Pile burning planned in Panguitch to restore wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire risk
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KANAB, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Kanab Field Office will conduct prescribed-fire pile burn operations within the previously hand-thinned vicinity of South Canyon, south of Panguitch near Highway 143, when favorable weather and personnel conditions exist.
“We will continue working with our partners to restore critical wildlife habitat and to reduce wildfire risk,” said Kanab Field Office Manager Whit Bunting. “This proactive action is part of a multi-year, multi-phase project that will reduce hazardous accumulations of cut vegetation, continuing to improve restoration efforts near Panguitch.”
Burning slash piles also provides opportunities for firefighters to be successful in the event of a wildfire during the summer months, while reducing the threat to nearby infrastructure. Operations will only occur under conditions that minimize the potential spread and impacts to air quality. Smoke will likely be visible from multiple areas surrounding Panguitch and Highway 143 during the planned fire and for a few days after.
“Maintenance through additional thinning will be needed in this location and in other areas where we are actively treating public lands for future rangeland health,” said Bunting.
To restore Utah’s landscapes in a meaningful way, all vegetation management projects are planned and coordinated through the many land management agencies, partners, wildlife groups and private stakeholders of Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative. Pile burning updates will be provided on Twitter @UtahWildfire on active burn days. Please reference #SouthCanyonRx for updated information.
For more information on preventing unwanted human-caused wildfires and updates on fire-related information throughout the state of Utah, visit www.UtahFireInfo.gov. You can also visit www.UtahFireSense.org for more ways to enhance your “Fire Sense” and help prevent human-caused wildfires.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.