Erik Schwalm, owner of Goodness Grows Farms feeds his goats at his farm in Jefferson Twp.

PITTSBURGH — A Jefferson Township man put his goats to work Tuesday.

Erik Schwalm, who owns Goodness Grows Farms on Heller Road, took 30 of his Boer goats to Pittsburgh's Polish Hill neighborhood to help clear a hill overgrown with invasive vegetation.

He said parts of the hill were so steep they could not be walked.

“There's a place that needs cleared out ... and you just can't get any machinery in there,” Schwalm said.

His goats were part of a demonstration by Tree Pittsburgh, a nonprofit that protects trees in the city.

Danielle Crumrine, executive director of Tree Pittsburgh, said that the nonprofit is clearing the site near West Penn Park to plant trees there this year. The project is funded by a $12,500 grant from the Alcoa Foundation.

Because of the steep terrain, using conventional clearing equipment was not possible, so the group sought another option.

“We wanted to try out grazing animals,” Crumrine said.

She said that using grazing animals is not new, but it is new to Pittsburgh. Because of that, Tree Pittsburgh brought in 25 people from different nonprofit groups and others who were interested in starting a business where grazing animals clear brush to create more interest in the concept.

Schwalm had hauled trees for Tree Pittsburgh projects, which is why the nonprofit called him.

Schwalm, who had never done land clearing like this before, was paid $50 per goat.

He bought Goodness Grows Farms in 2002, and started raising goats in 2006. The farm has about 35.

He also is an owner of Serenity Hill Farms in Cheswick. In addition to other animals, that farm has about 100 goats.

Schwalm pointed out there is a good market for goat meat, saying the Pittsburgh area has an ethnic heritage with people who are more comfortable with the idea of eating goat meat than most Americans. He also said goat meat is cheaper than beef.

He said that goats, unlike some other grazing animals, like to eat trees, brush and thick vines.

“They'd rather eat that instead of grass,” Schwalm said.

The goats can eat up to 25 percent of their body weight in a day.

Schwalm and his goats were at the Polish Hill site from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, but more clearing needs to be done. He said it likely would take two to three days to fully clear the tenth of an acre site.

He said there are no plans for him to go back and finish the job as of yet, but he said several people who watched his goats expressed an interest in possibly employing his animals.

Crumrine said the rest of the hill as well as other areas eventually will need to be cleared.

“(Schwalm will) be our first go-to, for sure,” Crumrine said.