A flock of about 240 sheep and goats has begun clearing 47 hectares of forest on municipal land in Salou as part of a pilot silvopasture project that will take place over the next month. The City Council seeks to reduce the undergrowth vegetation load before summer to reduce the risk of forest fires.
The initiative introduces a livestock management method in a tourist municipality where the usual approach would be to resort to a specialized company or the municipal brigade. The town hall maintains that the operation will cost around 14,000 euros, less than what those other options would entail.
The flock will clear 47 hectares with about 720 kilos of vegetation daily
The animals have arrived by truck from Alcover at the hands of shepherd David Arenas, owner of the flock. They usually graze in the Prades mountains, in places like Mont-ral, Farena, and Rojals, and in winter they come down to Alcover.
In Salou, Arenas will move the flock through different municipal properties between seven in the morning and nine in the evening. At night, the sheep and goats will sleep in enclosures that will change location according to work needs.
Each specimen consumes about three kilograms of vegetation daily, so the group can remove around 720 kilos of undergrowth each day. The species they feed on most frequently are lentisk, bramble, carob, and olive.
Pere Granados defends that the test costs less than hiring a company
The mayor of Salou, Pere Granados, frames the project as a lower-cost forest maintenance formula for the city council. He has also expressed his intention to continue the experience in the coming years, although for now it is considered a pilot test.
"It is a sustainable and ecological way to keep forests in good condition" - Pere Granados, mayor of Salou
Granados adds that the municipality seeks to get ahead of the period of highest risk of fires during the summer. In that work, Rasquera breed goats act on the scrub and bushes, while Aran sheep eat closer to the ground.
The operation brings together about 200 sheep and 40 goats, and the city council has allocated a budget of about 14,000 euros for this test.