Key Takeaways<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In British Columbia, Canada, an innovative wildfire mitigation program uses cows to forage in forests to reduce the intensity of fire.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cCattle are already on these landscapes, and we\u2019re just using their grazing pressure in a different way,\u201d said Amanda Miller, an ecologist at Palouse Rangeland Consulting, who was contracted to conduct the fieldwork for the program. \u201cThey\u2019re bulk grazers\u2014better suited than goats or sheep to eat grass-dominated fine fuels that burn\u2014and they don\u2019t need protection from predators in the same way, because a coyote can\u2019t take down a 1,200-pound cow.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
The program started out as a pilot project, with geographic information system (GIS) technology used to stratify landscapes and analyze the best test plots and monitor grazing effectiveness. It\u2019s been deemed a success and will continue, because it\u2019s good for the forest and the cows.<\/p>\r\n
Wildfires have always been part of the natural landscape of British Columbia. Occasional summer burns have long kept the scenic vistas of towering forests and stretches of grasslands in balance, removing dead ground cover and protecting trees from more intense fires that threaten the delicate ecosystem. In recent times, climate change and human management have altered this balance, causing larger and more frequent wildfires with significant consequences.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cThe intensity of wildfires in the province has been increasing over the past 10 years,\u201d said Shawna LaRade, the range officer with the Government of British Columbia who oversees the program. \u201cWe know the fires are not going away, and climate change is going to continue to influence the potential for catastrophic fires.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Targeted grazing has been shown by the researchers to manage fire threat with minimal impact on the ecosystem. The grazing program is sponsored by the British Columbia Cattlemen\u2019s Association, after seeing how grazing changed fire behavior and acted to create \"agricultural firebreaks\" during the province\u2019s devastating 2017 and 2018 fires. Participating ranchers are focusing the grazing effort on plants adjacent to communities in\u00a0rural\/urban interface areas where summer-dried grasses accumulate and the potential for wildfire to threaten homes and communities is high. Grazing reduces fine fuels and promotes the growth of new, green grasses, which maintain moisture and burn more slowly. The newer growth is also shorter, and therefore less likely to spread flames to taller brush and trees.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[542692,542672,542702]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
Community response to the project has been supportive, with cooperation from forestry staff, First Nations partners, and city officials. \u201cThe City of Kelowna is a very engaged partner on one of our projects, and then also just the community members themselves,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe local fire departments are super supportive of anything that can reduce the potential of structural fires.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
The project, launched in 2019 with funding provided through the Canadian Agricultural Partners, the BC Ministry of Forests, and BC Wildfire Service, was inspired by the disastrous 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons, which together burned over 1,000 square miles of grasslands and forests. The goal was to discover whether targeted grazing could be used to mitigate the risk posed by wildfires to residents and local communities.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cUnfortunately, the grasses within the East Kootenay can quickly overgrow an area,\u201d said Mike Morrow, wildfire prevention officer for the SouthEast Fire Center. \u201cWhile long and lush, the grass acts as a barrier, however, once that grass dries out it can contribute to fire intensity and cause a significant increase in rates of wildfire spread.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In many of British Columbia\u2019s grasslands, wildfires are part of the natural cycle. The project seeks not to eliminate wildfires but to contain them and prevent the kind of catastrophic blazes that ignited over 3,000 square miles of land in British Columbia during the 2021 season.<\/p>\r\n
Particularly dangerous are crown fires, which burn hotter and faster between treetops, making them impossible to control and fight.\u00a0\"We feel the threat to Cranbrook is significantly reduced,\u201d Morrow said. \u201cBy utilizing cattle within specific areas adjacent to the private lands, if a fire were to start south of town and burn north, the fuel reduction treatment should lessen the intensity and help slow it down. Intensive grazing, coupled with landowners own FireSmart activities, should help prevent fire damage.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
