Fires charring US West range set up ranchers for hardship

By MATTHEW BROWN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Associated Press

LAME DEER, Mont. (AP) — Wildfires tearing through eastern Montana and elsewhere in the U.S. West are devouring vast areas of rangeland that ranchers depend upon. That’s setting the stage for a potential shortage of pastureland and forage for cattle as the hot, dry summer grinds on. On the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, ranchers scrambled to find temporary pastures for their cattle ahead of a massive fire that was threatening several Montana towns. Meanwhile, a California blaze that is the largest in the nation has continued to slowly spread. The wildfires are among more than 100 burning in over a dozen Western states.