BLM Firewood and Pole Permits Available

Contact: Karen Bloom (435) 781-4423

Vernal, Utah—May 1, 2008—The Bureau of Land Management Vernal Field Office will begin selling firewood (personal and commercial use) and pole permits starting May 12. The BLM office is located at 170 South 500 East, Vernal.

When traveling, the public is encouraged to watch for sudden changes in road conditions due to spring rains.  Road conditions can change quickly causing travel difficult on secondary roads. Always:

• Stay on existing trails.
• Stay off existing trails when the soils are vulnerable from rain and snow.
• Keep your vehicle clean so weeds are not transferred from place to place.
• Avoid disturbing cryptobiotic soil. 

Riding responsibly and staying on roads and trails when soil conditions are moist or wet, even in areas that are considered "open," helps protect soil and water and your privilege to ride on public lands. Traveling responsibly with a clean vehicle prevents the transporting unwanted weed seeds from place to place.

Soils are one of our most precious commodities. Healthy soils are vital to a sustainable environment and are an essential resource for life.  Soil is a living entity providing water and nutrients for above ground plants and animals and below ground life which helps recycle nutrients and filter the air. 

Many of the soils on the Vernal BLM lands (Colorado Plateau) are very sensitive.  One such soil is the cryptobiotic (crypto meaning hidden) soil.  Cryptobiotic soil, although often referred to as “crust,” is alive. The crusts are a complex mosaic of cyanobacteria, green algae, lickens, mosses, microfungi and other bacteria.

The ecological functions of cryptobiotic soils, often referred to as “desert glue,” include preventing erosion, improving plant-soil-water relationships, contributing to nutrient cycling, seed germination and plant growth. Cryptobiotic soil can be difficult to recognize, but it has a black, lumpy appearance.

Driving on soil that is moist or saturated squeezes out the air and water, collapsing the minerals together and compacting the soil.  This destroys soil structure and affects the soils ability to absorb rainfall and provide essential air and moisture for plants and the below ground life essential to nutrient cycling.  Ruts created by vehicle tracks in wet soils can concentrate rainfall in the tracks, which increases its energy and erosive power.  When these roads and ruts intersect waterways, sediment is deposited in the streams affecting fish and other aquatic wildlife.