Goats as a Source of Weed and Brush Control in Forest Plantations

1998 Annual Report for FW98-072

Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 1998: $5,000.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2000
Region: Western
State: California
Principal Investigator:

Goats as a Source of Weed and Brush Control in Forest Plantations

Summary

Many pine plantations established after the Grieg Fire in 1978 on the Big Valley Ranger District of the Modoc National Forest have a thick understory of brush species, primarily green-leaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos patula) and snowbrush (Symphoricarpus rotundifolia). These species inhibit tree growth by their intake of moisture and nutrients and also contribute to a ladder of fuels that could allow wildfire to get into the crowns of planted trees. This project will use goats as a vegetative management tool to manipulate the brush to promote plantation growth and reduce the fuels ladder. The project hopes to prove that the use of goats can be an economical, environmentally friendly, and effective means of weed and brush control.