For over a century, transhumant sheep production in the western United States has mainly occurred on public lands managed by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service. While large flocks of sheep continue to be herded across these rangelands, following available forage up into the mountains each summer, their numbers have declined dramatically since World War II. This decrease in the American range sheep industry has been driven by many factors, including closures of higher elevation federal lands to sheep grazing in response to environmental concerns and the reduced profitability of wool. Although fine wool breeds are predominantly used in these transhumant sheep systems, in recent decades, shearing costs, fragmentation of the wool supply chain, and low wool prices have contributed to their wool being viewed as a low-value byproduct of lamb (meat) production. In parallel with the decline in sheep numbers and profitability, environmental challenges on public lands have been mounting, with the spread of invasive plant species and wildfire cited as top concerns. Consequently, public land managers in the western U.S. are increasingly interested in the potential of using sheep grazing as a tool to reduce invasive plants and wildfire risk.

To improve understanding of this emerging management practice and its potential to bolster wool production in western mountains, we surveyed all individuals with sheep grazing permits on National Forests and corresponding Forest Service staff across seven states. Our results highlight institutional- and individual-level factors that could act as levers to enable environmentally oriented grazing strategies that once again favor transhumant sheep production in the western U.S, even in a socio-historical context where little cultural value is placed on the role of sheep on public lands. We find that although adoption of this practice has been patchy, its growing use could provide new income streams to those paid to graze their sheep to meet ecological objectives, improve public perception of the instrumental value of sheep, and ultimately create opportunities to market wool to consumers who are motivated to pay for fiber products from sheep that are helping to address societally-relevant environmental concerns.