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Managing Western pine forests for multiple-use is increasingly important for sustainable and efficient provisioning of ecosystem goods and services. A better understanding of the relationships among livestock grazing practices, timber and forage production, plant community composition, wildlife, and aesthetics is critical to reduce uncertainty and optimize management. To investigate relationships between past resource use and present forage production, pine seedling recruitment and plant community composition, we surveyed grazed meadows and forests in 18 pastures in the Black Hills, SD across gradients of duration and intensity of livestock use. Plant species richness was positively correlated with a 30 year normal 1981 to 2010 precipitation estimate (0.61, n = 129, P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with intensity of use (-0.37, n = 129, P < 0.001). Herbaceous production was positively correlated with estimated productivity (0.45, n = 108, P < 0.001), litter cover (0.55, n = 108, P = 0.001), and visual obstruction readings (0.28, n = 54, P = 0.037) which were negatively correlated with intensity of use (-0.49, n = 54, P < 0.001). During a favorable growing season estimated long-term intensity of use was more closely related to plant species richness and plant stature than days of occupancy. This work suggests that intensity of use can be used to identify stocking rates which balance livestock production and aspects of ecological integrity.