Effects of goats on understory vegetation and fire hazard reduction in a coastal forest in California
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Authors: C. N. Tsiouvaras, N. A. Havlik, and J. W. Bartolome
Date: 1989
Journal: Forest Science
Volume: 35
Number: 4
Pages: 1125-1131
Summary of Methods: The use of goat browsing to reduce fire hazard and maintain fire breaks in a California brushland was assessed in this study. Heavy to severe goat browsing of shrubs and light grazing of herbaceous understory plants reduced live fuels below 1.5 m. Goat browsing and trampling also reduced litter cover and standing dead biomass. The results of this study indicate that goat browsing can reduce the fire hazard and maintain fire breaks in this California brushland by reducing live and dead standing biomass. The authors suggest that goat browsing may be a more economical and safe method for reducing fire hazard than other management techniques.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: brushland management, forage biomass, forest fuels, fire management, fuel load reduction, browse height
Annotation: The stocking rate was set at about 600 goats/ha for the brushland (1 ha) and 280 goats/ha for the fuelbreak (1 ha)
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