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Livestock production has migrated to the Midwest region of Brazil; however, these regions are environmentally unsuitable for livestock specializing in milk production, due to high temperatures. This environment can be improved using inserting trees into the pastures. The objective was to evaluate the effects of adding grazing trees on the behavior of dairy heifers in the Midwest region of Brazil. Piatã grass was managed in: open pasture system, OPS (shade level 0%), the worst treatment for animal production since the solar radiation and temperature are deleterious to animal welfare; moderate shade system (shade level 20%), the supposed adequate system where the animals find shady areas, but there is light available for photosynthesis; and intensive shade system (shade level 70%), the worst treatment for vegetal production since the light is limited for grass growth. Shade was provided by Eucalyptus trees. Heifer behavior was evaluated from 08:30 to 16:00 over three periods. In the OPS, the heifers searched for cow drinkers and remained there for a long time, refreshing themselves by floating in water and muddy places. Heifers demonstrated a behavior of attempting to return to grazing activity under the OPS during the hottest time of the day, but without success. Ruminating activity was not affected by any factor. The shade level affected the distribution of time spent on an activity and the time of day at which each activity happened. The moderate shade level is enough to ensure stability in the daily behavior of dairy heifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]