A herd of goats is being put to work in Tsawwassen, B.C., helping clear invasive plants and brush at a Southlands development site as part of a pilot project that developers hope could expand in the years ahead. The team of 17 goats, with names including Dotty, Salt, Pepper, Biggy Smalls and Velcro, has been brought in by Langley-based Goat Brush Clearing to tackle overgrown vegetation naturally. “Whoever has invasive species, wildfire fuels to reduce, or general brush—the goats are happy to help,” said owner Heath Anderson. The goats spend much of their day eating, with only the occasional break for water, or a brief rest from the buffet. According to Anderson, the animals are capable of consuming between three and four per cent of their body weight each day. “If it’s a full moon and nice cool temperatures, they will still graze all throughout the night if they have the visibility to do so,” he said. The goats were hired as part of a two-week pilot project aimed at clearing weeds and invasive brush from the site. If the pilot is successful, Century Group hopes to significantly expand the program. “We’d really like to, if we can get the city’s cooperation, expand that project to take care of our brush and our weed needs for the next three or four years,” said Brad Semke, Century Group’s director of civil and agri-food infrastructure. Semke said the long-term goal would be to clear between 15 and 20 acres of vegetation annually. While goats may take longer than traditional machinery, he said the cost is comparable to hiring a brush-clearing crew, while offering a quieter and more environmentally friendly alternative. “They do the same job – very effectively and in a quiet happy way there the neighbours just love it,” he said. The concept is not new in British Columbia. The approach has also been adopted in Merritt, where goats are being used to help reduce vegetation that can fuel wildfires. City officials there estimate targeted grazing costs less than $3,000 per hectare, roughly half the cost of mechanical brushing in comparable areas. “They’re really good at this,” Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz said earlier this month. “We also get fertilizer. How good is this? It’s a win-win situation.” For Anderson, demand for goat grazing services continues to grow. “I started real small with three and then now, now we’ve got 50,” he said. “It’s been slowly growing that whole time.”
