Sheep will selectively browse patches of tagasaste when run at low stocking densities. This causes poor usage of the whole stand and can result in over-browsing and death of tagasaste in some areas. Where cattle will leave about 10 per cent of the leaf material on their first pass, sheep will completely defoliate it. This may be one of the reasons why tagasaste persists under continuous browsing by cattle and not sheep. Bark stripping The reason for bark stripping is not fully understood but it is thought that it may be due to boredom or possibly a change in plant physiology after flowering.
Sheep appear most likely to strip bark in plantations that have flowered the previous spring.
Cattle have also been reported to bark strip plants that have flowered but this is uncommon. The bark is of low feed value and contains low levels of minerals. To minimise the impact of bark stripping and maximise the amount of leaf material grown within reach of sheep the tagasaste plantation needs to be carefully browsed or mechanically cut when it is 25 cm tall or 11 months old. This promotes a multi-stemmed, bushy shrub. Specialist cutting machinery is required for mature tagasaste.