The Wyoming House of Representatives has signed off on a proposal to spend up to  $500, 000 a year on efforts to mitigate the damage caused by the bark beetle infestation over the last few years.

The beetles have created widespread fire danger by rapidly killing tees in forest areas of the state, leaving widespread swaths of dead timber that provide fuel for forest fires.

Most experts say the bark beetle  infestation in Wyoming has begun to slow somewhat, but the hazard posed by the dead trees will remain a problem for several years into the future. House Bill 26 passed on Thursday by a margin of 38-20 with two absent.

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