2022 was an outstanding year for Wyoming State Forestry and our staff has a plenty to be proud of. We saw a lot of turnover across the division but, as usual, the folks at State Forestry stepped up, filled the gaps and moved forward. All predictions were for the 2022 fire season to be extremely heavy. A combination of weather, luck, and excellent initial attack moderated the season to the low side of average. However, we still had over 700 fires in the State this year. I can’t say enough about the local and county fire departments, our federal partners, and our staff for their professionalism and dedication to responding to wildfire. I am especially proud of our Wyoming State Helitack crew, and of the crew supervisors and inmates of the Wyoming Smokebusters. Without their commitment and can-do attitude, fires in Wyoming would be much more challenging. We continued to expand our Good Neighbor program with the Forest Service and the BLM. In 2022, State Forestry sold nearly 11 million board feet of federal timber and completed over 1,200 acres of thinning and fuels reduction on federal lands. We also increased our fuels reduction and thinning programs on state and private lands as well. Our Community Forestry, Stewardship, and Forest Health programs continue to thrive. While working closely with the Game and Fish Department we were able to utilize the Forest Legacy program to increase the size of conservation easements on private lands in western Wyoming. The passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act created new opportunities and challenges for the division. With the new legislation, we saw a big increase in funding across the board in most of our assistance programs, along with some new programs. For the first time, we have received federal funds targeted to assist with the implementation of our State Forest Action Plan. These new funds will allow us to expand several programs and put more work on the ground. However, given our small size, we need to be thoughtful and accept funds that we can utilize and make a difference with. Finally, after 19.5 years of being your State Forester, I am retiring at the end 2022. Serving our great State these past years has been an honor and the highlight of my career. I want to give the staff of Wyoming State Forestry Division my heartfelt thanks and adoration. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to work with such a group of dedicated professionals. I believe that the forests of Wyoming are integral to our history and to our future, and I see a bright future for the Wyoming State Forestry Division moving forward. THANK YOU ALL! Bill Crapser Wyoming State Forester
The Wyoming State Forestry Division (WSFD), part of the Office of State Lands and Investments, operates from its headquarters in Cheyenne with field offices in a number of locations around the state. The field locations include district offices, sub-district offices, the Helitack base at Duncan Ranch, and forestry conservation facilities associated with the correctional site in Newcastle. The State Forester, appointed by the Board of Land Commissioners, provides overall management direction for the Division. State Statute 36-2-108 charges the State Forester with having direction of all forest interests and all matters pertaining to forestry within the jurisdiction of the state, as well as directing the Division to be involved in all aspects of fire suppression and forest management on state and other lands. Cooperation with landowners, cities, counties, federal agencies, and others to fulfill the intent of the statute is explicitly directed. Conserve The mission of WSFD is to... working forests by promoting sound management practices; the benefits of forests through improved management of Wyoming’s varied forest resources in communities, riparian areas, and mountain ranges; Enhance Protect forest resources and other values against wildfire and forest health threats while preparing to manage new forests.
The Division delivers numerous programs which can be grouped into three categories: Operations & Trust Land Management, Cooperative Forestry and Fire Management. Conserve: Operations & Trust Land Management includes forest management on 263,000 forested trust land acres, use of forestry conservation crews on trust lands, and trust land improvement projects such as road maintenance and thinning. Enhance: Cooperative Forestry includes Community Forestry, Forest Health, Rural Forestry Assistance and Fuels Program. These state assistance forestry programs are enhanced by federal grant funding. Protect: Fire Management includes cooperative fire, fire suppression, and fire management on 3.6 million acres of trust land, helitack, federal excess property, and WSFD’s fabrication and maintenance facility.
Conserve working forests by promoting sound management practices. Forestry Conservation Program • Fire: 2 training sessions with 15 inmates qualified, 15 fire assignments, with 60 shifts completed, 8 Counties assisted, 1 out of State. • Forest management: Assisted both Wyoming Game and Fish and WYDOT • Community Service: 15 community service projects for both City and County agencies. Trust Land Preservation and Enhancement (TP&E) • The WSFD has an active forest thinning program which is funded through the TP&E funds appropriated to the Office of State Lands and Investments. • Administered treatment work on 464 acres of State Trust Lands. • Contracted 113 acres for future thinning work. Good Neighbor Authority • Wyoming State Forestry Division continues expansion efforts implementing Shared Stewardship through Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) cross-boundary forest restoration work with both the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management in 2022. • WSFD expanded the GNA Cooperative forester positions to include a second position in the Medicine Bow National Forest and one in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and added a Program Coordinator position bringing the total number of GNA Cooperative Forestry staff to six. • Over 2,290 acres of timber sales were completed, 11 million board feet was sold across 4 National Forests and WY BLM lands on 2,295 acres. • Approximately 1,212 acres of service work was completed through the program. Operations and Trust Land Management • Timber management on State Trust Lands provides important revenue to the states trust accounts, as well as helping to maintain Wyoming's forest products industry • Wyoming State Forestry sold 8 million board feet of timber on 1,871 acres of State Trust Lands and generated a revenue of $289,248.
