AS WE approach fire season in Queensland, local firies are reminding owners of large landholdings to take part in hazard reduction burns.
While spray units and advice are readily available from Rural Fire Brigade depots, there is one method of combating fire that is a little unconventional and unlikely to be found among hoses in the shed.
Goats are routinely used in areas considered high risk due to an abundance of combustible fuel.
The NSW government has even employed a herd of 40 goats purely for this purpose.
The animals are used to ‘cell-graze’ between different patches of undergrowth through high risk areas and are mostly useful where conventional fuel reduction methods, such as burning or mechanical clearing, are challenging.
It is estimated the goats are able to eat around a quarter of a hectare of dense vegetation within a two week period and medium density vegetation within one week.
The goats were deployed by the NSW government in response to a recommendation from the Independent Inquiry into the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020.
The novel solution provided an important advantage in that it could be implemented rain, hail or shine.
Australia is not the only country to use goats for this purpose.
Hazard reducing goats have also been used in Chile and California.