Charming isn't the first word I would use to describe a goat...

But still, great idea.

That's a terrible idea. Goats are not native. They will not eat the flammable, dead brush. They will happily denude hillsides, however, leading to mudslides when the rain comes around again. I'm totally against this.

They have been used for years at the forest service without problem.Be quiet.

Goats have been used quite successfully in the Berkely/Oakland hills and Bidwell Park in Chico CA. They will eat native vegetation if provided with enough water and if they are on the land at the right time of year.

The idea is that we HERD the goats so that they eat just the right amount of vegetation and move on. Be assured the goats are not interested in eating the vegetation right down to the dirt.

The alternatives are fire, and/or returning bison and elk to the area. All of these alternatives are hard on traffic.

Screw traffic and bring the bison back, I say.

Has anyone else seen the buffalo on the tennis court in Maryland? Its heard had escaped from a farm and was running loose.

I had a goat once, and she wouldn't touch any vegetation growing lower than about a foot above the ground. They eat brush, not grass. Our goat handbook said it was because they're especially prone to worms, whose eggs (or something like that) cling to the moist base of grass blades.

I don't think goats would denude the hills.

Goats can be very very hard on land because of their strong tendency to overgraze - almost guaranteed. They must be managed very carefully, confined to an area to graze, and rotated promptly not to return too soon.
I have seen many times in Texas, adjacent lots separated by fence where one side with goats is basically a field of rocks and cactus while the other side is about 1 ft. higher with few rocks and much more diverse vegetation. This is due to "sheet erosion" on relatively level ground.
It's a neat idea (goats) and sounds cheap. Proper management and rotational grazing may not be so cheap and likely wont be done properly for that reason.
My suggestion is to read up on Permaculture, follow Australian examples for dealing with seasonal fire risks, build homes resistant to fire (ex. fire resistant soffits and roofs) with fire breaks toward the prevailing winds, and don't expect goats to be a magic bullet.

stupid idea... in Australia goats are classified as an invasive species, and there are variuos eradication programs.
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/review/index.html#impacts
Sure, they'll keep growth under control, but they eat anything... destroying native habitat and commercial agriculture.

I think limited numbers of goats, maybe interspersed with some sheep, and kept under tight control and supervision will help to control wildfires. However, as one said, they are not a magic bullet. They, alone, can not be relied on to control and manage unwanted undergrowth and can have detrimental effects on ecosystems if not carefully controlled. Other measures need to be incorporated into an integrated, complementary plan. However, I think that in many areas propely thought out use and implementation of goats (and sheep - maybe even horses) is very useful.

Hi,
I terms of Australian permaculture, the use of goats would definately be accepted from my study of the subject, as long as they were managed well. Some areas are more suited to goats than other animals, many farmers will tell you the only non chemical way of dealing with blackberry and other similar bushy species is with goats. They are used extensively within australia to maintain scrub, prevent fires and have the bonus of milk, meat and fertiliser as well. I don't think these people are arguing that you chuck some goats up there and forget about them, they are talking about managed herds. I think it's worth a try.

They can't do that!
Think of the poor goats. If any Goats got hurt, then they would know about it!

First, goats actually will eat grass, my father had goats and they kept his property neat and trim after he'd had a stroke and couldn't mow any longer. As an aside, they were great companions for him, and when he'd lose his balance (result of the stroke) they'd surround him so he could lean on them and rebalance himself without falling.

Second, they're talking about a goat management program, not goats left untended (untended would be devastating). Meaning that herders bring their flocks in to keep vegetation down not eliminate it entirely. I've seen this program in action in the Berkeley Hills and they're doing a great job of managing it in a way that maintains native vegetation very well. The herder puts up temporary fencing and then moves the herd to the next zone, avoiding any sensitive planting areas, the herders are advised by local groups on native vegetation to be sensitive about (some even put up a block, from the goats, around key native plants). So far this has been doing a great job, of managing fire prone sites, without any increase in mudslides as a result.

I think it's a great idea for LA to do this, I was there a few years ago during one of the particularly devastating wildfires, and I'll never forget walking outside and feeling the heat of the fires and having ash fall around us like that horrific scene from Schindler's List. I can't imagine living there myself... I say, try the goats, they work!

First off, goats do not fight fires. Trained, skilled firefighters do that! Goats natural browsing behaviors can reduce brush, enhance the overall health of the land so the effects of a fire may be less catastrophic.

Goats do not devestate any land when managed properly. It is no easy task to manage a herd effectively to properly reduce vegetation and maintain the overall health of the project and the goats.

What is more natural then having herbivores eat vegetation? A good herdsperson will monitor the goats every day, and any that become ill or injured are removed to be cared for individually. The goats are not Poor Goats, in fact, they are the most content doing what comes naturally to them, traveling and eating. They are taking a product not normally consumed by people, and converting it into a product consumed by some-meat, milk or fiber.

I have been doing this work for over 7 years, and when done properly, provides a great benefit to the land, the land owners and the goats.

First off, goats do not fight fires. Trained, skilled firefighters do that! Goats natural browsing behaviors can reduce brush, enhance the overall health of the land so the effects of a fire may be less catastrophic.

Goats do not devestate any land when managed properly. It is no easy task to manage a herd effectively to properly reduce vegetation and maintain the overall health of the project and the goats.

What is more natural then having herbivores eat vegetation? A good herdsperson will monitor the goats every day, and any that become ill or injured are removed to be cared for individually. The goats are not Poor Goats, in fact, they are the most content doing what comes naturally to them, traveling and eating. They are taking a product not normally consumed by people, and converting it into a product consumed by some-meat, milk or fiber.

I have been doing this work for over 7 years, and when done properly, provides a great benefit to the land, the land owners and the goats.

The other alternatives to using goat is to spray the area with some leftover Agent Orange or bring in a big pack of bull dozers. Goats may be a "greener" way of vegetation management.

In the Seattle Area goats are use to eliminate invasive plant species (i.e. Himalayan Blackberry, English Ivy). Goats when managed properly are a great addition to land management.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/286630_goats27.html

It might be best to examine the science that reveals the negative consequence of goats before calling for their use in Griffith Park. Chaparral is the native plant community that not only provides valuable watershed, but also a place for residents to enjoy nature. The use of goats will seriously compromise these values by eliminating native wildflowers, encourage the spread of highly flammable invasive weeds, and destroying the fragile soil crust that prevents erosion. Proper vegetation management around structures can be done more effectively by human handcrews. Goats typically create more problems than they solve.

Goats may provide some reduction in fire hazard but this can only be justified when it provides defensible space for fire-fighters, eg in a narrow 100' band around homes. Turning goats loose on the environment can not be justified as an effective fuel modification strategy. Even at the wildland-urban interface goats have the potential for increasing fire risk by promoting the spread of highly combustible grass fuels, unless of course they are grazed so intensively that they leave nothing but stubble, which is never recommended due to the increased potential for erosion. Until we have further research on the cost/benefits of goats it would be prudent to use them on a very limited basis if at all and then only on landscapes not valued for their natural ecosystems.

For more information on fire safety and the negative impact of goats you might want to go to our website at: http://www.californiachaparral.org/dthehumanhabitat.html