Goats and sheep clear Malibu firebreaks for first time in decades Play

For the first time in decades, work crews are clearing brush from some of the firebreaks in the mountains above Malibu.

And these crews are goats and sheep.

A team of 400 goats and 100 sheep has been deployed along fire breaks in eastern Malibu, above the Big Rock area. The goats have been hired by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.

The MRCA has been given $3.2 million by the state to conduct brush clearance for wildfire safety. Part of the money has gone to a machine called "The Masticator" — a front-end loader outfitted with a combination mower and tree shredder on the end of an arm.

Goats are part of the plan. The MRCA has distributed this interview with its new employees:

"The reason why we're using goats today is because they are eco-friendly vegetation management. They are able to climb steep terrain in areas that are otherwise inaccessible for our thinning crews, for our mastication crews. They actually like to eat the invasives, and they go around the chaparral. There are about 400 goats and 100 sheep. It's prescriptive treatment: one will eat the invasives while the others eat the thistle. These hard-working goats are able to create defensible space to defend houses and communities. They are able to do about two acres a day and we are able to do about 70 acres for Big Rock Malibu."

The roadsides in many canyon and mountain roads have also been cleared of brush and grass.

The brush clearance above Big Rock is the first time that those fire breaks have been cleared in decades.