Not far from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, hundreds of sheep mow the lawn.

They belong to sheepherder Zach Richardson. He calls his flock the Nashville Chew Crew. Using sheep for grazing is not new. But more cities want sheep to handle bushy areas. 

Nashville’s parks department hired the Chew Crew in 2017 to help take care of Fort Negley. The Civil War Union site has weeds that grow between stones. Lawnmowers could easily chip them. Sheep seemed like a better option. They now graze about 150 acres of city property each year. 

Living among the sheep are the Chew Crew’s guardian dogs. Anatolian shepherds stay with them 24/7 to keep away pesky intruders. A border collie named Duggie also protects the grazers. 

Duggie can move the flock or load them onto a trailer with a few whistles and commands from Mr. Richardson. 

Santa Barbara, California, uses grazing sheep. Even some universities have tried out herds of goats and sheep. The University of Georgia had a problem in 2010 with a plant that was taking over a part of the campus. 

Rather than using chemicals or mowers, UGA hired a herd of goats. Zach Richardson was a UGA student at the time. Seeing the goats on the campus inspired him to create his own goat business. He found that sheep are easier to handle. 

“I'll never own another goat,” he says. “It's like trying to fence in water.” 

Taking care of sheep isn’t always easy. The sheep need to be moved often because they tire of the same plants. Moving them also helps reduce attacks by predators. 

But the grazing process is good for the land. Sheep eat seeds and leave them behind in manure. Sheep carry seeds in their fur. The seeds drop into soil. Wherever the Chew Crew munches, the ground grows new plant life. Those plants attract more creatures.

“There’s rabbits, butterflies, groundhogs, turtles, nesting birds,” Mr. Richardson says. “Even though we’ve removed some of the vegetation, there’s still a habitat that can support wildlife.”