Review of Twenty Years of Ecosystem Services Research at Henfaes Silvopastoral National Network Experiment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/jap.395Keywords:
agroforestry, silvopasture, timber, pasture, livestock, carbon sequestration, soils, water, biodiversity.Abstract
Purpose: This study systematically reviewed and synthesised all the scientific literature that has so far been conducted on the ecosystem services of the UK's Silvopastoral National Network Experiment, the Henfaes Silvopastoral Systems Experimental Farm of Bangor University, Wales, and other studies in temperate Europe from 1988 to 2012 to establish what has been done to date, the benefits and contributions to our knowledge base, and potential knowledge gaps and priorities for future research.
Methodology: All available papers and grey literatures, since the inception of the UK's Silvopastoral National Network Experiment in 1988, were extracted and reviewed primarily by accessing various electronic databases and existing library collections. The research papers were split into peer-reviewed (published) and non-peer-reviewed (unpublished) papers. The ecosystem services framework was used to relate the four major categories of ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting) to the scientific domain of the research studies. The scientific domains addressed include timber or wood-fuel potential, pasture/livestock management, carbon sequestration, soil improvement, water management, and biodiversity enhancement.
Findings: Results show that 66 research studies were conducted over the 20-year study period on ecosystem services of which 45% were produced based on studies at Henfaes Silvopastoral Systems Experimental Farm, 32% at UK's Silvopastoral National Network Experiment, 12% were from other silvopastoral systems trials in the UK, and 11% were from European-wide silvopastoral systems studies. The trendline indicated that the number of annual studies on ecosystem services were greatest in the mid and late 1990s than in any other time over the 20-year study period. The studied ecosystem services dealt with provisioning services (40%), regulating services (13%), and supporting services (47%). The scientific domains addressed include timber or wood-fuel potential (20%), pasture/livestock management (20%), biodiversity (20%), carbon sequestration (13%), water management (15%), and soils (12%).
Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: It is hoped that the results of this study will lead to better understanding of the economic and environmental implications of silvopastoral system, and hence generate more attention towards accelerating its adoption and institutionalization in national rural development policies.
Downloads
References
Agard, G. (2011). The Influence of Hedgerows and Stone walls on Soil Organic Carbon at Henfaes Silvopastoral System Experimental Site. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Agnew, R. D. M., and Sibbald, A. R. (1996). The avifauna of the Glensaugh Silvopastoral site 1995-96. Agroforestry Forum 7 (3): 20-21.
Ainsworth, J.A.W., Moe, S.R. and Skarpe, C. (2012). Pasture shade and farm management effects on cow productivity in the tropics. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 155: 105-110.
Benjamin, G. (2010). Estimation of biomass and carbon stocks in twelve provenances of Fraxinus excelsior L (Ash) at Henfaes Research Centre. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Benton T.G, Vickery J.A, Wilson J.D. (2003). Farmland biodiversity: is habitat heterogeneity the key? Trends Ecol. Evol. 18:182-188.
Bergmeier, E., Petermann, J. and Schroder, E. (2010). Geobotanical survey of wood-pasture habitats in Europe: diversity, threats and conservation. Biodiversity Conservation, 19: 2995-3014.
Bezkorowajnyj, P.G, Gordon, A.M. and McBride, R.A. (1993). The effect of cattle foot traffic on soil compaction in a silvopastoral system. Agroforestry Systems, 21: 1-10.
Binkley, D., Sollins, P., & McGill, W. B. (1985). Natural abundance of nitrogen-15 as a tool for tracing alder-fixed nitrogen. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 49(2), 444-447.
Broadmeadow, M. and Matthews, R. (2003). Forests, Carbon and Climate Change: the UK Contribution. Forestry Commission, Information Note, June 2003, 12p.
Burgess, P.J. (1999). Effects of agroforestry on farm biodiversity in the UK. Scottish Forestry 53(1): 24-27.
Cote, B. and Camire, C. (1984). Growth, nitrogen accumulation, and symbiotic dinitrogen fixation in pure and mixed plantings of hybrid poplar and black alder. Plant and Soil, 78(1-2), 209-220.
