ST. GEORGE — The Bureau of Land Management announced in a press release issued last week plans for burning slash piles in Cedar City and Panguitch when favorable weather and personnel conditions exist.
Cedar City project
The BLM Color Country District plans to burn slash piles from a previous hand thinning project, located immediately below the Cedar Highlands Subdivision, southeast of Cedar City on BLM administered public lands.
“Community wildfire protection is of highest priority to the agency and our commitment to reduce hazardous fuels (vegetation) on public lands near Cedar Highlands goes back 21 years,” Color Country District Fuels Program Manager Shawn Peterson said in the news release.
This proactive work will reduce hazardous accumulations of flammable vegetation below residential homes and private property in a high-risk wildfire area, the news release states, while also creating an opportunity for firefighters to be successful in the event of a wildfire during the summer months.
Personnel will burn multiple slash piles within a 200-acre area, under conditions that minimize the potential of fire spread and minimal impacts to air quality. Smoke will likely be visible from multiple areas of Cedar City and Interstate 15 during the planned fire and for a few days after.
“We are also working to expand the footprint of our mechanical treatments in future years to further reduce wildfire risk to private property, infrastructure and to recent recreation improvements on public lands,” Peterson added.
Pile burning updates will be provided on Twitter @UtahWildfire on active burn days. Reference #CedarHighlandsRx for updated information.
Pile burning planned in Panguitch
BLM Kanab Field Office will conduct prescribed-fire pile burn operations within the previously hand-thinned vicinity of South Canyon, south of Panguitch near Highway 143, when favorable weather and personnel conditions exist.
“We will continue working with our partners to restore critical wildlife habitat and to reduce wildfire risk,” Kanab Field Office Manager Whit Bunting said in the news release. “This proactive action is part of a multi-year, multi-phase project that will reduce hazardous accumulations of cut vegetation, continuing to improve restoration efforts near Panguitch.”
Burning slash piles also provides opportunities for firefighters to be successful in the event of a wildfire during the summer months, while reducing the threat to nearby infrastructure. Operations will only occur under conditions that minimize the potential spread and impacts to air quality. Smoke will likely be visible from multiple areas surrounding Panguitch and Highway 143 during the planned fire and for a few days after.
“Maintenance through additional thinning will be needed in this location and in other areas where we are actively treating public lands for future rangeland health,” Bunting added.
According to the press release, to restore Utah’s landscapes in a meaningful way, all vegetation management projects are planned and coordinated through the many land management agencies, partners, wildlife groups and private stakeholders of Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative.
Pile burning updates will be provided on Twitter @UtahWildfire on active burn days. Reference #SouthCanyonRx for updated information.
For more information on preventing unwanted human-caused wildfires and updates on fire-related information throughout the state of Utah, visit this website. Information can also be found at this link for more ways to enhance citizens’ “Fire Sense” and help prevent human-caused wildfires.