Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Southern Missouri is an area of the country extremely well-suited to silvopasture establishment and research. Simply put, the two most important agricultural products in Southern Missouri are trees and forage. This research project titled "Adaptation of Pasture and Forestland to Variable-Density Silvopasture and Black Walnut Silvicultural Systems in Southern Missouri" aims to study methods, challenges, sustainability and economics of establishing and managing silvopasture systems at the Missouri State University Shealy Farm property, a location ideally suited for establishment and study of silvopasture systems, as well as black walnut planting systems in collaboration with the University of Missouri Southwest Center. In addition to traditional data collection and analyses of the forage, forestry and soil components, we will incorporate state-of-the-art data collection and analysis through use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) mounted with LiDAR and multispectral sensors. The resulting high-resolution remotely-sensing data will enable us to build precise spatial/temporal models of tree and forage growth and health over time in the silvopasture systems. Data from both the traditional and remote-sensing analyses will provide vital information to analyze short- and long-term logistics and economics of silvopasture establishment and management. The teaching component of our project will support the work of two graduate students and four undergraduate students, providing them with valuable experience in field work, research, and collaboration, while onsite field trips and labs will greatly enrich the education of more than 150 students through the duration of the study. The outreach component will greatly increase the capacity of the investigators to disseminate vital information about silvopasture establishment and management to landowners, producers, silvopasture professionals, and multiple other stakeholders.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
40%
Developmental
40%
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to determine the impact of newly established and converted silvopasture systems on the efficiency, sustainability, economic feasibility and practicality of forest and forage products on agricultural land in Southern Missouri. In doing so, we will enhance the research capabilities and scope of the MSU College of Agriculture and the MU Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center, provide high-impact collaborative and interactive student learning experiences, and develop productive cooperative relationships with multiple stakeholders through outreach.Specific objectives of this project include:1. To evaluate the growth rates of trees and forage, effects of planting methods, innovations in UAS estimation and monitoring of canopy closure and tree health, and the long-term production, feasibility and economics of both converted forestland and new silvopasture systems established in open pasture and variable-density wooded pasture.2. To provide educational opportunities for students from MSU and MU through the creation of interactive workshops, seminars, and outdoor classrooms focused on silvopasture establishment and management at the main project site and other strategic locations in the Southern Missouri and beyond.3. To create and expand current silvopasture outreach programs throughout Southern Missouri. Through outreach collaboration between MSU and MU Southwest Center (Extension), quality and cohesiveness of multi-disciplinary information sharing, on-site education for precision agriculture systems, and interaction with landowners, practitioners, and other stakeholders will be significantly enhanced.
Project Methods
METHODSResearch ActivitiesExisting mixed grass pastures and adjacent forestland at the Missouri State University Shealy Farm site will be used for this project. Prior to starting the project, selected areas of established grassland and adjacent forestland will be marked out in five 5-acre Units. Unit 1 will be pre-established tall fescue pasture, Unit 2 will be planted black walnut silvopasture, starting out as pre-established fescue pasture with no trees. Units 3 and 4 will be planted silvopasture, with Unit 3 established in low-density wooded pasture and Unit 4 established in moderate-density adjacent wooded pasture. Unit 5 will be converted silvopasture thinned from pre-existing mixed hardwood timberland directly adjacent to Units 3 and 4.Establishment of Silvopasture. To establish the black walnut silvopasture in Units 2, 3 and 4, preliminary work will begin in October 2024 with collection of walnuts for seeds at the MU Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center in Mt. Vernon MO. Co-PI Andrew Thomas will supervise the walnut collection and processing operation. The seeds will then be planted in propagation beds at Shealy Farm for stratification, and/or stratified in a temperature-controlled setting before planting in a greenhouse in late winter. Seeds will be sorted for uniformity and quality, then randomly assigned to at least three seedling production protocols. This establishment study will form an excellent MS thesis project.The next step in establishing a grafted black walnut orchard is the actual grafting. One method of study consists of planting pre-grafted seedlings. These types of trees need significant care upon planting (especially irrigation), but if successful may result in a more rapidly established orchard. The other method of study is to graft established seedlings directly in the field. The comparative economics of these two orchard establishment methods are unknown and will be analyzed in depth as the orchard is established over the initial years. Establishment of converted silvopasture in