Prescribed silvopasture is an essential tool for the proper management of Mediterranean forests. Controlled grazing, carried out under specific conditions—such as season, duration, and intensity—enables the shaping of vegetation and landscape, directly contributing to the reduction of wildfire risk. This means that you, as livestock keepers—whether shepherds or farmers—play a key role not only in caring for animals but also in wildfire risk management and landscape maintenance.
The following is a guide to help you assess whether you are applying the appropriate practices to qualify for prescribed silvopasture certification, or whether adjustments in management are needed to meet the required standards, in case you apply for financial support related to shepherding activities.
Assessment of Grazing Practices
To obtain prescribed silvopasture certification, a technician will visit your pastures to carry out an evaluation. Specifically, they will assess the level of herbaceous and shrub consumption by the herd. Below, we explain the different scenarios in which certification may be granted, or alternatively, when improvements to grazing management will be recommended. We also provide you with a tool to calculate your stocking rate.
What degree of herbaceous consumption is required from the herd?
The herd’s consumption of the herbaceous layer is an important factor in obtaining certification. Animals should consume around 95% of the available pasture. The following diagram provides more details on the expected grazing levels:
What degree of shrub layer consumption should be achieved by the herd?
A continuación os detallamos más información sobre los porcentajes de consumo: To obtain certification, it is necessary for the herd to have consumed at least 65% of the green regrowth of shrubs during the season. At this level of consumption, it is considered that significant progress has been made in reducing biomass, breaking fuel continuity, and helping to prevent the spread of potential wildfires. It is important to consider this when assessing whether the herd has grazed sufficiently and whether the area can be considered well-managed. Below, we provide further details on consumption percentages:
Recommendations
Below, we provide a series of recommendations that can help facilitate the achievement of certification:
Combining different livestock species (cattle, sheep, goats and/or equids) helps improve biomass utilization and reduce wildfire risk. In forested and shrubland areas, we recommend that at least 20% of the herd be goats, while in herbaceous areas, cattle and sheep herds are preferable.
It is important to adjust the stocking rate according to the type of forest. This way, we can avoid depleting soil resources when the stocking rate is too high, or leaving excessive vegetation when the stocking rate is too low. Here, you can also find more information about Types of Pastures in the Main Forest Formations of Catalonia
To determine if your stocking rate meets the minimum requirements for wildfire prevention in strategic areas, you can use the following calculator:
For efficient grazing, it is crucial to control the instantaneous stocking rate, that is, the number of animals per unit area at a specific time. To achieve this, we recommend keeping the herd concentrated in small areas, ensuring that all vegetation is consumed. Using perimeter fences or virtual fences, or herding dogs, will help manage this stocking rate.
Carrying out mechanical clearing and/or prescribed burns with the guidance of firefighters or specialized entities facilitates herd access to areas with dense vegetation, while also helping to reduce the wildfire risk.
We recommend that, in the case of non-palatable shrubland, meaning vegetation that the livestock will not consume, clearing efforts should focus on areas where the shrubland hinders the movement of the herd or its ability to access available resources. On the other hand, if the shrubland is palatable to the livestock, we recommend leaving some areas uncleared to ensure that the animals can continue to take advantage of it.
It is also advisable that during clearing, you try to preserve the following woody species, as they are generally well-consumed by most herds: holm oak and oak (both mature trees and regrowth), olive, buckthorn, and strawberry tree.
Remember that depending on the work carried out and the forest type, forage availability may be very low or even nonexistent during the first year.
When clearing is carried out, it is important to bring the herd in as soon as possible to prevent the shrubland from regrowing excessively, which would hinder grazing and increase the risk of wildfires.
Intensive grazing after clearing significantly reduces shrub growth and helps keep the understory under control. Furthermore, to maintain the nutritional quality of the grass and reduce accumulated herbaceous biomass, at least one intensive grazing session per year is necessary.
Therefore, if the clearing is done in spring, it is recommended to graze in autumn. On the other hand, if it is carried out in autumn, the livestock should graze before summer to prevent vegetation from accumulating.
At certain times of the year, Mediterranean pastures may not be sufficient to keep the herd in good condition. If you notice a decrease in the animals’ body condition, consider supplementing their diet with nutritional additives, such as protein concentrates or mineral blocks.
You can check the body condition in sheep here.
Make sure there are well-distributed water points in the grazing areas. This will prevent the herd from concentrating only in areas near water, ensuring uniform utilization of the entire pasture area.
If the strategic areas are far from the main corral, consider installing temporary fences so the herd can overnight nearby. This will allow you to maximize grazing time in the strategic areas.
We recommend carrying out intensive grazing of the herbaceous layer at least once a year before the peak wildfire risk period (summer months). This will help reduce the herbaceous biomass that can serve as fuel for wildfires.
The herd’s breeding planning can also influence its ability to graze efficiently. Herds with simple breeding systems, that is, those with one calving per year and natural mating, are easier to adapt to strategic areas.
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