BLM and USWFS Launch Prescribed Burn Season across Utah

The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service will begin prescribed fire operations throughout Utah as weather, fuel, and air quality become favorable. Operations will continue throughout the fall and winter. These treatments are carefully planned to reduce hazardous fuels, protect nearby communities, and restore native ecosystems. Information about specific upcoming and active burns in Utah is available online. 

Techniques range from broadcast burning, which is the application of fire to an entire area, to hand and machine pile ignitions. These burns focus on increasing safety in the wildland-urban interface and restoring ecological function to the landscape. Targeting built-up fuels and residual materials from previous thinning operations decreases the load of dead trees, branches, and underbrush that pose significant wildfire risks.  

What the public should know 

• During prescribed burns, smoke may settle in low-lying areas overnight. 

• Residents are encouraged to close windows at night to avoid smoke impacts. 

• When driving in smoky areas, drivers should slow down and turn on headlights. 

• People with heart or lung disease, asthma, or other chronic conditions should ask their doctors about protecting themselves from smoke and should monitor their local air quality map. 

All burns are carried out when weather, fuel conditions, and air quality are within specific parameters. Firefighters use a combination of natural features and constructed control lines to keep the fire contained, with protocols in place to minimize smoke impacts on nearby communities. 

For more information, contact the BLM District Office or the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Geographic Area associated with the burn.