Understory Forage Quality for Grazing Animals in Chilean Patagonian Forests

Native forests provide forage for grazing animals. We investigated whether native and exotic vegetation promotes the potential animal load (PAL, ind ha&minus:1 yr&minus:1) for cattle (Bos taurus, ~700 kg) and sheep (Ovis aries, ~60 kg) in contrasting native forest types and canopy cover (closed, semi-open, open). This study was conducted in Chilean Patagonia (&minus:44&deg: to &minus:49&deg: SL). Vegetation cover (%) and growth habit data (trees, shrubs, forbs, graminoids, ferns, lianas, lichens, and bryophytes) were collected from 374 plots (&gt:5 ha) in different environments: coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi, CO), lenga (N. pumilio, LE), mixed Nothofagus forests (MI), &ntilde:irre (N. antarctica, &Ntilde:I), evergreen forest (SV), and open land (OL). We combine this data with literature and laboratory analyses (e.g., crude protein, %) to develop PAL values for seasons. Data sampling was evaluated using descriptive analyses and uni- and multi-variate analyses (ANOVA, MCA, GLM). Results showed that closed forests had more native species (~56.6%) compared to open forests (~33.3%), while OL had higher cover of exotic species (~68.6%). LE presented the highest native species cover (~58.0%) and &Ntilde:I presented the highest exotic species cover (~53.0%). Closed forests had fewer exotic species than semi-open and open forests, which supported higher cover of native plants (p &lt: 0.01). Forbs were the dominant growth habit in closed forests, while graminoids were dominant in OL (~45.8%). Multivariate analyses showed that LE and CO were associated with lower PAL values, explaining 91.2% variance. GLMs showed that the PAL increased in &Ntilde:I and the spring season, with forbs and graminoids having positive effects and shrubs and trees having negative effects (r2 = 0.57&ndash:0.67). Our analyses also showed that exotic species dominated environment types with a high PAL, particularly during spring and summer, when cover increased. This indicates a trade-off between forage production in forests with exotic plants.