Can woodland grazing work?

Chicken Forest Pasture Project

Recently we shared a Mother Earth News article on sheep and that got us thinking about agriculture
in the Adirondacks and other heavily wooded areas or urban lots that may be heavily wooded.  If you are like me cutting down a tree takes some consideration on what will be the overall value to the homestead?  Do I need firewood, lumber for a project or is this for pasture, then we started thinking there is far more diversity in the forest than in an open field planted for grazing cows, goats or ducks.

In particular the homestead we have up north is all forest and only about an acre of growing space, we do not want to clear a forest to make areas that we can not plant on so why not use it for grazing, after a little research and a talk with friends at the Cornell Cooperative Extension we turned to the concept of agroforesty or more specifically silvopasturing.  Then I started thinking about the Eastern woodland bison (went extinct in NY due to hunting around 1799).  Next question what about predators?







There are far more hawks, owls, bears, foxes, fishers and the like found in the woods than in a field.  Anyone out the practice woodland grazing, even for your chickens or ducks?  What are your thoughts?

For more information
Experts suggest grazing cows, sheep, ducks in forests - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Chicken Forest Pasture Project 
Wood Bison