Targeted grazing partially mimics the way British Columbia\u2019s grasslands have historically been kept under control, and herds of elk continue to roam and graze many of the project areas in the East Kootenays. Cattle are the most effective and efficient choice today, being both plentiful and easy to manage. Additionally, grazing highlights the contribution that the agricultural industry can make to its communities with local cattle. \u201cWe\u2019re using existing resources; it\u2019s still part of the local food chain,\u201d Miller said. \u201cI think it\u2019s positive all around, because it illustrates that we can support a locally sourced foodstuff while enhancing community protection values.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[542662,542652]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
The allocation of forage to livestock is carefully managed to maintain healthy ecosystems, habitats, and a forage base for wildlife. \u201cWe have a significant wildlife population at the landscape level that we\u2019re managing, so a safe and allocated use for cattle grazing is an important part of resource management and sustainable, healthy ecosystems,\u201d LaRade said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The researchers used field mapping tools and handheld devices to perform the initial and ongoing data collection on plant community cover, grass height, and changes in biomass as the grazing progressed. \u201cWe used GIS as basically a starting point for everything,\u201d Miller said. \u201cMapping is a heavy component of this, and quantifying the data visually through mapping products is a huge part of communicating our grazing strategy and outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
GIS was an essential element, providing maps for the ranchers to plan their next grazing locations. \u201cWe use ArcGIS with the most recent orthoimagery that we have,\u201d LaRade said. \u201cThen we allocate forage production based on the vegetation types we observe within the treatment area.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
During the last few seasons, targeted grazing on each test site reduced fine fuels by approximately 30 percent. \u201cThe forest fuels clean up by cattle provides an extra level of protection,\u201d Morrow said. \u201cWe look forward to working with local ranchers and agencies on similar win-win projects.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
The team has created heat maps to visualize the evolving fuel loads and track biomass reduction to demonstrate the program\u2019s effectiveness. \u201cIt\u2019s a really positive way of representing our work spatially, and it gets the message across,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":542732,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
Researchers involved in the project have partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture to document fuel reduction. \u201cWe use maps to monitor progress on the plots,\u201d LaRade said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got forest exclusion cages set up (to separate the ungrazed areas), and we\u2019re looking at forage production in the cages versus outside the cages.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
The researchers are also monitoring grasslands and forest control environments to gauge outcomes of the program. \u201cWe have a lot of data to evaluate impacts to the ecosystem,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the wildland-urban interface where the pilot project took place, mechanical harvesting was the first treatment to reduce the dense forests adjacent to the community. Grazing was the next treatment to reduce the grasses that arrived in the open spaces. In future years, prescribed fires will be conducted every 7 to 10 years to reduce the fuel load from any branches that have blown down. Fire will also rejuvenate the soil so grasses thrive and will eliminate younger trees so the area remains open and fire resilient.<\/p>\r\n
Program managers and scientists continue to fine-tune strategies to find the right amount of grazing for the best outcomes on the land. If grazing is too intense, it can lead to the introduction of invasive species, such as the cheatgrass that\u2019s taking over in other grasslands, including in Nevada<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n Ranchers, too, are working to find a better system of moving the cows, because they currently have to erect and move temporary fencing, which is time-consuming and labor intensive. Virtual fencing, with collars on cows that can control their range and movement, is being tested in pilot projects elsewhere<\/a>. This technological leap holds great promise to manage cows through the use of maps and remove some of the burden and costs. It ties into a trend of GIS for operational intelligence, with real-time maps being used to improve the efficiency and safety of complex projects because everyone can see what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\r\n \u201cSome of the tools that you can use for a greater understanding of what\u2019s happening are pretty amazing,\u201d LaRade said. \u201cAnd people are accessing that information and creating this awareness that never existed before.\u201d<\/p>\r\n The positive results have led to a lot of public interest and media coverage.<\/p>\r\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult for the ranching community to show how they improve the land,\u201d LaRade said. \u201cOnce we started to see success, people were coming out of the woodwork to be involved, to partner, and to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\r\n \r\n