Between the years 1970 and 2012 , Shoshone National Forest averaged 25 fires annually , of which half were due to natural ignition from lightning , which accounted for 90 percent of the total acreage burned . The remaining acreage that burned was due to campfires that got out of control or from other causes . In Shoshone National Forest , the highest fire incidence is generally in the months of August and September . An average of burns annually , with the worst year in the past century being 1988 , when burned from fires that had spread from the conflagration that engulfed Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding region . After the Yellowstone region fires of 1988 , an effort to identify areas of similar fire potential was implemented . Fire managers at Shoshone National Forest work with a number of outside agencies to incorporate fire restrictions , fuels management , and a controlled burn plans to reduce the chances of a catastrophic fire . The dead and dying trees which have been killed by various species of bark beetle may have a great impact on future forest fires . Fire managers have stated the worst time for increased fire activity is 1 – 2 years after the trees are killed and then again after the trees have fallen many years later
Yellowstone region fires of 1988
Yellowstone fires of 1988
Shoshone National Forest