Goats clear invasive brush at Tsawwassen development site

A herd of 17 goats is clearing invasive plants and brush at the Southlands development site in Tsawwassen as part of a two-week pilot project. The animals were brought in by Langley-based Goat Brush Clearing.

Owner Heath Anderson says the goats can be used for invasive vegetation, general brush and wildfire-fuel reduction. He estimates they eat between three and four per cent of their body weight daily, and may graze at night when conditions are cool and visibility is good.

Century Group hopes to expand the program if the pilot succeeds and the city supports it. Brad Semke, the company’s director of civil and agri-food infrastructure, said the longer-term aim would be to clear 15 to 20 acres annually over the next three or four years.

Semke said goat grazing can take longer than mechanical clearing but costs about the same as a brush-clearing crew while producing less noise. Similar targeted grazing is used in Merritt, where city officials have estimated it costs less than $3,000 per hectare, roughly half the cost of mechanical brushing in comparable areas.