Crowe, S. R., and McAdam, J. H. (1993). Factors affecting herbage biomass production in a mature tree silvopastoral system. Agroforestry Forum 4 (3): 14-18.
Cuthbertson A, and McAdam J (1996). The effect of tree density and species on carabid beetles in a range of pasture-tree agroforestry systems on a lowland site. Agroforest Forum, 7(3):17-20.
Dixon, R., Brown, S., Houghton, R. E. A., Solomon, A. M., Trexler, M. C., & Wisniewski, J. (1994). Carbon pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Science(Washington), 263(5144), 185-189.
Eastham, J., Rose, C.W., Cameron, D.M., Ranee, S.J., Tabma, T. and Charles-Edwards, D.A. (1990). Tree/pasture interaction at a range of tree densities in an agroforestry experiment. II. Water uptake in relation to rooting patterns. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 41: 697-707.
Follain, S., Walter, C., Legout, A., Lemercier, B. and Dutin, G. (2007). Induced effects of hedgerow networks on soil organic carbon storage within an agricultural landscape. Geoderma, 142, 80-95.
Gerety, T. (1998). The effect of tree spacing on tree growth and form in a silvopastoral system at Henfaes. Master's Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Granier, A., P. Biron, N. Brda, J.-Y. Pontailler and B. Saugier. (1996). Transpiration of trees and forest stands: short- and long-term monitoring using sap flow methods. Global Change Biol., 2:265--274.
Green, S.R., Grace, J. and Hutchings, N.J. (1995). Observations of turbulent air flow in three stands of widely spaced Sitka spruce. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 74: 205-225.
Hawke, M. F. (1991). Pasture production and animal performance under pine agroforestry in New Zealand. Forest Ecology and Management, 45(1-4), 109-118.
Hislop M, Claridge J (eds) (2000). Agroforestry in the United Kingdom, Forestry Commission Bulletin 122. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh P62.
Howe, R. (1997). Comparing growth differences in wide spaced and clumped five year old sycamore. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Islam, S. A. (2000). Effect of tree spacing on form and phenology of sycamore and red alder. MPhil Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Jarju, A. K. (2000). Effect of soil compaction by livestock on tree roots in a silvopastoral system. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Kasahun Kitila H, Douglas Godbold, Hussein Omed (2011). Assessment and Comparison of Soil carbon pool under Silvopastoral Agroforestry system in the North Wales, UK. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 2(3): 1-16.
Khanal, S. (2011). What is the most cost-effective method in sequestering carbon at Henfaes Agricultural Research Farm, MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Kondziela, S. (2011). Effects of tree density and species on topsoil moisture properties and the implications for flood management. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Kreibich, H. and Kern, J. (2000). Studies on the role of N fixation in the Varzea floodplain forest"”preliminary results using the 15N natural abundance method. In: Lieberei R, Bianchi HK, Boehm V, Reisdorff C (eds) German-Brazilian workshop on neotropical ecosystems"”achievements and prospects of cooperative research. Hamburg, Germany, pp 485-488.
Kuflu, Z. S. (2000). Water relations in agroforestry. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Landsberg, J.J. and Gower, S.T. (1997). Applications of physiological ecology to forest management. Academic Press (San Diego). 354p.
Lu, P., Biron, P., Breda, N., & Granier, A. (1995). Water relations of adult Norway spruce (Picea abies (L) Karst) under soil drought in the Vosges Mountains: water potential, stomatal conductance and transpiration. In Annales Des Sciences Forestieres (Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 117-129). EDP Sciences.
Martin, R. A. (1995). Seasonal and diurnal variations of nitrogenase activity in red alder and white clover in silvopastoral system. B.Sc. Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
McAdam, J., Short, I and Hoppe, G. (2007a). Opportunities for silvopastoral systems in Ireland. Proceedings of a conference on Small-scale forestry and rural development - The intersection of ecosystems, economics and society. Proceedings of IUFRO 3.08 Conference hosted by Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland, 18-23 June 2006, pp 276-281.
