade. I do water during drought like we had in June this year.
Tulip tree - Liriodendron - Grows 2-4 ft. per year, will generally start flowering in years 5-7. Grows well in this area in a variety of soils and moisture levels.
Northern Catalpa - Catalpa speciosa - Grows 2-4 ft. per year, considered a messy landscape tree, but that probably doesn't matter in a pasture.
American Sweetgum - Liquidambar styraciflua - Medium to fast growth with a broad range of environmental growth condition
Sycamore -Platanus - Fast growing tree that tops out at 100' plus. We have been seeing more anthracnose in Sycamores so this link contains a listing of preferred sycamore cultivars that are resistant:https://news.delaware.gov/2013/05/28/delaware-forest-service-tree-health-update-sycamore-anthracnose/
Hackberry - Celtis occidentalis - 40-60' height and medium to fast growing.
Weeping Willow - Salix babylonica - This is a fast growing tree, 4'+ per year, but requires a moist or damp environment such as at the edge of a pond, watering hole, etc. This is also a great tree to place in a low spot that might tend to hold water and make it untenable for the livestock as the roots absorb the water and dry that area out faster.
Pines, excluding the Ponderosa pine, are not poisonous and are fairly fast growing. These are not usually thought of as shade trees, but a grove can create shade as many of them limb up as they grow. they also provide a winter windbreak.
Oaks - Pin oak is the fastest growing oak, but livestock do tend to eat the acorns. While not poisonous, excessive eating of acorns by certain horses can contribute to founder.
For all of these trees, you will need to protect them with fencing so they a re not eaten by the animals until they are a certain height, especially the goats. My suggestion would be to plant a multitur=de of trees rather than a single species to prevent the loss of all your trees if a specific pest or disease comes tot his area.
While elm & ash are fast growing trees we do not recommend planting them now due to Emerald Ash borer and Dutch Elm disease decimating these tree populations.
