How cows are being used to help mitigate B.C.'s wildfire risk
Cattle look out from a pen at the Thorlakson Feedyards near Airdrie, Alta., Thursday, May 28, 2020. (Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
An unlikely tool is being used to help mitigate the risk of wildfires in British Columbia: local cattle.
Cows will be brought to graze at specific sites in B.C.'s Interior, led by ranchers to areas near homes and infrastructure.
The idea behind the pilot program by the B.C. Cattlemen's Association is the cows will be used to get rid of grasses that often dry out in the summer months, heightening the risk of fire.
This is the third year of the program, which operates in Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland and Cranbrook for two to three weeks.
The program launched in 2019 with $500,000 in provincial funding.
With files from The Canadian Press
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