Analyzing Goat Browsing as a Form of Wildfire Mitigation and Its Environmental Impact

Overview

The practice of prematurely extinguishing wildfires obstructs the natural wildfire cycle, resulting in greater devastation and putting neighborhoods in the vicinity at risk. As the need for feasible forms of wildfire mitigation increases, unconventional methods to mitigate wildfires arise. As part of our partnership with the South Metro Fire Rescue and the Castle Pines Homeowners Association in the “Ready, Set, Goat” project, we analyzed the efficacy of goat browsing as a form of wildfire mitigation in the Buffalo Ridge Neighborhood of Castle Pines, Colorado as well as assessed the environmental impacts of goat browsing. We hypothesized goat browsing would be an effective form of wildfire mitigation as it would limit vegetative growth by six feet, as well as have positive environmental impacts. Goat browsing was found to be an effective wildfire mitigation tool--short term--as vegetative density decreased between 49% to 66%. To assess environmental impacts, we measured soil health and vegetative biodiversity. Throughout the duration of the study, goat browsing did not impact the soil nutrient levels; however, the soil organic matter levels decreased between 1.25 mL to 1.5mL following goat treatment, yet they recovered within two months to closely match the level of the control. Additionally, species abundance and the dominant plant type remained relatively consistent for four months following goat browsing treatment. Overall, goat browsing was found to be an effective short-term wildfire mitigation method that did not result in measurable environmental impacts over six months. However, as this is a longitudinal study, further investigation will be required.