Is there value in keeping trees around this pond?

I'd like to be clear that I am not talking about removing all of the trees, but I would like to remove some of the scrubby cedars from around the "front" part of it.  Every time it rains, we get mud washing into the pond, and I believe part of the problem (after observing for a couple of years and making significant progress on dam erosion control - there were cattle running on the land before we bought it and they beat the snot out of the dam) is that there are not insignificant areas where we are not getting any growth under the dense tree cover, so heavy rains sweeping down the hill (~30 degree slope) easily erode these sensitive areas.  Additionally, I believe this treed area is great cover for deer, which I do not want in this part of my property (the pond is situated between my orchard and garden, my dog loses her mind when she sees them, we'd like to add sheep soon and deer carry parasites that can affect sheep, and 700 yards away we have another smaller pond in the forested and more wild part of the property, and 500 yards across the street they often hang out at a stream, so I'm not concerned with them not having enough habitat areas).  

So am I missing something?  Is there a downside to cutting 1-2 trees every few months and letting grass and vegetation fill in?

You mention having an orchard nearby.  I would cut the cedar trees to protect my apple trees from cedar apple rust.  I'm removing all the cedar tress from my 80 acres for that reason.  I don't see a downside as long as you do it slowly and consider planting a good ground cover where you remove the trees, at least until something else fills in so you don't make the erosion problem worse.

Generally speaking, trees help prevent erosion, so it's not a move I, personally, would make. There's almost always a lot more going on, under the soil, than what we can see. The sheep might also like having the shade, and a place to relax. I think if it were mine, I'd look at adding some understory, beneficial plants, to go under them,  and I might cup out any new tree growth, to ensure there remains plenty of water access, for the critters. I really don't know much about sheep, specifically, but around here, the livestock (sheep, goats, cattle...) don't seem even remotely bothered, by the deer.

Carla Burke wrote:Generally speaking, trees help prevent erosion, so it's not a move I, personally, would make. There's almost always a lot more going on, under the soil, than what we can see. The sheep might also like having the shade, and a place to relax. I think if it were mine, I'd look at adding some understory, beneficial plants, to go under them,  and I might cup out any new tree growth, to ensure there remains plenty of water access, for the critters. I really don't know much about sheep, specifically, but around here, the livestock (sheep, goats, cattle...) don't seem even remotely bothered, by the deer.

Thanks.  The sheep will not have access to the pond except in extremely rare circumstances, as allowing them to defecate near their water source (and the water source of most of the other animals on the farm) seems generally to be a bad idea. I get that trees generally reduce erosion, but there are enough game trails through them that do not ever fill in, that the pond gets extremely muddy any time we get heavy rain.  I'm not particularly worried about the deer spreading parasites to the sheep, however it is a possibility and the parasite that they do spread (i wish i could remember the name) is generally fatal, and I can't come up with a  benefit to having them in the proximity of this primary pasture area.  

Trace Oswald wrote:You mention having an orchard nearby.  I would cut the cedar trees to protect my apple trees from cedar apple rust.  I'm removing all the cedar tress from my 80 acres for that reason.  I don't see a downside as long as you do it slowly and consider planting a good ground cover where you remove the trees, at least until something else fills in so you don't make the erosion problem worse.

Fair.  The apple varieties that I got are all highly resistant to cedar rust (knowing the amount of cedars we have around) but I'm not fond of the majority of the cedars, so we've had most of the smaller ones mowed down, but when these guys were getting established, the farm was not getting regular maintenance and they got larger than they should have.