“They’ll eat anything, they’re not picky,” said Brian Sprinkle, Southern California Edison’s Vegetation Management and Forestry manager, offering the simplest rationale for SCE’s goat grazing pilot program, which started last fall in Fresno County near SCE’s Big Creek Hydroelectric plant and Shaver Lake’s Balsam Forebay.

But releasing more than 300 goats to munch through about 15 acres of vegetation near transmission lines in the mountainous community in the northern portion of SCE’s service area is far from a simple process.

“This area was chosen because of the high fire risk, the fuel loads under the lines, the environmental impact and the safety risk of bringing in other equipment,” said Chase Cianfichi, of Chasin Goat Grazing, SCE’s goat-herding business partner.

Even the breed of goats — Spanish and Boer — and what they leave behind require careful consideration.

“Goats are known to have a light footprint and this particular breed doesn't weigh a lot and can be moved easily so there aren’t a lot of soil compaction-related issues,” Sprinkle said. “The excrement left behind adds nutrients back into the soil while they continue eating vegetation.”

Goats consume about 2-4 pounds a day depending on the vegetation’s density. Goats may also take 1-2 days to graze through an acre of land. Bite by bite, they reduce both the amount of fuel on the ground and the possibility of a wildfire.

“This alternative method to mitigating vegetation reduces ground disturbance from manual hand-cutting methods, including the use of heavy machinery, especially in environmentally sensitive areas,” said Sarah Hendrix, an SCE Vegetation Management field inspector contractor. “These animals will ultimately reduce the dry brush located near electrical equipment that may pose a wildfire risk.”

Livestock herders and their dogs manage the goats to make sure they stay in the designated area and keep them safe from other animals that may try to attack or eat them.

“Goats are masters at traveling across rough terrain. Human beings are not really designed to traverse rugged mountainous areas like goats are, so they help reduce the safety-related risks and exposure to people performing this type of work,” Sprinkle said.

The pilot is already proving to be successful so don’t be surprised if you see more goats doing the same type of work in other parts of SCE’s service area such as in Bishop, Mammoth, near the Grapevine or wherever there are SCE-owned parcels of land. They may eventually be used in some cities.

“We want to try to eliminate any of the tall, growing vegetation that could encroach on our power lines, including the high fuel-loading plant species like manzanita and whitethorn. Using goats will add organic matter back to the soil to help promote beneficial plant species in the area,” Sprinkle said.

The goat grazing pilot is part of SCE’s overall vegetation management program and 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan. As part of the plan, SCE also reached a milestone of 3,500 miles of covered conductor installed in high fire risk areas.

For more information regarding SCE’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan, visit edison.com/wildfire-safety.

To report a tree that is too close to power lines, visit our customer vegetation management page.