Forest service conducts 1,000 acre controlled burn in Uintas

U.S. Forest Service fuels officer Riley Bergseng talks about a large prescribed burn in the Uintas that will likely be visible to the public. Bergseng says an ongoing 1,000-acre broadcast burn near the West Fork of the Duchesne River. Unlike pile burning, he says the project uses hand and aerial ignition to mimic natural fire patterns. The goal is to remove encroaching conifers to restore aspen habitats and increase wildfire resiliency. A controlled burn approach helps prevent severe wildfires that cause devastating soil erosion and watershed damage. The project involves multi-agency cooperation and is expected to conclude by Saturday, pending weather conditions. Future efforts include large-scale pile burning in the western Uintas and cleanup burns in Mill Creek and Big Cottonwood Canyon.