Targeted Grazing for Fuel Load Reduction

View the project final report

Commodities

• Animals: bovine, goats, sheep

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health, grazing - multispecies, rangeland/pasture management

Wildfires in California and throughout the West are growing increasingly severe. Fire season is lasting longer, wildfires are larger, and wildfire effects are negatively impacting ecosystems and communities. The lack of fuels management, especially in and adjacent to the wildland-urban interface (WUI) is exacerbating these impacts and threatening both natural resources and human communities. Municipalities, homeowner associations, utilities, and other landowners and managers are searching for cost-effective and ecologically sensitive tools for addressing annual and long-term fuel-loading. In the California North Bay counties of Sonoma and Marin, as well is in the Sierra Foothill counties of Placer and Nevada, grazing can be one of the most effective tools available.

Concurrently, rangeland livestock producers are increasingly interested in diversifying their operations to include targeted grazing services. Unlike conventional grazing management, targeted grazing refocuses the outputs of grazing from livestock production to vegetation management and landscape enhancement (Launchbaugh and Walker 2006). While there is increasing demand for these services, ranchers have concerns over animal well-being, especially in the context of forage nutrition.

This project assessed both landowner/manager motivations for and satisfaction with targeted grazing as a fuels management tool, as well as producer knowledge of forage species (including nutrition) and strategic use of grazing to address critical wildfire mitigation needs in coastal and foothill landscapes.  Our research resulted in a valuable document, Brush Field Guide booklet, which highlights the nutritional value of many rangeland species commonly grazed to reduce fuels.  The research analysis of each species provides nutrient, fiber and protein analysis from plants collected. Discussions with our producer group assisted with the design of the Brush Field Guide booklet.

Match.Graze as helped connect landowners/managers with grazing contractors, and to help conventional producers decide if a targeted grazing enterprise will enhance the economic viability of their operations. During this granting period, several meetings were held to inform landowners about Match.Graze and the use of grazing as a tool to management vegetation for fuel reduction. Several matches have been made from using this online platform, resulting in more grazers grazing and more land being grazed.

Grazing offers a unique opportunity to reduce fire fuels, mitigate climate change and support local agriculture. Animal agriculture systems have focused heavily on production for weight gain and marketing of meat and milk. Relatively little is known about managing livestock on brush while maintaining animal welfare standards. This project will continue to support grazers in managing public and private lands by providing technical support and research about animal husbandry and nutrition.  Meetings held provided trainings focused on animal health, welfare, technology, and business management. We found that many grazers were experienced in livestock management, few have previous experience managing a business. Educational materials developed from this project will support new grazing business along with increasing the longevity of  current grazing operations.

1. We will increase landowner/manager knowledge of grazing and access to grazing services by improving and expanding Match.Graze (https://matchgraze.com), an online database created by University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Livestock Advisor Stephanie Larson (the principle investigator on this project).
2. We will develop field survey and analysis tools for targeted grazing practitioners to assess the forage value (palatability and nutrition) and appropriate season and age class to optimize both fuels reduction and livestock production goals via targeted grazing.
3. We will collaborate with fire planning professionals to provide a better understanding to landowners/managers and targeted grazing practitioners as to where grazing can be most effective strategically across north coast and foothill landscapes.
4. We will provide business planning and economic analysis tools to targeted grazing practitioners and conventional livestock producers to help enhance the economic viability of their operations.