Reducing Wildfire Threats in the West

ARS researchers are providing ranchers and land managers with multiple options for reducing the incidence and severity of wildfires. Rangeland megafires are becoming more frequent in the western United States, often due to invading, highly flammable annual grass species like cheatgrass, which alone dominates an area equivalent to the state of Idaho. Management tools are critically needed to combat these grasses and reduce large wildfires that threaten human lives, livestock, and property.

ARS researchers in Boise, ID, determined that targeted cattle grazing in the springtime can create and maintain fuel breaks between cheatgrass-invaded rangeland. In addition, ARS researchers in Burns, OR, found that prescribed cattle grazing in the spring and fall can suppress cheatgrass and promote more desirable plant species. ARS researchers in Burns also found that targeted cattle grazing, combined with virtual fencing, can help manage annual grass fuel abundance, and potentially mitigate wildfire occurrence and behavior on large rangeland landscapes, while helping with other grazing resource needs. With these tools, ranchers and land managers can improve cattle grazing while reducing wildfire risks.