Fuel reduction at a national lab
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — perched on hillside terrain above the UC Berkeley campus — hires a local grazing company each summer to cut back the tall grass, broom, and brush around its buildings. The goal is straightforward: reduce the vegetation that could otherwise carry a wildland fire up into the site’s tree stands and structures.
It’s a recurring, seasonal program, illustrating how institutions use grazing as ongoing fire-fuel maintenance rather than a one-off.
The goats that broke the internet
In 2015, the lab’s herd became a brief internet sensation when a staff video of the goats racing across the hillside went viral and was picked up by outlets including CNN. Beyond the charm, the clip put a spotlight on a serious practice: using animals to build defensible space in California’s fire-prone East Bay hills.
The lab has drawn on Bay Area operator Goats R Us for the work — the same kind of managed-herd service homeowners and agencies rely on across the state.