Norfolk Southern’s wildfire-preventing cattle are no bull

May is National Wildfire Awareness Month

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. – As wildfires across the U.S. burn more land than ever before, a unique prevention method used at Norfolk Southern’s Brosnan Forest sounds odd, but it’s udderly true.

For decades, controlled burns have been the go-to method for clearing a forest’s excess vegetation, which keeps the ecosystem healthy and prevents wildfires. But with higher temperatures, lower moisture and longer growing season, controlled burns are becoming harder to execute. That’s where Norfolk Southern’s Pineywoods cattle come in.

Brosnan Forest—a 14,400-acre ecological preserve near Charleston, S.C.—is home to one of the country’s largest remaining longleaf pine ecosystems and the largest U.S. population of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers on private land. To maintain this vital habitat, Norfolk Southern uses silvopasture—a regenerative land management method that integrates trees, forage, and grazing livestock.

The cattle naturally clear excess brush and vegetation, reducing flammable material on the forest floor. This allows forest managers to delay prescribed burns for up to two years, significantly lowering carbon emissions while maintaining a balanced ecosystem. The cattle fertilize the land, which prevents the need for fertilizer usage.

Spreading awareness

The first cattle arrived in January 2023. There are 240 today with plans for more, said Joel Wells, who directs operations at Brosnan.

“We had to get creative and now we’re sort of the pioneers when it comes to managing land like this,” Wells said.

The company is sharing lessons learned. One recent visitor, Lucie Kulze, is a soon-to-be mother from South Carolina who lives on 1,000 acres. She hopes to implement the practice.

“My visit to the Brosnan Forest was deeply inspiring and revolutionary,” she said. “This is what the future of forestry management should look like if we want to live in a healthier, more sustainable world. And my tour of Brosnan showed me that it is possible.”

Forge ahead: More information about Norfolk Southern's sustainability efforts is found here.