Hundreds of goats and sheep help the mountains above Arcadia with wildfire mitigation and management

Goats and sheep swarmed the foothills of the mountains above Arcadia, clearing brush and removing limbs and old trees to provide vital access to hillsides affected by two significant wildfires in the last five years. Arcadia is a city at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County and a popular area for outdoor activities like hiking. 

The 400 goats and sheep were used as an environmentally friendly method in wildfire mitigation and management in and around otherwise hard-to-reach terrain. 

The California Fire Foundation announced in an email this Wednesday that the sheep worked together for 20 days throughout the terrain, beginning on July 15 and concluding on August 6.  

“This project is an innovative and community-friendly way to improve wildfire safety,” Chen Suen, chief of the Arcadia Fire Department, said. 

Suen explained that this was made possible with the support of a Wildfire Disaster Relief and Recovery Grant from the California Fire Foundation.  

As stated on their website, the Wildfire Disaster Relief and Recovery Grant supports long-term recovery efforts and provides vital resources to those on the front lines, knowing that when wildfires devastate communities throughout California, they leave lasting impacts on families, first responders and local infrastructure, as shown by the Southern California wildfires that broke out in January of this year. 

“By partnering with the California Fire Foundation, we can better protect life and property in Arcadia, all while educating the community on the importance of wildfire prevention,” Suen said. 

Goat grazing is a popular practice that is well-known for being environmentally friendly, requiring no hazardous chemicals and causing no noise disturbances. The goats combat invasive plant species while snacking on vegetation or dry leaves that can, in minutes, catch fire in no time.  

Despite being a common practice, this is the first time the City of Arcadia has used goats and sheep for fuel reduction. 

Goats were one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans and live in herds and communicate through bleating, head-butting and licking. The mountains are the ideal location for the herbivores' next meal because they favor woody vegetation over grass. They also have four stomachs, similar to cows and are excellent climbers and are often seen scaling trees and rocks.

The series of wildfires in January 2025, including the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires, among others, burned approximately 57,636 acres of land. To this day, the fires, which were exacerbated by drought conditions, low humidity, a buildup of vegetation from the previous winter and Santa Ana winds, continue to take a toll on families, many of them Latinos, who were displaced or lost their homes, jobs and businesses. 

Throughout the 20 days, the sheep and goats were able to get through 21 acres of dense vegetation and as they grazed, their hooves broke through crystallized soil caused by the Eaton Fire, helping reduce runoff and flooding risks in nearby neighborhoods.