Native Plants

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Wednesday - October 15, 2008

From: Coulee City, WA
Region: Northwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Native trees for horse pasture in eastern Washington
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hi. I live in Washington State (eastern)What type of trees can I grow in a pasture for horses? Best Regards,

ANSWER:

You can find a list of native plants of Grant County, Washington from the Washington Native Plant Society. There are also other lists that you can consult for different special areas in the county that you may recognize as being closer to your particular location. From the list for the entire county I selected the following native trees:

Betula occidentalis (water birch)

Celtis laevigata var. reticulata (netleaf hackberry)

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (redosier dogwood)

Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain juniper)

Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)

Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (black cottonwood) and photos

Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir)

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)

Salix bebbiana (Bebb willow)

Salix exigua (narrowleaf willow)

Salix scouleriana (Scouler's willow)

None of the species above appear on any of Mr. Smarty Plants favorite toxic plant databases:

Universtiy of Pennsylvania's Poisonous Plants Database, Poisonous Plants of North Carolina, Cornell University's Plants Poisonous to Livestock and other Animals, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System and Texas Toxic Plant Database.

However, the following native trees from the Grant County list do appear on the Cornell University's Plants Poisonous to Livestock and other Animals and should not be included in your pasture for horses:

Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine)

Prunus virginiana (chokecherry)

Prunus emarginata (bitter cherry)

Additionally, here are several databases that list plants, native and otherwise, that should not be included in areas with horses:

10 Most Poisonous Plants for Horses from EquiSearch.com

Poisonous Plants from Trailblazer Magazine

Toxic Plants: Horses from the ASPCA