Silvopastoral systems with grazing pigs are mainly concentrated in Mediterranean regions, for instance in Iberian dehesas and montados. Conversely, in European deciduous forests, outdoor pig farming has almost disappeared, despite it could provide several environmental and socioeconomic benefits. For instance, pig grazing could be used for habitat restoration and conservation, while providing high quality meat products and promoting local breeds. In this study, we investigated (i) the plant species selection and (ii) the impact on tree resprouts (after a silvicultural cut) by semi-free ranging pigs in a degraded oak temperate forest in Northwestern Italy. We monitored pigs foraging behavior by direct observations and discriminated the plant species into three groups: preferred, indifferently consumed and avoided plants. The impact on the resprouts of six tree species was assessed by modeling the percentage of damaged shoots and their height through time using Generalized Linear and Additive Mixed Models. Swine expressed a selective foraging behavior, which was likely influenced by the forage quality and toxicity of plant species. The leaves and resprouts of Corylus avellana and Castanea sativa were highly consumed, whereas Acer and Quercus species and Fraxinus ornus were avoided. Mature leaves of Robinia pseudoacacia were highly preferred while its young resprouts were only slightly impacted, suggesting that pig grazing may not be effective to control this alien invasive species. Contrarily, pigs consumed Rubus sp. abundantly, suggesting they could be used to clear the understory in degraded forests.

放牧猪的林牧系统主要集中在地中海地区，例如伊比利亚dehesas和montados. 相反，在欧洲的落叶林中，户外养猪几乎已经消失，尽管它可以提供一些环境和社会经济效益。例如，生猪放牧可用于栖息地恢复和保护，同时提供优质肉类产品和推广当地品种。在这项研究中，我们调查了 (i) 植物物种的选择和 (ii) 意大利西北部退化的橡树温带森林中的半自由放养猪对树木重生（在造林砍伐后）的影响。我们通过直接观察来监测猪的觅食行为，并将植物种类分为三组：偏好的、冷漠消费的和避免的植物。通过使用广义线性和加性混合模型对受损枝条的百分比及其随时间变化的高度进行建模，评估了对六种树种重生的影响。猪表现出选择性觅食行为，这可能受到草料质量和植物物种毒性的影响。的叶子和新芽欧洲榛子和栗子被大量食用，而宏碁和栎属物种以及白蜡树则被避免食用。刺槐的成熟叶片受到高度青睐，而其幼芽仅受到轻微影响，这表明放牧猪可能无法有效控制这种外来入侵物种。相反，猪食用悬钩子。丰富，表明它们可用于清除退化森林中的林下层。