A handful of ranchers in British Columbia害羞草研究所檚 Interior are getting readyto graze their cattle in concentrated areas near homes and community infrastructure, where they害羞草研究所檒l eat the grasses that dry over the summer and heighten the wildfire risk.

As part of a pilot program led by the B.C. Cattlemen害羞草研究所檚 Association, ranchers around Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland and Cranbrook will corral their cattle in targeted areas for two to three weeks, explained general manager Kevin Boon.

The cattle eat grasses that could serve as potential fuel for fires, which promotes new, green growth that doesn害羞草研究所檛 burn with the speed and intensity of grasses left to grow taller, drier and more likely to catch brush and trees on fire, he said.

害羞草研究所淪o, if we can keep that fine fuel down 害羞草研究所� it won害羞草研究所檛 burn with the heat, the intensity or the speed and we害羞草研究所檝e got a better chance of controlling it.害羞草研究所�

The B.C. government contributed $500,000 in 2019 to help launch the pilot project. Targeted grazing is not a solution to all fuel management challenges, the province said in a statement at the time, but 害羞草研究所渋t is a powerful tool when used in combination with other methods, such as prescribed burning and selective tree harvesting.害羞草研究所�

Amanda Miller, an ecologist who害羞草研究所檚 working as a researcher on the grazing project, said the idea stemmed from the severe 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons, which each saw more than 12,000 square kilometres of forests and land burn.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e found time and time again, as a fire comes through, that often it will meet a fence line to a pasture that had just been grazed and the fire will stop,害羞草研究所� Miller said.

害羞草研究所淪o, anecdotally, I think we害羞草研究所檝e always known this, but of course you do need actual data and science to back up any recommendations that you害羞草研究所檙e making.害羞草研究所�

Boon said he hopes the pilot project can serve as a model to scale up across B.C. in partnership with the province, ranchers and local communities.

In the last two seasons, each grazing site typically saw around a 30 per cent reduction in grassy biomass, amounting to a substantial reduction in fine fuels, said Miller.

害羞草研究所淭hat has impact on things like rate of spread and intensity. It just reduces those metrics and makes it easier to action a fire, if it害羞草研究所檚 moving slower and it害羞草研究所檚 not as hot.害羞草研究所�

The program has a monitoring protocol to assess the effects of targeted grazing on the grassy and forested environments, Miller noted.

害羞草研究所淲e do have a lot of data to back up the fact that what we害羞草研究所檙e doing is not negatively impacting the ecosystem,害羞草研究所� she said.

That was still the case in one area where cattle were able to eat 40 per cent of the grassy biomass last year, she added.

Cattle are also useful in grazing areas where forests have been thinned out to reduce the risk of a dangerous crown fire, where the entire length of a tree burns. Miller said it害羞草研究所檚 harder to fight and control a wildfire when the entire tree canopy is set ablaze.

Grasses flourish as more sunlight reaches the forest floor, but they dry out and become tinder, raising the risk of a potential wildfire spark, she said.

害羞草研究所淲e use cattle to address that fine fuel concern, so you害羞草研究所檝e hit your wildfire risk in two different ways. You害羞草研究所檝e removed some of the danger associated with those overstorey canopies, and then you have a complementary tool in targeted grazing.害羞草研究所�

After two years of below-average fire activity in B.C., the 2021 season saw more than 1,600 fires scorch close to 8,700 square kilometres of land.

Much of the Village of Lytton was destroyed by fire just one day after the temperature in the community southwest of Kamloops hit an all-time Canadian high of 49.6 C. Fires also razed properties between Kamloops and Vernon, and near West Kelowna.

Boon said the scorching late-June heat dome dried out the land, creating the right conditions for a destructive wildfire season.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e seen these things happen before,害羞草研究所� he said of the fires, extreme heat and floods in B.C. last year. 害羞草研究所淛ust not with the intensity and not one on top of the other.害羞草研究所�

This year害羞草研究所檚 provincial budget allocated $145 million for B.C.害羞草研究所檚 wildfire and emergency management services through 2025 with the goal of moving from a reactive to a proactive approach to wildfires, including increases in year-round staffing.

At a news conference last month, the director of provincial operations for the wildfire service said B.C. needs a large-scale program to reduce risk, starting in backyards, moving to communities and extending into forested lands.

害羞草研究所擝renna Owen, The Canadian Press