McAdam, J.H. and Hoppe, G.M. (1996). The effect of tree spacing on pasture composition in a silvopastoral system. Agroforestry Forum, 7(3): 22-26.
McAdam, J.H., Hoppe, G.M., Toal, L., Whiteside, E.L. and Whiteside, T. (1999b). The use of widespread trees to enhance biodiversity in managed grasslands. Grassland Science, 4: 293-296.
McAdam, J.H., Thomas, T.H. and Willis, R.W. (1999a). The economics of agroforestry systems in the UK and their future prospects. Scottish Forestry, 53(1): 37-41.
McArthur, A.J. (1991). Forestry and shelter for livestock. Forest Ecology and Management, 45: 93-107.
McEvoy, P., McAdam, J. H., Mosquera-Losada, M. R., Rigueiro-RodrÃguez, A., & McAdam, J. (2005). Woodland grazing in Northern Ireland: effects on botanical diversity and tree regeneration. In Silvopastoralism and Sustainable Land Management: Proceedings of an International Congress on Silvopastoralism and Sustainable Management Held in Lugo, Spain, in April 2004 (p. 163). CABI.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). Ecosystems and Human Wellbeing: biodiversity synthesis. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2005.
Mmolotsi, R. M. (2004). Potential uses of Red Alder in silvopastoral systems. PhD thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Mmolotsi, R. M. and Teklehaimanot, Z. (2006). The effect of initial tree planting density on timber and wood fuel properties of red alder and sycamore. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 36: 1475-1483.
Mmolotsi, R. M. and Teklehaimanot, Z. (2008). Organic matter contribution to soil fertility improvement and maintenance in red alder (Alnus rubra) silvopastoral systems. Journal of Forestry Research, 19: 49-52.
Montagnini, F. and Nair, P. K. R. (2004). Carbon sequestration: An underexploited environmental benefit of agroforestry systems. Agroforestry Systems, 61:281-295.
Morikawa, Y., Hattori, S. and Kiyono, Y. (1986). Transpiration of a 31-year old Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl. Stand before and after thinning. Tree Physiology, 2:105-114.
Nair PKR (2012). Climate change mitigation: a low-hanging fruit of agroforestry. In: Nair PKR, Garrity D (eds) Agroforestry: The future of global land use, vol XVIII. Springer, Dordrecht.
Ng'atigwa, C.I. (1997). Influence of trees on animal performance in a silvopastoral system. Master's Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Nghitoolwa, E.T.N. (2001). The effect of tree species on pasture in silvopastoral systems, MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Onyeka, N. O. (1998), Effect of competition from a grass sward on the root of red alder. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Pandey, D.N. (2002). Carbon sequestration in agroforestry systems. Climate Policy, 2: 367-377.
Patenaude, G. L., Briggs, B. D. J., Milne, R., Rowland, C. S., Dawson, T. P., & Pryor, S. N. (2003). The carbon pool in a British semi natural woodland. Forestry, 76, 109 - 119.
Penn, M, Parkinson, R. J, Scholefield, D. and Williams, A.G. (1994). Soil water and nutrient dynamics in a silvopastoral system. Agroforestry Forum 5(2): 44-46.
Rakkibu, M. G. (1998). Effect of tree density on sapflow in agroforestry system. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Ramdial, D. T. (2010). An estimation of total carbon stocks of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) planted at different densities in a silvopastoral experiment at Henfaes Agricultural Research Farm. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Roberts, G. R. (1995). A study of tree growth in a silvopastoral experiment at Henfaes farm. Master's Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Rodwell, G. (2009). How suitable is agroforestry as a land use for sequestering carbon? A biophysical and economical appraisal of the carbon sequestered in as lowland silvopastoral system in North Wales. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Rois-DÃaz M, Mosquera-Losada MR, Rigueiro-RodrÃguez A (2006). Biodiversity indicators on Silvopastoralism across Europe. EFI, Joensuu.
