By Madison Smalstig
The Press Democrat
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The Santa Rosa Fire Department has brought in some unusual help this summer: more than 1,000 goats — and possibly some sheep. The animals, hired through two contractors, began work June 8 and are expected to munch through about 130 acres of dry grass and weeds across eight city sites.
The contractors — Goats R Us of Orinda and CAPRA Environmental Services of Roseville — will manage the herds as they move through the properties.
The “grazing team” will target areas that typically meet city fire maintenance standards but are difficult to clear using equipment because of rocky terrain or steep slopes.
In Upper Brush Creek Park , for example, city crews would normally cut a 30-foot fuel break around the perimeter but leave the hilly interior untouched, Santa Rosa Division Chief Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal said.
“The goats or sheep are well adept at getting into those locations and aren’t necessarily slowed down by the terrain or rocks or gravel,” Assistant Fire Marshal Jared McDaniel said. “They can eat around that stuff quite easily, whereas weed whacking in those areas is really challenging.”
The goat crews — sometimes working simultaneously at different sites — have no set deadline. They’ll keep chowing down until the job’s done, McDaniel said.
The city is funding the grazing program using $250,000 from the settlement it received from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. over wildfire damages. The funds were set aside for vegetation management. Fire officials had considered using goats in past years but decided to formally move forward this summer following recommendations from the City Council and an especially rainy winter that spurred excessive plant growth.
Rainfall at Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport is running more than 7.6 inches above normal for the water year, which began in October, according to the National Weather Service.
“The timing of it is hopefully going to work out pretty well for us,” Lowenthal said. “We were expecting the potential of a pretty significant crop of growth this year, both seasonal grasses and then just vegetation, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing.”
Grazing is one of several strategies the department uses to reduce fire risk, along with prescribed burning and vegetation removal around structures. McDaniel said each method has advantages depending on the location, terrain and fuel type.
The benefits of grazing go beyond clearing dry brush, according to the Sonoma Resource Conservation District . Goats can help create patchiness in vegetation, which slows fire spread, while also controlling invasive species and fertilizing the land without affecting air quality.
“It’s a whole natural cycle that occurs when you graze land versus mechanically cutting it,” McDaniel said. “That’s also part of our aim, is to introduce a more natural method of addressing tall grass and weeds.”
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