Show woodlots Wood lots Over pastured are damaged by animals about one third of all the forest land in the united states is is estimated to be in farm woodlots wood lots these are often over pastured especially in dry years the same thing happens on public lands that are leased to sheep and cattle ranchers millions of dollars are spent annually by federal state and municipal governments and private land owners on reforestation much of this expenditure may go for naught when the timber lands are leased for pasture Over pasturing 9 kills the trees asserts a writer in the chicago tribune A heavily pastured woods has practically no young growth and what little there is usually is broken and scrubby and exists only in small ragged patches cattle horses and sheep eat young seedlings particularly the hardwoods trample them down doati or brush against them and break them off hogs eat the seed and prevent reproduction or root young seedlings out of the ground sometimes eating the roots the older trees are damaged when the roots are trampled and the ground packed down so that it fails to soak up water as it should horses often peel the bark from the trees the effect of such abuse is evident in the dead tops and skimpy foliage on the old trees in a woods that has been over pastured foresters say that horses should never be allowed to run in the woods |