Unit 5 will take place during winter 2024/2025. Unit 5 will be thinned down to just below C-level stocking in terms of basal area per acre, dependent upon average diameter at breast height (dbh) of dominant and codominant trees.Forest Measurements. Traditional forest measurements of tree height, dbh, health, damage/disease presence and basal area will be taken before either planting or conversion to silvopasture in Units 2, 3, 4 and 5, and every subsequent year of the study using 1/20th acre fixed-area plots and systematic sampling. Tree measurements for the black walnut silvopasture in Units 2, 3 and 4 will consist of bi-seasonal assessments of seedling diameter at 10 cm off the ground, seedling foliage width, health, disease/damage presence, and mortality if it occurs. All forest measurements will be conducted under the supervision of project PD Dr. Michael Goerndt.Forage Measurements. Forage samples will be collected twice a year, once in the early summer and again in late fall. Five 0.1 m2 samples will be taken within each Unit for each sampling date. For each sample % moisture, dry matter yield and morphological characteristics will be recorded. Plant species counts will be taken using a line intercept method for each Unit, observations will be taken at every 0.3 m within a 15 m transect. Five replicate transects will be randomly taken for each Unit providing 250 plant species observations per unit. Plant species transects will be conducted twice a year throughout the duration of the study, to monitor seasonal changes in vegetation.Remote-Sensing Measurements. A 3D canopy model of the study Units will be derived through UAS photogrammetry based on LiDAR and RGB aerial photos, and canopy height of trees and forage will be estimated. Through three UAS flights per growing season (e.g. June, July & August) the growth rate of vegetation will be monitored pertaining to height, crown width and density. The 2D vegetation metrics such as canopy cover and foliage growth will be delineated and estimated through object-based image processing technique. One of the most important tree-level growth factors in silvopasture is canopy cover, as it directly effects shade dynamics on site over time.The multispectral reflective bands will be systematically compared for unexplained variation (noise) to determine appropriate band selection for ancillary data in statistical modelling. Other bands will be selected to represent important vegetative indices to function as a measurement of quality and vigor of vegetation.EvaluationTeaching Activities. Two undergraduate student positions will be supported for the duration of the project. All students will be engaged in all aspects of this project and aid in tree and plot establishment and maintenance. One student will focus on forage and soil sampling, measurements, and laboratory analyses. The other student will focus on tree planting studies, tree measurements, sampling, and maintenance, as well as aid Dr. Toby Dogwiler on drone flights and drone sensor measurements. Evaluation for internship credit includes a daily log of activities, a reflection paper of their work experience and how their experience influenced their perception of the Public Affairs Mission of Missouri State University, and an oral presentation of their experiences to other undergraduate students.Each semester, at least one class will utilize these sites for interactive laboratory activities or field trips. Undergraduate students majoring in Natural Resources - Forestry, Environmental Plant Science, and Wildlife Conservation and Management, and minoring in Forestry and Agronomy could utilize this project site for hands-on educational activities and projects. Final evaluation for educational activities will include a mixture of lab grades, final grades for undergraduate research projects, successful completion of MS theses and internship credits.Outreach Activities. Information regarding methodology, key findings and economics will be shared with landowners, forestry/agroforestry professionals, and other stakeholders through the MSU Shealy Farm Field Day, which will be held annually in September or October. Faculty and graduate students involved in the proposed project will provide on-site workshops and interactive presentations for all attendees during these events. Field Day attendees will be surveyed with a short questionnaire (confidential) that will assess the impact of the event and the importance of the research topics. As part of their training, graduate students involved in this project will be required to disseminate their findings through academic forums such as the annual Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Missouri State University's Einhellig Interdisciplinary Research Forum, and the Plant Science Colloquium of the School of Agricultural Science and Conservation within the College of Agriculture at MSU.Data Analysis & InterpretationFrom the UAS collected RGB, LiDAR and multispectral data, spatial-temporal models will be created to correlate remote-sensing based vegetative metrics with seasonality, silvopasture type, canopy density and all other ground-based vegetative variables. Specific models will be developed to predict tree/forage health and canopy closure over time (as it pertains to interception and light transmittance). Forage and tree data collected for this project will be used to perform an economic analysis of silvopasture establishment and management. Sensitivity analyses will be conducted as a corollary to the walnut planting studies headed by Dr. Thomas. As the proposed project has a duration of only three years, the analysis will be based on short-term costs, production and yield of both forest crop and forage crop. Long-term economic analyses will be a continued avenue of research on the study site for many years.