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City describes vegetation management program and targeted use of goats to reduce invasives and fire risk
Summary
Parks and fire staff outlined the city’s vegetation management program, equipment, scheduling priorities and a multi-year goat-grazing strategy to suppress invasive plants and create fire breaks.
Parks and fire staff described Roseville’s vegetation management program on May 5, explaining how ground crews, contractors and targeted goat grazing work together to reduce fire risk, suppress invasive species and support native-plant recovery.
Eric Dexter, Parks and Open Space superintendent, outlined methods and equipment used for vegetation work—string trimmers, brush cutters, flail mowers, an articulating loader (referred to as the “Green Machine”), tractors, spray tanks and chainsaws—and said crews coordinate closely with contractors and an in-house quality-assurance process to ensure standards are met. Dexter said crews have begun seasonal vegetation work and that one staff member will dedicate most of the season to contractor oversight and quality assurance.
Dexter and Michael Bradley, division chief and fire marshal, said the city manages roughly 74 miles of creeks and prioritizes vegetation abatement to reduce wildfire risk. Bradley described a GIS-based prioritization that targets 30-foot fire breaks on city-owned and private vacant parcels and aims to complete prioritized abatement by July 1 to reduce wildfire risk around the July 4 holiday. Bradley said the city’s in-house crews complete about 80 acres of fire breaks annually and contractors complete around 95 acres.
Staff described strategic goat grazing to manage invasive star thistle in steep or difficult-to-access areas, explaining that goats are timed to graze before seed set; they said multiple seasons (three to five years) are generally required to reduce an invasive population. Staff cited economic and educational benefits—the goats can reach terrain too costly to treat by equipment, lower chemical use, and public outreach events including a popular “meet and greet” that attracted thousands at Maidu and Mahaney last year. The city maintains a goat tracker on its website, staff said, and expects to run several herds seasonally (two herds active at the moment; peak deployment about six herds), grazing roughly 1,500 acres annually across the city.
The presentation was informational; commissioners did not request action. A commissioner commented on the goats’ effectiveness at chewing through star thistle.
