Managing Invasive Plants with Goat Grazing
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaron and Jenny Brault’s land in Manitowoc served as a lush spot for grilling and bonfires. But when the Braults decided to build something more permanent, they discovered the land was packed with invasive buckthorn, making it difficult to walk around. A four-by-four patch of buckthorn might take two to four hours to clear, Jenny says. She became somewhat overwhelmed with the scale of the problem. 

 

A cute and effective solution presented itself: the goats of Christine Bohn’s Kettle Moraine Grazing LLC. It takes years of nibbling and chewing, but the goats’ snacking can drive down the levels of buckthorn until the buckthorn is dead or severely weakened, Bohn says. The goats grazed on multiple parts of the property over two years, defoliating and hopefully killing all the buckthorn in those areas. 

 

Another advantage goats have over hand clearing and chemical treatment of buckthorn, is they prevent new seeds from entering the ground. When cutting or spraying buckthorn, any berries grown that year, and therefore the seeds, are still entering the soil. This means more new buckthorn plants next year. “So the only way to truly destroy the berries are through fire or in the digestive system of a goat,” Jenny Brault says. 

 

By clearing buckthorn, Bohn’s goats laid the groundwork for a healthier forest in the future. Buckthorn forms a dense thicket that steals sunlight and space from the seeds of canopy trees, Bohn says. Over time, this could cause much less diverse species to take over our woodlands, and keep woodlands from regenerating on their own. 

 

The goats cut down on manual labor, naturally fertilize the area, and increase public awareness of invasive species, Bohn says. They also create a natural alternative to the use of chemical herbicides.

 

“So land managers and landowners are doing a lot to try to control these invasives,” Bohn says. “It’s time-consuming, and it costs a lot of money. And a lot of land managers turn to chemical herbicides to help with these treatments.”

 

The Braults paid for a year of grazing out of pocket, but Glacierland RC&D helped them cover the costs of the second year of grazing by applying for funding from the USDA Forest Service’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant program. 

 

“We really wanted to help Aaron and Jenny in their goals here to manage their property using this kind of new control method, and also support businesses like Christine’s, who are adapting and putting in the time and offering alternative methods of managing invasive shrubs,” said Jake Divine, Invasive Species Coordinator for Glacierland RC&D. 

 

Watch the video to learn more about how goats can overcome the enduring threat buckthorn poses to our woodlands.