Why you need other trees for livestock

A number of spreading trees can provide excellent shelter for your stock from cold, wet weather, but a single spreading tree isn't the best choice.

Stock like shade from the sun and shelter from the cold. If they spend a large part of the year camping (and defecating) under one tree, nutrients are concentrated into one small area.

The condensed volume of traffic also turns the grass under the tree into mud. This can result in an accumulation of bacteria in the ground, which can be detrimental to newborn stock and cause health issues such as footrot.

Sheryn’s tips

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PLANT tall, narrow trees such as the Lombardy poplar or the upright English oak Quercus robera Fastigiata. Their shadows, and the stock, will move with the sun, or;

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CREATE a ‘loose canopy' using several trees scattered throughout the paddock. Space them far enough apart to let sunshine hit the grass, but close enough to provide an 'umbrella' of shelter.