Recent wildfire seasons in California have been some of the worst on record. This “new reality” highlights the importance of understanding how land management practices such as cattle grazing affect wildfire behavior.
While climate change can lead to more severe fire behavior for California wildfires, findings suggest that land managers can help balance out these dangers in grasslands by using livestock grazing to reduce fuel loads.
Cal Fire’s California vegetation treatment program utilizes prescribed herbivory, which is the targeted grazing of cattle, sheep and goats to reduce wildland plant populations. Conventional grazing also plays an important role in fuel load reductions.
