Western States to Collaborate on Wildfire Prevention

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Halfway through one of the worst wildfire seasons in Utah history, Governor Huntsman is teaming with his counterparts in Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming to stop the burn cycle:

"It's about what to do following the fires, so we are better positioned here in the West to combat a major contributor called cheat grass," says Huntsman. "And we have undertaken an action plan that I think all four of us feel very, very good about."

In a meeting with the other three governors yesterday, Huntsman says the states agreed to collaborate on re-seeding efforts to replace flammable cheat grass with more fire-resistant plants.

Idaho, Utah and Nevada share a common basin prone to burns. Each state will experiment with the best mix of seed to rehabilitate burned areas and share the results of those pilot projects. Huntsman says the states may also be able to save money by purchasing seed as a group.

State and federal land managers say new seed needs to be in the ground by October if they hope to keep cheat grass from taking over.

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