Press Release
Manti-La Sal National Forest fire officials plan to implement their fall/winter prescribed burning program across several locations throughout the forest, including the Sanpete, Ferron/Price, Moab and Monticello Ranger Districts.
The planned fall projects include broadcast burning on Trail Mountain east of Joe’s Valley Reservoir, New Canyon east of Ephraim, Shingle Mill west of Monticello and North Elk Ridge on the west side of the Monticello District. Additionally, pile burning will be conducted on multiple projects throughout the winter once snow levels are sufficient.
These projects are located throughout Sanpete, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties. The USDA Forest Service prioritizes preparations for hazardous fuels reduction treatments to be ready to execute when weather conditions are right. Manti-La Sal fire officials plan to take advantage of favorable burning conditions beginning in October and continuing through early spring of 2023, depending on weather and resource availability.
Manti-La Sal fire personnel have prepped more than 2,000 combined acres across all planned locations in anticipation of favorable burning conditions. Burns will be conducted through both ground and aerial ignition operations when site conditions and environmental conditions are within prescription.
For public and firefighter safety, signs will be posted along roadways where burning is taking place as well as road guards when necessary. Burning is planned for daytime to help limit visibility impacts from smoke to residences. Burning may occur during some weekend periods as well. Smoke may be visible.
Prescribed fires have short-term impacts to air quality but are always planned in coordination with state air quality regulations. This planning helps avoid smoke levels that would be considered harmful to smoke sensitive populations.
Prescribed burning is a proactive tool used to achieve a number of purposes, including the reduction of hazardous fuels, which decreases the threat of high intensity, high-severity wildfires. It also reduces the risk of insect and disease outbreak, recycles nutrients that increase soil productivity, improves wildlife habitat and supports Aspen restoration.
On Sept. 8, the Chief of the Forest Service, Randy Moore, announced that he had decided to conditionally resume the Forest Service’s prescribed fire program nationwide. The program had been paused on May 20 for a 90-day review to ensure that the agency’s prescribed fire program was anchored in the most contemporary science, policies, practices and decision-making processes. The review resulted in seven tactical recommendations that the agency has fully adopted.
These actions are now required actions for all Forest Service units to ensure that prescribed fire plans are up to date with the most recent science, that key factors and conditions are closely evaluated the day of a prescribed burn, and that decision makers are engaged in those burns in real time to determine whether a prescribed burn should be implemented.
Following the chief’s direction, the Manti-La Sal is currently implementing additional training and oversight for all personnel involved in prescribed fire projects. As conditions allow, the forest plans to resume its prescribed fire program this fall. The first planned burn will be the Trail Mountain Project near Joe’s Valley Reservoir. Approximately 2,000 acres at that location have been planned for aspen regeneration. The forest’s fire management team has been coordinating with state, county and private individuals on the upcoming prescribed fire.
Manti-La Sal officials coordinate all burning activities with internal agency partners, the Moab Fire Dispatch Center and external agency partners to time the project to coincide with favorable weather conditions and smoke dispersion. Local community residents and visitors to the forest can learn more about air quality and smoke by visiting www.airnow.gov.
For more information on the planned prescribed burns, please contact Sanpete Ranger District Office at (435) 283-4151, Ferron/Price Ranger District Office at (435) 384-2372, the Moab Ranger District Office at (435) 259-7155 or the Monticello Ranger District Office at (435) 587-2041.