LandSmart® Grazing Phase III
The Gold Ridge and Sonoma Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) in Sonoma County have collaborated for a third year of LandSmart Grazing, a program designed to fund the partnership between landowners and contract grazers in the hopes of reducing the risk and rapid spread of wildfire. During Phase II of this funding last year, the RCDs funded 11 projects totaling over 130 grazed acres.
Community resilience to wildfire requires an intentional shift toward community adaptation given the inevitability of wildfires, insufficient resources, and need to protect the environment. There are varied efforts underway in Sonoma County for fuels reduction through vegetation treatment prescriptions that focus on reducing fire hazard, improving defensible space, and increasing forest resilience. Targeted grazing or prescribed herbivory is also used for vegetation management and is beneficial for air quality, noise, proximity to structures, steep slopes, and areas with noxious weeds. Grazing can also be the most financially accessible and easiest to implement due to lack of permit requirements compared to other fuel treatments such as hand crews, mowing, masticating or prescribed burns.
The LandSmart Grazing program will assist with planning a grazing project and help to assess the need of temporary infrastructure installation, such as electric fencing or portable livestock water. The majority of our funds will prioritize areas of high fire risk especially if there is a close proximity to at-risk, densely populated, or underserved communities. The deadline to apply for LandSmart Grazing is Friday, December 1st. We are encouraging landowners and land managers to work with neighbors to create areas with 8-100 acres of grasslands or woodlands to apply for this subsidized and eco-friendly fuel reduction opportunity. Multi-property projects will be prioritized during the selection process.
Visit the link below for more information on payment rates, program services, and how to apply:
LandSmart Grazing Program | Sonoma Resource Conservation District (sonomarcd.org)
