Wildfire Info and Resources
While winter used to provide a seasonal respite, land managers and others are increasingly using the snowy months to adapt, prepare and mitigate our forests and neighborhoods.
The following sites contain up-to-date information and resources for land and homeowners.
Resources for recovery
Following 2024’s massive fire year, the state put together a Wildfire Recovery Guide, with lists of federal grants and funding programs available to private landowners impacted by this year’s fires. The Wyoming Grants Management Office will host an informational webinar on Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. about other funding opportunities available to landowners, small businesses, nonprofits and households. Register here.
The state and University of Wyoming also researched financial and informational recovery resources for homeowners impacted by wildfires. Financial support is available for stock growers, agricultural producers and whole communities through state and federal programs. The site also has ideas for how to protect your home and land ahead of next season.
The Wyoming Department of Agriculture compiles information about recovery and relief resources available to ag producers and ranchers.
A few local groups have been coordinating relief, including in-kind donations of hay and fencing, for ranchers impacted by 2024’s big fires in the northeast corner of the state. Their work will continue into the new year. Check out Johnson County Fire Relief Fund, Elk Fire Community Resources, Wyoming Rancher Fire Relief and Campbell County Cattlewomen, among others, to find out how you can receive or give help.
Preparation, adaptation and funding
The Wyoming State Forestry Division offers a risk assessment tool to help homeowners understand the risk and threat of wildfires, especially in areas where the forest meets neighborhoods (also referred to as the WUI or Wildland Urban Interface). Property owners can also request a site visit from a state forester or a county fuels mitigation coordinator to assess wildfire threats on their land and learn what to do to lower risk. More information is available here.
Homeowners can do a lot to protect their homes and property from fire. CalFire has a list of home hardening tips, ranging from cleaning out gutters to suggestions for building materials, that can increase your home’s chances of surviving a wildfire.
Wyoming State Forestry keeps track of grant funding and assistance programs for fuel mitigation work. Some county conservation districts, like Teton’s, also have grants available to help private landowners with wildfire risk reduction projects. Federal agencies, like the U.S. Forest Service, also have grant funding available for communities to create or update Community Wildfire Protection Plans or carry out the plan’s projects.
Many communities in Wyoming are thinking about how to prepare their entire neighborhood, town or county for fire. The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network posts community wildfire protection plans, tools for reducing wildfire risk across landscapes, and resources about recovering from wildfires.
Now is also a good time to sign up with your county to receive phone, text or email alerts about emergency messages and advisories in your area. Different counties use different services, so check with your emergency management department about your specifics.
Having a plan before an emergency develops is key. CalFire recommends making a Wildfire Action Plan to think through escape routes, how to keep pets and livestock safe, and what to bring. A basic packing list should include the 6 Ps:
- People and pets
- Papers, phone numbers and important documents
- Prescriptions, vitamins, and eyeglasses
- Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
- Personal computers (information on hard drive & disks)
- Plastic (credit cards, ATM cards, & cash)
Forest fires on purpose?
Fire managers often take advantage of wetter, colder days to intentionally burn small sections of the forest. These prescribed burns remove flammable material, like dead trees and slash left over from timber harvest projects, in a more controlled environment.
You may see smoke or not be able to access that area while crews do this work. Check with your local U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management district for closure notices.
Local wildfire info
Information about quickly changing fires often comes from Facebook pages for county government, fire departments or emergency services. These pages usually offer on-the-ground updates throughout the day, including the fire’s activity and direction, notices to prepare to evacuate and services available to those who’ve left their homes.
Another useful resource is a new app called Watch Duty. It’s free, though you can pay for special features, and pulls together information from dispatch centers, first responders and other official and media reports as part of an interactive map. It can also share notifications for fires within counties you choose. Watch Duty is a non-profit staffed by volunteers, including retired wildland firefighters, dispatchers, first responders and reporters.
State Map and Resources
The State Forestry Division’s fire management website also shares links to regional situation reports, where burning restrictions are in place, contact information to report a wildfire and other resources.
Regional Map
The Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center posts blurbs about new and emerging wildfires on an interactive map covering Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. It includes very basic early reports of new fires.
Nationwide Interactive Map
Large wildfires are managed by teams that include local, state and federal crews. The biggest fires show up on Inciweb, a nationwide interactive map. It offers regular updates and maps of impacted areas.
Where is the smoke coming from?
With fires comes smoke. Fire and Smoke Map shows where smoke might be blowing around and into the state.
Air Now and Air Quality Aware show near real-time readings from monitors across the state that track smoke (also called PM 2.5) and ozone levels, and make basic recommendations about who should and how to protect your lungs.
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With the Fourth of July and hot and dry weather this week, fire managers are asking Wyomingites to be considerate of fire potential. Check your county’s emergency services website to sign up for evacuation and other emergency alerts delivered to your cell phone. -
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.
