09/08/2026
The goats are coming to the end of their time in the woodland.
They have been living in the woods while we waited to move onto the farm permanently and get the electric fencing in our silvopasture sorted.
In the meantime, they have done a very thorough job of browsing their way through most of the leaves, brambles and other forage they can reach!
Despite us topping them up with hay, a few have now started turning their attention to the bark of some of the trees. Where trees have been ring-barked, we’re coppicing them below the damaged area. Rather than simply losing those trees, coppicing allows many species to regrow strongly from the base and helps create a more varied woodland structure over time.
The cut branches also give the goats one last woodland feast before they move out onto pasture in the next few days.
It’s a good example of the kind of management we’re aiming for on the farm: observing what’s happening, adapting as we go, working with natural regeneration and making sure as little as possible goes to waste.
