Local and state agencies join forces to combat invasive grasses in wildfire-affected areas – Sheridan Media

Northern Wyoming suffered from a spate of wildfires this summer. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon's office reported that more than 629,000 acres had been affected across Wyoming as of September 5.

Costs are still being calculated. Grassroots efforts to support the farming community in northern Wyoming and southern Montana began even before the fires were extinguished. Gordon has submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for disaster designation because of the impacts of the wildfires.

Recently, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department Board of Commissioners approved $250,000 to control annual invasive grasses following recent fires in northeast Wyoming. Sheridan County Weed and Pest and the Northeast Wyoming Invasive Grass Working Group are working to educate and raise awareness about the threat posed by invasive grasses in the region.

Brian Mealor is director of the University of Wyoming's Sheridan Research and Extension Center. He has been researching and working on invasive annual grasses for about 20 years. He recently discussed the organizations' concerns about recent fires and invasive grass species.

B. Mealor

Mealor said much of the observed relationship between fire facilitation and invasive grasses occurred farther west in sagebrush-dominated rangelands. Mealor explained the relationship locally, where the transition from the Great Plains to sagebrush rangelands is more nuanced.

B. Mealor

The affected producers have a lot of work to do. Mealor said signs of the spread of the annual invasive species most likely won't be visible until next spring.

Agencies and organizations battling annual invasive grass species have begun to allocate resources, and some already have agents on the ground. Landowners battling these grasses on their property should develop a plan with Sheridan County Weed and Pest before spring.

Click here for Sheridan County Weed and Pest website and contact information.
To learn more about the University of Wyoming's Sheridan Research and Extension Center, click here.