Sheep grazing is occasionally used as a method for controlling competing vegetation in young conifer plantations in the province of British Columbia in Canada. It is a relatively new technique; therefore, limited data are available for determining its profitability. We analyzed the profitability of sheep grazing for competing vegetation control in young mixed-conifer plantations located in three different biogeoclimatic zones in British Columbia. The profitability was tested under two grazing treatments: a single sheep grazing treatment and two sheep grazing treatments applied over two years. Using forest economic data from the Fort St. James Forest District, we conducted marginal analyses over three rotation periods and two timber prices. A comparison of the Actual Relative Additional Cost to the Break-even Relative Additional Cost allowed the determination of the profitability of the application of grazing treatments to be made. Our results show that the Actual Relative Additional Cost values for one grazing treatment are lower than those for sites receiving two grazing treatments, except for one of the biogeoclimatic zones studied, indicating that profitability depends on site characteristics. The Break-even Relative Additional Cost analysis indicates that it would be necessary to shorten the rotation period to make sheep grazing more profitable.
