Wyoming Wildfire Outlook “Normal”
Written by Andrew-Rossi on June 7, 2018
The National Interagency Fire Center’s 2018 outlook for Wyoming shows a normal fire season is expected.
The state averages about 600 wildfires per year, according to the State Forester’s Office. On Tuesday, Senator John Barrasso questioned interim Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Vicki Christiansen and Jeff Rupert, Director of the Office of Wildland Fire at the Department of the Interior, about hazardous fuels reduction.
Christiansen pointed out that there is still the potential for wildfires in Wyoming this summer, so the Forest Service is planning to use multiple methods to prevent disaster.
Rupert added that from the standpoint of the Department of the Interior, no new plans have been made to mitigate wildfires in Wyoming – they plan to continue with the protocols already in place.
State Forester Bill Crapser reported that Wyoming recorded about 760 wildfires in 2017, burning at least 331 square miles of forest and prairie across the state.