wildfires

More than 200 people are working from the air and on the ground to suppress the fire despite erratic winds.

President Trump has signed an executive order on wildfire policy, which seeks to speed responses to wildfires and address what it calls “reckless mismanagement.”

The National Interagency Fire Center predicts Wyoming will have an average fire season until August, when the likelihood of big fires will increase in the northeast part of the state.

The fire is about 35 miles west of Pinedale and is roughly 900 acres as of midday Monday.

“Come back to work.” That’s the message from the U.S. Forest Service’s new chief, Tom Schultz, to recently-retired workers.

It would be called the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, according to budget documents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior. The agency would consolidate the wildland fire programs of the USDA and Interior within the latter.

Last year’s huge wildfire season likely ignited the coal seams, which are like unattended campfires simmering. Counties will look to federal dollars to help manage them, but it’s unclear if that funding will still exist.

Federal forecasters say there is above-average potential for significant wildfires all the way through the end of September across a vast swath of the Western U.S.

Tom Schultz, the head of the U.S. Forest Service, is calling for wildfires to be extinguished “as swiftly as possible this season.” But aggressive suppression policies are widely believed to be one of the key culprits in the current wildfire crisis.

Prescribed burns can be a valuable tool when preventing damage from increasingly destructive and wildfires driven by climate change. These projects, however, require significant staffing and logistical planning, making their future uncertain as the federal government looks to slash federal agencies.