The U.S. Forest Service’s Heber-Kamas Ranger District conducted prescribed burns near the West Fork of the Duchesne River Oct. 8-10, and it produced a lot of smoke.
Forest Service fuels officer Riley Bergseng said crews were burning nearly 1,000 acres as part of a watershed restoration project.
“The intent is to create resiliency, improve stand conditions, especially targeting the aspen in that area, so that we have less risk for severe wildfire,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Oct. 9.
The large, controlled fires are called broadcast burns.
Berseng said fire suppression over the past 100 years has allowed vegetation to build up, increasing the risk of more severe wildfires. Those large fires can damage watersheds and affect how water flows through the landscape.
“Our biggest concern, especially on the north slope of the Uintas, is if we get a fire in the wrong place, that’s going to take out all of those drainages,” he said. “Bear River is another very critical watershed and river that supplies hundreds of thousands of people their water.”
The extra growth that was typically controlled by natural wildfires, is also affecting the wildlife.
“That area is a big elk and mule deer habitat migration corridor, and they really like to feed off of the aspen, and so that's what we're targeting is all that encroached conifer that's choking out the aspen,” he said.
The burn at the West Fork of the Duchesne River is expected to wrap up Saturday, Oct. 10.
Bergseng said Summit County and the Forest Service will also team up next fall for a larger burn pile project.
