Twenty million federal dollars are headed toward Mountain West states to reduce flammable trees and underbrush — particularly in areas close to homes and communities.
And in Wyoming, that chopped timber will be put to good use helping tribal members heat their homes.
Dennis O’Neal has been delivering bundles of firewood to over 80 Northern Arapaho seniors for years, since they often rely on wood stoves for heating.
“We're a supplement to help them out through the winter months,” said O’Neal.
But now, thanks to the new funding, O’Neal and his team will have a more consistent source of wood, he said.
Five million bucks are dedicated toward thinning forests and prescribed burning around private properties in the Snowy Range in Eastern Wyoming, which was home to one of the largest wildfires in the state’s history back in 2020.
“[The tribe] would be utilizing hazardous fuels, which may or not be able to be used by other industries, but the tribe has used for firewood,” said Aaron Voos, public affairs specialist with the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests & Thunder Basin National Grassland — where the Snowy Range is located.
The new Wyoming partnership is part of the National Forest Foundation’s Wood for Life initiative, which already helps reduce wildfire risk and help tribes heat their homes in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Idaho.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
