Safe Pasture Trees

The most welcome benefit that trees provide to your horses is shelter. Trees block cold winds in winter and block the blazing sun in summer.

Tree roots stabilize the soil, control erosion and reduce the amount of nitrates (from manure and urine) that enter groundwater.

But it's not all leafy green goodness. Some trees are toxic to horses. Do not plant any tree that may be toxic, and keep shade cover to a small percentage of your pasture.

Consider some of these safe pasture trees for your specific conditions.

For wet, flood prone soil, consider eastern white cedar, black spruce, tamarack (eastern larch), willows, ash and silver maple. Speckled alder is a larger native shrub that will grow well on wet soggy soil and can provide some shade for horses.

Moist, poorly-drained soil remains fairly moist all year because the water table is close to the surface. Native species such as silver maple, Manitoba maple, black maple, green ash, black ash, willows, poplar, Sunburst Honey Locust (not black locust), white cedar, black spruce, and tamarack (eastern larch) are good choices here.

Moist well-drained soil is right for native species such as sugar maple, silver maple, white and green ash, elm, trembling and large-tooth aspen, sycamore, beech, honey-locust (not black locust), balsam fir, white and red spruce, white cedar, eastern hemlock, and hawthorn. Introduced species include northern catalpa, Osage-Orange and Norway spruce.

Dry soil is well-drained, such as deep sand or gravelly soils that never flood. They are especially suited to elm, sweet chestnut and staghorn sumac. Introduced species include northern catalpa, Osage-Orange, Norway Spruce and Colorado Blue Spruce.

Fencing is suggested, especially for young trees. For mature trees, fencing protects the bark from horses that like to scratch. It's recommended, but not absolutely required.

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