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This is it: The new secret weapon against forest fires in California is sitting comfortably in a meadow.
Researchers at the University of California at Davis are studying how sheep can help prevent bushfires.
Haven Kiers, University of California at Davis: "In overgrown areas there are fire-growing plants like tall grass, fallen branches, shrubs. They can eat all of that. And they can eat the weeds that come up first after a fire. Invasive species that we don't want. They pluck these out before they can spread, leaving more space for native grasses and native Californian plants. "
Flashback: In the summer of 2020, numerous forests burn in California, at times there are several hundred sources of fire at the same time. Because of climate change, the fire season in the most populous US state starts earlier and ends later each year. Temperatures are rising, there is not enough rain, and forests in California and elsewhere are drying up. Strong winds continue to fan the fires. The California fire brigade is already busy this year, as it was here in Ventura in January.
The animal firefighters are now supposed to help by eating away the undergrowth, the main food of the flames. A positive side effect: the sheep's faeces and urine act as natural fertilizers for greater biodiversity and a high nutrient content. In addition, they loosen the ground with their hooves when grazing. Researcher Kiers and her team are therefore not only aiming at fire protection. Sheep should contribute to the carbon footprint by at least partially replacing conventional lawnmowers - even outside of the fire-endangered forest areas.
Haven Kiers, University of California Davis: "This is a pilot project. We are testing the effectiveness of the sheep in maintaining the campus lawns. Half of the area is worked by the sheep for three days, the other half by university staff using conventional lawnmowers. "
If you want to switch from the machine to the animal when mowing the lawn, you have to convert: instead of gasoline or electricity, rely on water and mobile fences.
The sheep's great appetite cannot prevent large fires - but slow the speed and keep the fires low.
Bite for bite.