'Snags' put strain on Western states, force fire crews to shift tactics

ALBANY, Wyo. — Vast stands of dead timber in the Western U.S. have forced firefighters to shift tactics, trying to stay out of the shadow of lifeless, unstable trees that could come crashing down with deadly force.About 6.3 billion dead trees are still standing in 11 Western states, up from 5.8 billion five years ago, according to U.S. Forest Service statistics compiled for the Associated Press. There are more than 400 million standing dead trees in Utah, the report found.Since 2010, a mas