Wild horse fire brigade: lessons in rebalancing North American ecosystems by rewilding equids

November 1, 2019

One of the main topics of the GRAZELIFE-project is prevention of wildfire damage by large herbivores. While we are examining this issue in the European context, we can already take advantage of experiences in other parts of the world. Below the case of wild horses as a natural fire brigade in the US.

William E. Simpson II – Naturalist is greeted by a mighty wild mountain stallion in the wilderness.
William E. Simpson II – Naturalist is greeted by a mighty wild mountain stallion in the wilderness.
Carla Bowers

 

A mountain spring feeding a riparian area and creek that is used by wild horses, yet remains pristine.
A mountain spring feeding a riparian area and creek that is used by wild horses, yet remains pristine.

Recently an intensive close-range five-year observational study has revealed new insights into wild horse behavioral ecology in the wilderness, and how their symbiosis with other native species flora and fauna can benefit western American wilderness areas.

 

Wildfire prevention

This study titled “Impact Of Wild Horses On Wilderness Landscape And Wildfire – Preliminary Findings” by naturalist-rancher William E. Simpson II unveils a factual understanding of wild horses and their natural, positive impact on wilderness and forest landscapes.

Wild horses reducing dry fuels off forest floor.
Wild horses reducing dry fuels off forest floor.

One of the main outcomes of this study is that wild horses could have a major impact on reducing fire damage, by their specific way of grazing, locally taking out large volumes of fuel, and thereby creating landscapes that are less vulnerable for large scale wildfires.

 

Reseeding function

Unlike ruminants (deer, elk, cattle, sheep), which chew a cud and have complex and highly efficient digestive systems, wild horses and burros are single stomached and therefore do not digest most of the seeds they eat. This makes wild horses and burros nature’s re-seeding experts in and around wilderness landscapes, where they perform the role of reseeding and supporting the reestablishment of threatened and endangered plants and grasses.

Native species grasses and plants readily germinate and thrive in wild horse dropping.
Native species grasses and plants readily germinate and thrive in wild horse dropping.
William E. Simpson II

This evolutionary process also helps to restore soils that have been depredated by wildfires. Furthermore, wildfire grazing by wild horses can annually sequester millions of tons of carbon compounds back into soils, as opposed to allowing wildfires and prescribed burns to combust vegetative materials producing greenhouse gases and toxic wildfire smoke.

Wild horse droppings provide humus for native plant and grass seeds that pass through a horse’s single stomach undigested.

 

Wild horses impact

The Study is the first of its kind and is unique in that is was conducted in a wilderness area that is virtually devoid of livestock operations, and therefore any impact on the landscape can only be attributed to wild horses. In other areas where comingled cattle and wild horses are in competition, determining damage or benefit to the landscape becomes a very difficult “who done it” mystery, which is vulnerable to partisan interpretation.

 

More to read and watch

Lightening hit this dead snag and it burned, but the fire did not spread into the forest due to ground fuels reduction by grazing wild horses.
Lightening hit this dead snag and it burned, but the fire did not spread into the forest due to ground fuels reduction by grazing wild horses.
William E. Simpson II

The results are supported by firefighters and scientists, and produced thousands of photos and many videos derived from eleven thousand hours of observational study in remote locations under difficult conditions at close range. Some of the findings are further elaborated on in two articles:

A recent natural history documentary film out of Colorado College titled “Fuel, Fire and Wild Horses” – based on the findings of the study above – has been “Officially Selected” by the Aspen Mountain Film Festival and highlights the mutualisms that wild horses have in and around forest ecosystems.

 

Management plan

As a result of information gained from the Study, along with other published supporting science by scientists, a new management plan for wild horses has been published and offers a winning solution for all stakeholders. The plan is titled, “Natural Wildfire Abatement And Forest Protection Plan”, also affectionately known as the “Wild Horse Fire Brigade” by some people.

The beneficiaries of the Plan include livestock enterprises, the timber industry, wilderness ecosystems and America’s native species wild horses and burros, all the while providing a reduction in both the frequency and intensity of catastrophic wildfire.

 

More information:

 


This blog is created as part of GRAZELIFE, a project that evaluates the benefits of various land management models involving domesticated and wild/semi-wild herbivores. The project is carried out at the request of the European Commission. The GRAZELIFE Consortium gathers information with literature reviews, interviews with more than 100 stakeholders and field research in 8 European regions. With these series of blogs the 10 Consortium-partners are sharing experiences and insights, that could contribute to a fruitful discussion on best practices in grazing systems. The content of these blogs are the sole responsibility of the writers.
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