Enhance the benefits of forests through improved management of Forest Health • 19 flight hours of aerial insect and disease work in coordination with the US Forest Service. • 18,582,245 acres were surveyed across Wyoming’s Federal, State and Private Forests. • 154 detection traps were installed throughout the state for Emerald Ash borer and spongy moth. • Monitored and evaluated 36 previous western spruce budworm treatment plots near the Medicine Bow National Forest and throughout the Southern Bighorns. • Forest health funding was used on 903 acres across 6 projects to protect Wyoming’s forests from insect and disease threats. Drone program • 3 drones were flown covering approximately 1700 acres, completing 14 projects. Some of the project work included mapping The Nature Conservancy Heart Mountain Ranch, mapping Laramie County Community College and Laramie County School District #1 property in preparation for a land management plan, and Duncan Ranch. Enhance: Cooperative Forestry Rural Landowner Assistance • Technical assistance to 268 Wyoming landowners. • 602 individuals attended landowner workshops/field days. • Developed forest management plans encompassing 91,383 acres. • 356,660 acres of private lands under management plans. • Tim and Dawn Pexton (Saddleback Ranch, Inc.) were the recipients of the Landowner of the Year Award. Fuels Mitigation Program • 22 defensible space treatments around homes • 782 acres of fuel treatments on privately owned lands • 23 acres of fuel breaks throughout the state. • $1,686,848 of Hazardous Fuels Reduction grant funding secured along with $1,018,476 Western States Wildland Urban Interface grant funding nearly 5 times that of 2021 • 8 Community Wildfire Defense Grant proposals.
forest resources in communities, riparian areas, and mountain ranges. Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Arbor Day • Staff hosted and attended numerous Arbor Day celebrations around the State, providing seedling trees to the public and planting trees. • Staff continue to support PLT by attending/hosting trainings and workshops. • WSFD supports the annual State Arbor Day poster contest by awarding a cash prize, plaque and framed copy of the winning poster. • Tree City USA • The Tree City USA program provides communities with a framework to maintain and grow their tree cover. • 35 of Wyoming’s 99 incorporated cities and towns were certified in this program in 2022. Field trips • Forestry students attending the University of Copenhagen, Denmark made a stop at WSFD for a tour of the facilities and Curt Gowdy State Park. Community Forestry Assistance Grants • 9 projects were funded totaling $32,000. The projects included 3 tree plantings in Pinedale, Rawlins and Cheyenne with nearly 100 trees planted. Also 6 program development projects were funded in Sheridan, Rawlins, Casper and Jackson. Projects included an internship, a tree care workshop and tree assessments. • ArcGIS online database was created by the University of Wyoming for capturing comprehensive tree inventory data funded by SUFR grant.
Protect forest resources and other values against wildfire State Fire Assistance (SFA) • Consolidate Payment Grant: $2,791,516 • State Fire Capacity: $1,954,308 • Volunteer Fire Assistance: $340,105 • Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (BIL): $382,772 • Cooperative Fire Assistance: $50,172 • State Fire Assistance: $ 286,260 • Volunteer Fire Assistance: $46,340 Wyoming Helitack Program • 120-day contract with Air Resources Helicopters Inc. • Aircraft: Bell 407 HP • 36 Initial Attack missions • 16 Recon/Mapping missions • 1 Search and Rescue • 71 Preposition/Reposition • Crew Transport missions -380 personnel • 118,487 lbs. of cargo delivered Single Engine Air-Tanker Program • 90-day contract with Aeronautical Technologies Inc. out of Clovis, NM • 2 Air Tractor AT-802 • 30 responses to fires • 121 loads of retardant • 84,443 gal. of retardant Fire Management: 2022 Fire Season • Below average fire season • 2022 Fire Season: 768 fires for 16,354 acres statewide on non-federal lands. (Some duplication on numbers between federal and non-federal lands) • 6-year average; 919 fires & 122,448 acres
and forest health threats and prepare to manage new forests. Incident Qualification System (IQS) • 6,942 Individual Records • 4,192 Records are active • 1,096 Integrated into IROC • 1,300 Red Cards are signed at WSFD Fabrication and Maintenance Facility • 185 Parts and GSA orders filled and delivered • 46 Field repairs to county fire departments • 23 Fleet vehicle repairs and service • 6 Fire Apparatus builds Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) grant program • 37 applications • $171,514 reimbursed • 18 counties participated • Utilized for equipment, training, organizing and prevention. Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and Firefighter Property (FFP) • 323 pieces of FEPP, on loan from USDA Forest Service • Procured over 300 pieces of FFP including vehicles, hand and power tools that have been distributed to local firefighters Wildland Fire Training • 123 Wildland Fire classes • 11 -Wyoming Fire Academy • 10 -Southeast Fire Academy • 8 -Buffalo Fire School
Headquarters 5500 Bishop Boulevard Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 (307) 777-7586 District 1-Newcastle 431 Delaware Ave. Newcastle, Wyoming 82701 (307) 746-4261 District 2-Laramie 710 East Garfield Street Suite259, Laramie, Wyoming 82070 (307) 286-6945 District 4-Lyman 100 Sage Street Lyman, Wyoming 82937 (307) 787-6148 District 5-Buffalo 600 Veterans Lane Buffalo, Wyoming 82834 (307) 684-2752 Helibase 507 Boxelder Road Glenrock, Wyoming 82637 Maintenance and Fabrication 2211 Dey Avenue Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001 District 2-Casper 444 West Collins Dr. Suite 3730 Casper, Wyoming 82604 (307) 234-6116 District 3-Riverton 2500 Academy Court Riverton, Wyoming 82501 (307) 856-8655 District 3-Worland PO Box 35 Worland, WY 82401 (307) 714-1977 District 4-Pinedale 145 South Fremont Pinedale, Wyoming 82941 (307) 367-2119 Honor Conservation Camp #40 Pippin Rd Newcastle, Wyoming 82701 (307) 746-4436, Ext. 227 Wyoming Fire Academy Riverton 2500 Academy Court Riverton, Wyoming 82501 (307) 858-0027 Wyoming State Forestry Division Offices
Wyoming State Forestry Division Offices
Thanks to all of the WSFD staff for a safe and successful year. All of the staff from WSFD would like to thank Bill for his many years of service and wish him the very best.