Sheldrick, R. and Auclair, D. (2000). Origins of agroforestry and recent history in the UK. In Agroforestry in the UK. (eds. M. Hislop and J. Claridge). Forestry Commission Bulletin 122, Edinburgh: Forestry Commission. pp 7-16.
Sibbald, A. (1996). Silvopastoral systems on temperate sown pastures, a personal perspective. In: Etienne, M. (ed), Western European silvopastoral systems, INRA, Paris, pp 23-36.
Sibbald, A. R., Griffiths, J.H. and Elston, D.A. (1991). The effects of the presence of widely spaced trees on under-storey herbage production in the UK. Forest Ecology and Management, 45: 71-77.
Sibbald, A. R., J. Dick and G. R. Iason, 1995. The effects of presence of widely spaced trees on the behaviour of sheep. The UK Agroforestry Forum 6(2): 42-44.
Sibbald, A.R. and Dalziel, A. (2000). Silvopastoral National Network Experiment - Annual Report 1999. The UK Agroforestry Forum, Newsletter No 1. Pp2-6.
Sibbald, A.R. and Sinclair, F.L., (1990). A review of agroforestry research in progress in the UK. In Agroforestry Abstracts CABI (Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 149-164).
Sibbald, A.R., Eason, W.R., McAdam, J.H. and Hislop, A.M., (2001). The establishment phase of a silvopastoral national network experiment in the UK. Agroforestry systems, 53(1), pp.39-53.
Teklehaimanot Z. and Martin R. (1998). Diurnal and seasonal patterns of nitrogenase activity of red alder in comparison with white clover in silvopastoral agroforestry systems. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 28: 267-270.
Teklehaimanot, Z. and Mmolotsi, R.M. (2007). Contribution of red alder to soil nitrogen input in a silvopastoral system. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 43: 843-848.
Teklehaimanot, Z. Jarvis, P.G. and Ledger, D.C. (1991a). Rainfall interception loss and boundary layer conductance in relation to tree spacing. Journal of Hydrology, 123: 261-278.
Teklehaimanot, Z., Jones, M. and Sinclair, F.L., (2002). Tree and livestock productivity in relation to tree planting configuration in a silvopastoral system in North Wales, UK. Agroforestry Systems, 56(1), pp.47-55.
Temba, E.M. (1999). Soil moisture under silvopastoral systems. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Thomas, T.H. and Willis, R.W. (2000). The economics of agroforestry in the UK. Forestry Commission Research Bulletin, 122: 107-122.
Tjepkema, J. D., Schwintzer, C. R., Burris, R. H., Johnson, G. V., & Silvester, W. B. (2000). Natural abundance of 15N in actinorhizal plants and nodules. Plant and Soil, 219(1-2), 285-289.
Toal, L., and McAdam, J. (1995). Avifauna in establishing silvopastoral systems in Northern Ireland. Agroforestry Forum 6 (2): 25-30.
Tripp, L. N., Bezdicek, D. F., & Heilman, P. E. (1979). Seasonal and diurnal patterns and rates of nitrogen fixation by young red alder. Forest Science, 25(2), 371-380.
UK NEA (2011). UK National Ecosystem Assessment: Synthesis of the Key Findings. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge.
Wang, S.W. (1999). Tree-soil-nutrient interactions in a silvopastoral Agroforestry system. Master's Thesis, School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University.
Whitehead, D. (1984). A review of processes in the water relations in forests. In: Landsberg, J. J. and Persons, W. (eds), Research for forest management. Division of Forest Research, CSIRO, Canberra, Australia.
Whiteside L, Bell AC and McAdam JH (1998). The effect of trees on the biodiversity of grassland. Agroforestry Forum 9(1), 28-34.
Winslade, I. (1996). The effect of spacing on tree growth and form, a project based at the Agroforestry experimental site, Henfaes. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Young, A. (1997). Agroforestry for soil management, 2nd edition, CAB International.
Zapater, M.T.B. (1998). Effect of tree species, planting density and pattern on the performance of pasture, animals and trees in a silvopastoral system. MSc Thesis, SENRGY, Bangor University, Wales.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Michael Jide Nworji
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
