Invasive Species Control Using Goats

Scapegoats: Eco-friendly Brush and Land Cleaning Service

We use goats as an eco-friendly tool to control invasive and nuisance plants on Trust property! The goats help us control poison ivy, bittersweet, sumac, Japanese knotweed, English ivy, garlic mustard, kudzu, ailanthus, Japanese honeysuckle, mile-a-minute, and many more.

Goat-grazing facts

  • Goats prefer broad-leaved plants, which means brush and invading field vegetation are able to be managed. Goats don’t prefer grass, so grasses are left to flourish.

  • Goats will graze all day and go through dense material at a rate of half acre per week per 7 goats (this can vary depending on density, location, and vegetation species). This beats tiresome manual methods or polluting gas powered tools. 

  • Goats will clear everything within reach, from 4-6 inches to 5-6 feet off the ground. However, they leave woody stalks that are ¼ inch or thicker. After grazing, the low ground cover they fertilized (with manure) and left behind (grass, ferns, mosses) will take over and will keep out bush growth and poison ivy.

  • Herbicides seep into water and soil, affecting other vegetation, animals, and humans. They also encourage mutations among vegetation, creating greater problems rather than solving them. Goats leave little behind! Goat manure is relatively odorless and provides nutrient-rich organic matter to improve soil fertility.

  • Goats have narrow, triangular mouths that allow them to crush what they eat, so invasive seeds they consume are not viable once passed.

Ryan Reed, 9/14/2022

The Process

We hire Scapegoats, a service that rents out their goats. One herd (7 goats) will graze through a half acre of dense brush per week. The goats do not pull out vegetation by their roots. After the goats clear the area, landscape fabric covers the ground to prevent regrowth. Scapegoats utilize a 4-foot high electric fence to surround the perimeter of the area. The fence keeps the goats in the area and keeps any wildlife out (coyotes and stray dogs).

Picture Gallery

Photographs by Ryan Reed, 9/14/2022