BOULDER, Colo. – In a bid to minimize wildfire risks in Colorado, cattle are being used to consume dry grass that commonly fuels rapidly spreading fires.
Officials in Boulder County have joined forces with local ranchers to introduce herds into neighborhoods prone to fires. This includes areas like Wonderland Lake Park, where 70 cattle grazed over 35 acres.
According to Paul Dennison from Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, cattle grazing started in early June, reducing the grass height significantly from what would otherwise be three to four feet if left unchecked.
Boulder Fire Rescue’s public information officer, Jamie Barker, said grazing cattle are great for their fire department in both the warmer months and the fall.
This year’s heavy rainfall has created even more vegetation, which is good for now, but a future concern as it dries out, Barker explained.
In Boulder, the cows spend two weeks grazing 35 acres. (Kennedy Hayes/Fox News)
“I think a lot of people are really excited, because their green is getting greener and growing taller,” said Barker. “But at the end of the day, that green that’s getting greener and growing taller is also going to dry out; and that’s going to pose a risk to some capacity for wildfires.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says similar grazing programs are becoming more common across the West, with states like Idaho and Nevada also using livestock to help manage wildfire risk.
Boulder officials said the plan is to move the herd to another at-risk area later this fall.
