The Forestry Corner

By Jeremy Dedic

Wyoming State Forestry Division

and Ed Mignery

Wyoming Tree Farm, landowner

County assessors and realtors in Crook and Weston counties report that residences in rural properties have been in high demand in recent years. We offer this edition of “The Forestry Corner” to assist existing and new rural residents with wildfire hazardous fuel mitigation recommendations to consider for their property.

If done properly, fuel mitigation measures will greatly enhance the chances that your home survives a wildfire by giving our firefighters the opportunities they need to be successful in saving your cherished investment: your rural woodlands home. We advanced this topic ahead of other forestry subjects because of the increasing risk of wildfires during this second year of a serious drought and with the increased potential for fire risk, as more rural developments are occurring in fire prone environments.

Some basic and fundamental fuel mitigation measures will be offered in this column, but because of our limited space in this publication, awareness and offering sources for detailed information and professional assistance will be the main focus.

Whether you are a prospective buyer of forested land for residential development, recently purchased land and are planning to build a home or are looking to improve fuel mitigation measures to make your existing home more resistant to wildfires, good information and professional assistance is available to you, just for the asking.

The Wyoming State Forestry Division in Newcastle (307-746-4261) has all the information you will need to start planning for fire wise management of your property and recommended fuel mitigation measures for your home and property. Crook and Weston County Conservation District Offices can also provide you with assistance

Talking with State Forestry, they suggest to start simple: consider around your buildings. Do you have flammable items up against your buildings? Are there flammable items on your porch?

Examples of these are stacks of firewood or lumber, patio furniture cushions, even some doormats are flammable. Are the gutters cleaned out? These little details can make a difference when a fire goes through, for a house or building to be able to survive a fire.

They also stressed the reduction of fuels and needing to break up the continuity of fuels. For example, think about the dry grass that is under low hanging branches of pine and juniper trees.

If a fire is traveling through the grass under the branches, the branches will carry the flames up to the top of the trees and start it on fire. If the trees are too close together, the flames will travel from tree to tree, turning into a crown fire. This is extreme fire behavior.

The same principle works for fire traveling to buildings. We need to break up the continuity of the fuels.

You can keep grass mowed, prune up conifer trees and remove the low hanging branches. Thin out your pine trees and juniper trees so there is a gap between the crowns.

Along with reducing fuels around houses, State Forestry can help plan larger fuel reduction projects. The goal is to keep the fire on the ground and out of the crowns of the pine trees. A ground fire is easier to fight.

These projects can reduce the number of trees and fuels along roads and other strategic locations. This can provide safer places for firefighters to stop the spread of wildfire.

You will not regret making your home and property safer for your family. And very importantly, safer for our local firefighters to respond, when you have a wildfire on or near your property.

Ed and Barb Mignery, Wyoming Tree Farm landowners, located near Sundance, with guidance from Wyoming State Forestry Division, have been continually managing their forested property for over 20 years. They have implemented a wide variety of fuel mitigation measures around their home as well as throughout their forested property.

You can see the visually pleasing results. A safer home site, a healthier and more fire resilient forest and better wildlife habitat have all been the fruits of their labors. They will tell you, like spraying weeds, the work is never really finished.

You can arrange a visit to your property with a Wyoming State Forestry professional by calling their office in Newcastle, 307-746-4261. If you would like to see what these projects look like call Ed Mignery, Wyoming Tree Farm Landowner, 307-283-2209.