Reynolds said that the restoration budget will be millions of dollars, but he wasn't prepared this week to specify the exact amount. The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service both have "emergency stabilization" funds for remediation of land impacted by fire.

Tracy Dunford, Fire Management Coordinator for the State Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands, said the grasses are not only beneficial to ranchers but are good for wildlife, too.

Getting their name because they grow in small clumps, these bunch grasses grow well once established, provide food for animals, don't spread and only need to be planted every 20-25 years, Ramsey said.

But rehabilitating burned areas with these grasses isn't easy, Dunford needs to decide soon how to rehabilitate areas burned by the Milford Flat fire, and the task is daunting.

"If we used all of the equipment that we have and the equipment we have access to, it would take 270 days to re-seed," estimated Dunford, in regard to the land burned in the Milford Flat wildfire.

Whether or not seeds and equipment are available and the right window for planting season is seized will determine when land can be rehabilitated.

For more information about Utah wildfires visit: www.utahfireinfo.gov. For information about firewise plants, visit: extension.usu. edu/forestry/reading/assets/pdfdocs/nr_ff/nrff002.pdf.

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E-mail: nhale@desnews.com, sspeckman@desnews.com