No “kidding,” these goats clear a 300-foot community fuel break on the Cleveland National Forest

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

No “kidding,” these goats clear a 300-foot community fuel break on the Cleveland National Forest

Goats Grazing for Fuels Reduction on the Cleveland National Forest - Recently, 1,400 goats reported for duty with the U.S. Forest Service. Their mission: Lend their appetites to the removal of fuels buildup on the Cleveland National Forest.

Goats on the Cleveland National Forest nibble on vegetation to defend communities against wildfire by reducing regrowth. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

Posted by Brenda Kendrix, Pacific Northwest Region, U.S. Forest Service, on June 19, 2013 at 4:05 PM
The goats were a part of a 100-acre forest-thinning project that begin in late April to clear a 300-foot community fuel break area between the San Vicente/Barona Mesa communities and the forest.

“This community fuel break was designed to help defend the communities from wildfires originating on forest land and those that originate on private lands and spread onto the forest,” said Palomar District Ranger Joan Friedlander. “To clear a fuel break normally means lots of human power and machinery, including chainsaws, hand tools and safely burning piles of brush.”

The forest considers the goat grazing project an experiment in determining the best avenue to maintain the fuel break and prevent fire hazard in San Diego County said Friedlander.

The goats were specifically tasked to reduce and slow the regrowth of vegetation, particularly chamise, a type of evergreen shrub found in California and Northern Mexico. The shrub tends to sprout up quickly after being cut, so the test is to see if the goats might be a more economical way to combat that rapid regrowth.

Several elements were used to keep the goats on task. Six border collies served as herding dogs and two Anatolian guard dogs were used to protect the goats from coyotes, mountain lions and people.

The initial project was completed in May. Goat-powered fuels reduction cost between $400-$500 per acre, nearly one-third of the cost of more labor-intensive methods of brush clearing. Project organizers also pointed out the tremendous amount of community support and interest the forest experienced due to this project.

In moving forward with this project, the forest established a plan to monitor both pre– and post-treatment plots so that the effectiveness could be evaluated over time and compared to traditional methods also used in this area.

“We will continue to evaluate other methods that will best meet our objectives of protecting and sustaining the forest and community,” Friedlander said. “But the goats could prove to be a useful resource to have in our toolkit, particularly in areas where more conventional methods may not work as well.”

No “kidding,” these goats contributed to forest health merely by being hungry.

See more at: http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/06/19/goats-grazing-for-fuels-reduction-on-the-cleveland-national-forest/#sthash.YpS7ts3x.dpuf

---------------------------------------------

CFN - California Fire News 2013

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Wednesday, June 19, 2013