Goats and oaks: applicability of targeted browsing to promote forage quality and conservation outcomes in woodland communities in the Central Hardwood Region of the United States

Abstract Open oak woodlands, once dominant across the Central Hardwoods Region of the United States, have been largely replaced by dense, closed-canopy forests following decades of fire suppression and land-use change. Silvopasture, the intentional integration of trees, forages, and livestock, may offer economic incentives for private landowners to restore these degraded woodlands while producing marketable livestock. Targeted goat browsing is a potential tool for shifting dense woodland systems toward open, silvopasture conditions. However, limited information exists on how browsing influences plant community composition or how it compares to prescribed fire for restoration and production objectives. We conducted a three-year field study in oak woodlands of the Missouri Ozarks to evaluate the effects of seasonal targeted goat browsing (spring, fall, or combined dormant+fall), prescribed fire, and their combination on forage composition, woodland indicator species, and floristic quality metrics. Spring browsing was the most effective treatment for promoting high-quality forage, shifting communities toward warm-season grass dominance while maintaining legume cover and reducing forb abundance. Importantly, spring browsing achieved these benefits without degrading floristic quality or reducing woodland indicator species. Prescribed fire increased species richness and woodland indicators but promoted forb-dominated communities rather than grass–legume forages. The dormant bud+fall browse treatment produced the least desirable outcomes for silvopasture, suppressing both herbaceous and woody vegetation. These results demonstrate that appropriately targeted browsing can support both ecological integrity and forage production, challenging assumptions that livestock grazing and woodland conservation are incompatible.