Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon said Wyoming is preparing for a potential tough year when it comes to wildfires.
During the annual Wildland Fire Inter Agency Briefing in Cheyenne, Gordon said just look at the drought monitor and you see dark red, he called a kind of nasty color of red. He said that means that there is a high fire danger that is far higher than it has been in a long time.
State Forester Kelly Norris said they are preparing for a potentially extended wildfire season. Norris added conditions across the West indicate elevated concern, because of low snow pack, the ongoing drought and early drying of fuels.
Gordon conceded that while they can not control lighting caused fires he urged the public to use caution and that reducing human caused fires is key.
Paul Hohn geographic area fire chief for the Rocky Mountain region of the U.S. Wildfire Service that includes Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota urged residents to create defensible space around ranch lands, not to haul chains in tall grasses, and be careful with fireworks, cigarettes and campfires. He also suggested replacing highly flammable cheat grass with perennial grasses.
Governor Gordon summed up the fire threat by adding that its not just fire season anymore, its fire year.
