JACKSON, WY — Representatives from county, state, federal, and nonprofit natural resource management groups have established the Wyoming Prescribed Fire Council (WY-PFC) to support prescribed fires as a land management tool in Wyoming.
Prescribed fires, otherwise known as controlled burns, are a common land management practice. They work to manage fire danger, support fire preparedness in fire-adapted communities, and maintain healthy and diverse ecosystems. According to the National Park Service, they can also be the most cost-effective way to maintain certain historic sites, like the open grasslands from the Revolutionary War era at Saratoga National Park. Prescribed fire is currently used by government agencies, non-profit organizations, for-profit businesses, and private landowners to achieve these objectives in Wyoming.
WY-PFC was formally established in December but gathered again at the Nature Conservancy’s Red Canyon Ranch in Lander to hash formalities. They voted on bylaws, established committees, appointed committee leadership, and identified a program of work to address fire topics including policy, outreach and education, agency and landowner cooperation, and partnerships.
The council identified a number of ways they can support the use of prescribed fire:
- Establish a strong network to better utilize and leverage resources across the great state of Wyoming to implement more prescribed fire.
- Present a consistent public message supporting prescribed fire for agencies in the state.
- Serve as a credible interdisciplinary and interagency platform for educating the public on the safe and effective use of prescribed fire.
- Support fire-adapted communities throughout Wyoming.
In the past, different entities and individuals were not formally working together to promote safe and effective use of prescribed fire. The WY-PFC was formed to meet this need and help formulate the use of prescribed fire within the state for safer and more effective practices while providing consistent education through supported scientific efforts. These practices should be recognized by all practitioners using fire as a management tool.
Nationally, there are 38 prescribed fire councils in 32 states. The new WY-PFC will lead the way for the remaining five western states, which are home to many of the unwanted wildfire acres burned each year. The WY-PFC contributing partners include Wyoming State Forestry Division; Wyoming Game and Fish Department; University of Wyoming; Wyoming Conservation Districts; The Nature Conservancy; Wyoming Stock Growers Association; Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; USDA’s Forest Service, Sweetwater County Commission, Fremont County Fuels Program, Northern Rockies Fire Science Consortium, Great Plains Fire Science Network, Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, and Muley Fanatics.
