Several Arkansas state lawmakers have questioned state Department of Agriculture officials on whether their Forestry Division’s staff is short-handed to fight wildfires in Arkansas. State Department of Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward told lawmakers last week that the department has adequate staffing levels for fighting wildfires, but department officials would like the staffing to be slightly higher in order to provide “a little bit of cushion.” There has been a high occurrence of wildfires throughout the state during the past month before rains lowered their risk, he said. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division is the primary state entity to respond to large wildland fires in Arkansas, said Shealyn Sowers, a spokeswoman for the department. …Several state lawmakers raised questions about the department’s staffing for fighting wildfires during the Arkansas Legislative Council and Joint Budget Committee’s budget hearing Wednesday for the state Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2026, July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.