Colorado uses cattle grazed to reduce the risk of wildfire

Boulder, Kolo. , As part of the increasing effort to reduce the risk of wildfires in Colorado, cattle are being deployed to eat dry grass which often fuel rapidly growing flames.

City officials have partnered with local rancher in Boulder County, which are to bring flocks to a low-risk neighborhood, including areas near Wonderland Lake Park, where 70 cattle have occupied 35 acres of land.

Paul Danison, who is with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, told Fox News that the cattle grazing began in early June, bringing down the height of the grass by three to four feet, if it is abandoned.

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The mountainous regions of the Colorado region, dry climate and frequent winds make it weak especially for wildfire. Denisson explained that using cattle to keep cattle lows can slow the possible fire and give more time to the firefighters to respond.

Denisson said, “As soon as cattle graze, they break the thitch, so we are looking at the decrease in the height of fuel in the grass, and we are looking for some decomposition and erosion of the thit that is located under the living grass.”

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Denisson stated that local rankers bring herds by the trailer and rotate them through five acres of sections in a two-week period.

John Crocket, Deputy Chief of American Forest Service, said that most people think that cattle are primary grazing, but the agency uses cattle, sheep, goats and “basically anything that uses grass and fine fuel as a food source.”

Colorado boulder uses cattle grazing to reduce the risk of wildfire in the county

The Public Information Officer of Boulder Fire Rescue, Jamie Barker, said that grazing cattle are great in both warm months and fall for their fire department.

This year’s heavy rainfall has produced even more vegetation, which is good for now, but it dries up as a future concern, Barker explained.

“I think many people are really excited, because their green greenery continues to grow further,” said Barker. “But at the end of the day, the green that is getting greenery and growing longer is also drying up; and it is risky to some capacity for wildfire.”

The US Department of Agriculture says that similar grazing programs are becoming more common in the West, states like Idaho and Nevada also help manage the risk of wildfire to use livestock.

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Boulder officials said that the plan is to take the herd to another risk area.