Using Goats to Prevent Wildfires?
Yes, apparently it is possible to use goats to prevent forest fires. A town in California that survived the 2018 fire devastation is pulling out all the stops to protect itself from a future fire disaster – a team of goats.
Sounds a bit odd, but hey, I’m all for it; anything to help reduce emergency situations is okay in my book!
How Goats Can Help Reduce Fire Frequency
The city – Nevada City, CA – plans to deploy hundreds of goats for vegetation management. Specifically, the animals will be grazing through a 450-acre section of forest, in order to reduce the amount of ruffage that can catch fire. After they finish off an area, humans complete the job by removing the larger stuff like bushes and limbs.
It takes about 200 goats to mow through 1 acre a day, and the cost per acre is about $1,000. I’m not sure what the cost would be to remove the vegetation with machinery, but according to the article, it is cheaper. And, as an added bonus, the city is not footing the entire bill – it created a crowdfunding drive to help raise the required $30,000 (total donations are $17,000 as of the time of this writing).
The animals are grazing now, as winter is said to be the most effective time to execute the grazing. Although the goats do most of the work, a herdsman is still needed to prevent the animals from wandering off or going off course.
The overall strategy is to remove as much of the vegetation surrounding the town as possible, kind of like a moat around a castle. I love this idea because it is creative, effective, and environmentally friendly. Hopefully this effort will be a success and other municipalities will follow suit. Time will tell, but in the meantime, GO GOATS!
