West Desert District Office
| Contacts: | Teresa Rigby | , 801-232-9252 |
Pile Burn Planned for Salt Lake County
Salt Lake City, Utah—Favorable weather is expected to provide a window for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah to burn juniper brush piles in southwest Salt Lake County as early as Wednesday, February 20, 2013. BLM-Utah fire managers plan to continue burning approximately 150 acres of slash near the community of Hi-Country Estates southwest of Herriman City. Approximately 12 acres were completed in January.
Pile burning may continue for several days, and some smoke may be visible from across the Salt Lake Valley. Fire crews will monitor burn piles following ignition. Before conducting prescribed fires, including pile burns, the BLM Utah coordinates closely with the National Weather Service and Utah Division of Air Quality to ensure proper conditions exist for smoke dispersal, and fire crews will monitor burn piles following ignition. More information on this pile burning project can be found at: www.utahfireinfo.gov.
The piles are a by-product of thinning projects conducted to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire to local communities by breaking up the continuity of the encroaching juniper woodland. BLM-Utah fire managers have completed similar thinning treatments over the last several years, which helps restore sagebrush ecosystems in the area, as well as reduce wildfire risk.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
West Desert District Office 2370 South 2300 West Salt Lake City, UT 84119