Sheep and goats grazed across hillsides in San Luis Obispo this summer as part of the city’s efforts to reduce wildfire risk.
For at least the past decade, the city has used livestock grazing to manage dry grasses and thick brush, according to Bob Hill, the city's natural resources and sustainability official.
“We want to remove built-up grasses and thatch that can be a hazard during a wildfire event,” Hill said.
The grazing program is funded through the city budget, but in June, San Luis Obispo was awarded a $770,000 state grant to help expand its wildfire resilience efforts.
The funding will help support projects such as the city’s latest grazing operation, which ran from July 20 through Aug. 12 and covered 16 acres across Terrace Hill and Bowden Ranch.
“With additional funding, we’ll be able to make this a bigger area,” Hill said.
Hill said the expanded program will include grazing at the Irish Hills Natural Reserve next summer.
The grant will also help the city pay local businesses to carry out grazing operations, like Bunchgrass Grazing, which participated in this summer’s project.
The company used about 220 sheep and goats to help create a 100-foot buffer between homes and wildlands, according to owner and operator Nicholas Moss.
Moss said reducing the height and density of vegetation can dramatically slow the spread of a wildfire.
“We're trying to reduce the fire fuels in the peak of fire season, or even before fire season, so that if a fire does come through, it either slows or stops the spread,” Moss said.
City officials say residents could see sheep and goats returning to the hills next summer, once vegetation has had time to grow back.
