Persistent Failure of Woodlands to Support Livestock Grazing

In the heart of the Midwest, Ohio's forests and streams are facing a significant challenge. A new fact sheet published in July 2007 highlights the major cause of this issue: livestock grazing.

The practice of grazing woodlands has far-reaching consequences for the state's hardwood timber industry and forest resources. Prolonged grazing results in log rotting and staining, reducing the value of existing timber. Furthermore, the degradation of forest resources threatens the industry's future.

Streamside forests, which provide multiple benefits such as filtering non-point source pollution, stabilizing stream banks, and lowering stream temperatures, are negatively impacted by livestock grazing. Grazing leads to soil erosion and the destruction of the streambank, compromising these essential functions.

Livestock cause increased woodland soil erosion by clearing vegetation, compacting the soil, and preventing absorption of rainwater. As a result, at the current rate of erosion, 1 inch of valuable topsoil is removed every 20 years from grazed Ohio woodlands. This erosion contributes to a greater amount of sediment added to the stream system, negatively impacting water quality.

Soil losses in steep, wooded slopes due to livestock grazing can be as high as 44 tons per acre annually. This excessive erosion leads to downstream flooding problems as compacted forest soils prevent the absorption of water.

The erosion also affects the growth of trees in a grazed forest. Trees grow more slowly, reducing their efficiency in filtering water. Moreover, hoof damage to tree butts and exposed roots from livestock grazing allows entry of damaging insects and diseases.

Grazing woodlands can also lead to changes in the species make-up of the woods to less desirable trees such as cedar, locust, buckeye, hawthorn, dogwood, and crabapple. These changes disrupt the balance of the ecosystem and may have long-term consequences for the health of Ohio's forests.

According to the National Resources Inventory, livestock grazing is the major cause of erosion in woodlands. However, a search for an organization in Ohio responsible for the preservation and protection of unmanaged forest landscapes did not yield any specific results.

The value of Ohio's forests lies in the production of quality wood products, not in pastures. It is crucial to address the issue of livestock grazing to protect and preserve the state's forests and streams for future generations.