Herds Of Grazing Goats, Sheep Clear Brush Across Bay Area This Fire Season
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) - Fire season is upon us and Cal Fire estimates nearly 44,000 acres have already burned this year.
When it comes to brush removal, forget the loud weed whackers, and instead, try using a combination of 400 goats and sheep. It only takes only about a day for them to completely flatten an entire acre which makes then pretty good brush managers.
Star Creek Land Stewards project manager, Bianca Soares manages a herd currently clearing brush in the Bay Area.
"Overall, they eat similar things but, goats are browsers so they eat at nose-level and up and sheep are grazers so they prefer nose-level and down."
When it comes to clearing difficult areas of dense vegetation, otherwise known as fire fuel, a combination herd goats and sheep can make areas safer in a matter of days.
The animals have only one job: to eat anything in sight all the way to the ground.
An electric fence keeps them from running away.
"We hook them up to car batteries and that provides a little bit of electric current. It's mainly to keep predators out," says Soares.
The herd fertilizes the land too.
During this fire season, there are dozens of herds scattered all across the Bay Area, eating their way to fire safety.
