COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JULY 2019


27


Grazing targets fire prevention, suppression Project is an opportunity for stakeholders to partner on fine fuel management


by TOM WALKER WILLIAMS LAKE—A different kind of lightning


struck Williams Lake during the BC Cattlemen’s Association education day on May 25. Provincial wildlife habitat ecologist Walt Klenner had just finished his talk on targeted grazing when BCCA general manager Kevin Boon stepped up to the microphone and announced $500,000 from the province to support the use of grazing livestock to manage fine fuels in parts of BC. “This money will allow us to build partnerships


between municipalities, regional districts, [the] provincial government, First Nations and agriculture to identify areas that are opportunities for livestock to support wildfire risk reduction,” says Boon. Targeted grazing is not just turning out three


cattle liners instead of one, explains Klenner. Rather, it’s a shift from a reactive to proactive approach to address the impacts of climate change. “It’s about setting objectives and using animals as tools to get the job done,” he says. “Fixing the problem has been missing from how we look at climate change and fire. … Social concerns are high now and this an opportunity to achieve what broader society is looking for.” A primary objective is reducing accumulation of fine fuels at important interface areas, thereby cutting the risk of fire, explains Klenner. Secondary social objectives include broadening the industry beyond the private enterprise of raising food for consumption and improving social licence. It can also boost employment and the need for trained riders. It can also increase forage supply.


“Using livestock to manage grasslands and forest is not new,” says Klenner. “We have done this before.”


BC ranchers have deployed livestock to control


invasive weeds and manage vegetation in silviculture blocks. They’ve also supported habitat restoration work. The Bureau of Land Management in the US has


“This is a huge opportunity,” he says. “Where we


invest, we should also protect.” Targeted grazing is “not a slam dunk,” warns


Klenner. “It’s complex. Where are you going to get the


“Social concerns are high now and this is an opportunity to achieve what broader society is looking for ...” Walt Klenner,


Provincial wildlife habitat ecologist


adopted targeted grazing and it is practiced in Europe as well. The key area for fuel management is the rural- urban interface, says Klenner, but ranchers are likely to be reluctant to practice it. People are not used to cows being next to a subdivision and ranchers don’t want to build new fences and go to a townhall meeting to explain what they are doing. “The urban interface is that last place that you want to graze your cattle but it’s the first place where things need to happen,” he notes. Two years of huge losses to wildfires make it


important to protect investments in forest renewal, says Klenner, particularly in the Interior.


money for the fencing, the watering, the riders?” he asks. “There are many players – public, government, livestock owners, subdivision residents.” Targeted grazing is cheap compared to the costs of fighting fires, damage to properties and the environment and reconstruction. “It’s a huge hit,” says


Klenner. “From my perspective it is not acceptable to not work at this. When will


2017/18 happen again?” Boon says the


provincial money will be


spent over two years. Protecting communities is key and the BC Wildfire Service will help identify high- risk areas where there are cattle, goats or sheep available for targeted grazing. “We might need to remove some waste timber


and develop better grazing habitat, but then when the animals remove that fine fuel, we reduce the opportunity for fire to take hold,” says Boon. The initiative is an opportunity for stakeholders


to work together. “There is a real opportunity for First Nations


input, we can be enhancing wildlife habitat, and at the same time creating more forage opportunities while reducing fire risk,” he says.


HAVE YOU COMPLETED AN ENVIRONMENTAL FARM PLAN?


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To book an on-farm appointment, call toll free at 1-866-522-3447 or visit www.bcefp.ca for program information.


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