Cattle could be part of fire mitigation solution in the Okanagan

[Castanet News]

In a province plagued by wildfires each summer, the quest for tree management is ongoing and one man says cattle shouldn’t be ruled out. The point was raised...

[EI_firefighter]

This is great news. This should be done in all communities to grow our local agricultural sector and reduce fire. The cattle will also leave behind nutrition for the soil. If organic matter is increased in the soil, the grass will stay greener longer each year. Green grass does not burn like dry grass. For every 1% increase in organic matter in soil the ground can hold an additional 20 000 gallons of water per acre.

[fmajor]

no expert but pretty sure cows don't eat bushes and trees

[moeyou]

Let the cows, goats and sheep loose om the land to mitigate undergrowth.

[Wednezday]

Unfortunately cattle do far too much damage to the terrain and water sources. Terrible idea

[Mike_T]

if I am to understand the 'climate change' and global warming' expert conversation, cattle are a major contributor to GGs and thus a cause of the fire problem

now, they are going to solve the fire problem?

the madness of this is too much

[Happytobehere]

Cattle disrupt the soil, destroying native plants and allowing invasive weeds to take hold. Native flowers and plants are already under threat.

[molly7]

Have to laugh at Castanet comparing the historical photo with present day and somehow equating that the open space is attributed to cattle grazing. Historically the Okanagan was a more open landscape (PPxh1), due to natural cyclical fires that reduced the number of seedlings per hectare. The local First Nations culturally also set fire to the landscape to regenerate berry crops and better hunting conditions. When the first settlers came, this open grassland was ideal for cattle grazing, but with that came habitat destruction and fire suppression. This resulted in the number of stems per hectare increasing unchecked and forest fuel accumulating on the ground. Forest fires no longer burn quick with minimal damage but now have become catastrophic infernos, destroying soil, flora and fauna. To somehow think that putting cattle back in the forest ecosystem will solve forest fires is delusional. Other commentators have already mentioned that cattle are not compatible to any ecosystem.

[Mark5]

I use to work in forestry and free range cattle were plentiful in the Kamloops forest district. I once ran into a cowboy trying to round them up in the Savona area.. He was riding through thick brush and remarked that cowboy life was, too hard and he wished he could work in forestry instead. Looking back now l wish I could have traded with him since I aways wanted to be a cowboy after growing up watching westerns. Cattle guards are a common sight in the back country. There must be data on the impact that cattle have on wildfire mitigation. Sheep are also used to keep vegetation down. I must admit though I did see cattle feces in some small wet areas around black mountain here in Kelowna a few decades ago. That did bother me.

[TheBanHammer]

Good lord where do people come up with these ridiculous notions? Cattle disrupt the soil destroying native plants! Perhaps you should spend more time looking into regenerative farming and how it is bringing back life to desolate landscapes around the planet. These people seem to forget that before westerners settled in these areas grazing animals like buffalo, caribou, ect where grazing these lands in the countless millions! Grazing animals have a symbiotic relationship with nature and are vital in it's health. In many cases grazing animals like goats will feed on invasive species as well keeping them in check far better than poisons. It is people like this parroting such nonsense that have led us down the road of environmental destruction. What is worse for the water, some natural bacteria from grazing animals or the plethora of carcinogen laden chemicals used to control these things. Sorry I seem to have missed that part of history where all the natives were dying because of the millions of buffalo that were polluting the water! Sounds like we have a population of vegans on the board spewing this nonsense because that is what it is nonsense! No mention of how our water is being polluted by the run off of pesticides and herbicides from the surrounding orchards and monocrop farms.
As little as a hundred years ago when animal farming worked along with agriculture taking turns rotating animal grazing with growing crops the water and land was much healthier. We had a fraction of the soil erosion that we have today as well. We have lost 75% or more of the planets top soil all due to agriculture. Grazing animals used to put nutrients back into the soil and when we got rid of most of them we had to switch to chemicals to grow crops. Grazing trims down the perennial plants but leaves them intact and binds the soil together slowing erosion drastically. The chemicals we use today have also wiped out 75% of the planets earthworms which are absolutely essential in rebuilding the soil. Even the old timer farmers know that we only have a couple of decades left before the soil is gone and once that happens so are we. California alone loses over 2 billion bee's every year due to agrichemicals! If we don't revert back to farming practices of old that rebuilt the soil and promoted regrowth, we will perish due to our own foolishness. Don't take my word for it do your own research. You will find that what I say is absolutely true. Just make sure to get your information from people who have been doing this for decades and not from bogus studies paid for by the giant food companies and massive agriculture bodies because they are in it for profit only!

[DanHubbard]

Good lord where do people come up with these ridiculous notions? Cattle disrupt the soil destroying native plants! Perhaps you should spend more time looking into regenerative farming and how it is bringing back life to desolate landscapes around the planet. These people seem to forget that before westerners settled in these areas grazing animals like buffalo, caribou, ect where grazing these lands in the countless millions! Grazing animals have a symbiotic relationship with nature and are vital in it's health. In many cases grazing animals like goats will feed on invasive species as well keeping them in check far better than poisons. It is people like this parroting such nonsense that have led us down the road of environmental destruction. What is worse for the water, some natural bacteria from grazing animals or the plethora of carcinogen laden chemicals used to control these things. Sorry I seem to have missed that part of history where all the natives were dying because of the millions of buffalo that were polluting the water! Sounds like we have a population of vegans on the board spewing this nonsense because that is what it is nonsense! No mention of how our water is being polluted by the run off of pesticides and herbicides from the surrounding orchards and monocrop farms.
As little as a hundred years ago when animal farming worked along with agriculture taking turns rotating animal grazing with growing crops the water and land was much healthier. We had a fraction of the soil erosion that we have today as well. We have lost 75% or more of the planets top soil all due to agriculture. Grazing animals used to put nutrients back into the soil and when we got rid of most of them we had to switch to chemicals to grow crops. Grazing trims down the perennial plants but leaves them intact and binds the soil together slowing erosion drastically. The chemicals we use today have also wiped out 75% of the planets earthworms which are absolutely essential in rebuilding the soil. Even the old timer farmers know that we only have a couple of decades left before the soil is gone and once that happens so are we. California alone loses over 2 billion bee's every year due to agrichemicals! If we don't revert back to farming practices of old that rebuilt the soil and promoted regrowth, we will perish due to our own foolishness. Don't take my word for it do your own research. You will find that what I say is absolutely true. Just make sure to get your information from people who have been doing this for decades and not from bogus studies paid for by the giant food companies and massive agriculture bodies because they are in it for profit only!

Nailed it

[DanHubbard]

*removed*