Jim Magagna

Travis Brammer

America’s national forests were birthed in Wyoming in 1891, with the establishment of the Shoshone National Forest. At the 21st century’s quarter mark, however, our nation’s cherished forests are struggling. In 2024, Wyoming experienced its second-worst wildfire season on record, as more than 800,000 acres of forests burned. Nearly 20 percent of Wyoming’s public forests are at high or very high risk of a catastrophic wildfire, according to the Forest Service. Unless we do something, we can expect more years like 2024. We know how to fix this problem: mechanical thinning to remove excess fuels followed by regular use of prescribed fire and grazing to keep fuels in check. Yet it doesn’t happen. A study by the University of California-Davis and the Property and Environment Research Center found that the Forest Service treats only one percent of its land in Wyoming each year. Fortunately, Congress is on the cusp of passing bipartisan legislation to change that.