As wildfire season comes to an end in Utah, conditions are optimal for authorities to start controlled burns — a mitigation method frequently used in Summit and Wasatch counties. Firefighters and U.S. Forest Service members determine which vegetation is a wildfire risk, pile it up to dry out, then, when conditions are right, they burn the piles.  “Pile burning is a good way for us to control fuel mitigation and fire behavior,” Wasatch Fire District Fire Warden Troy Morgan said. “We burn it on our own terms instead of having a massive wildfire.” Morgan said that before pile burning starts, crews evaluate the moisture of the vegetation that’s been collected and weather conditions like air quality, precipitation and winds. Late fall through early spring is the best time for these conditions.  Fire crews are less busy fighting fires during winter, so more people are available to monitor the controlled burns.  When deciding what to collect for pile burns and where to start, Morgan said firefighters prioritize “dead and downed” vegetation that’s already dried out and would be strong fuel for a forest fire.  Next, dense areas that could make fighting a fire extremely difficult and dangerous are thinned out. Morgan described potential trees that could become an “extreme wall of fire” if the area were to ignite. Sometimes, that means cutting down live trees.  “We do what’s best. We look at topography, vegetation, fuel loading, and then we mitigate it through best practices,” Morgan said. “It’s all science-based, how fire’s going to run uphill, how fire’s going to interact with this type of vegetation compared to a different type.” Another focus of pile burning is strengthening roads as firebreaks. “We already have a natural (firebreak), and it just helps secure that even more,” said Brenda Bushell, public information officer for the Heber-Kamas Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service. Bushell said recent efforts have been concentrated around Mirror Lake Highway and other higher elevation roads.  In addition to strengthening firebreaks, fuels management at these locations is particularly important because of the threat a wildfire could pose to recreation and watershed. Piles might vary at different elevations, but they’re built to reduce and control fuel if a wildfire were to spark.  Usually officials put out prescribed burn notices, and orange “controlled burn ahead” road signs in areas of active pile burning, but Bushell said it’s best to err on the side of caution if smoke is sighted, especially if no fire crews are in the area. Prescribed burn signs were placed during operations in Summit Park in 2023. Pile burning season in the Wasatch Back is usually fall and spring, when air and moisture conditions are safer for controlled burns. Credit: Park Record file photo by David Jackson If the public sees smoke, she said it’s best to report it to the forest service or nonemergency dispatch. Authorities track where burns happen each day, so if the caller describes the location, it will be easy for responders to know whether it’s a controlled burn.  Morgan advised people to stay away from ash piles after the burns because they can remain extremely hot long after the burn finishes. “I know a lot of people don’t like it,” Morgan continued, “but it’s a good way to eliminate the fuel loading and fight fires on our terms.” The post Pile burning season starts up around the Wasatch Back appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less