Salt Lake County has announced plans for upcoming prescribed burns on two parcels located in Big Cottonwood Canyon and Millcreek Canyon. According to an October 8 statement, these controlled fires are being conducted to increase canyon resilience against uncontrollable wildfires.
The planned burns are being executed through a partnership between Salt Lake County, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL), the U.S. Forest Service, and the Unified Fire Authority. The two specific parcels were purchased through the Parks and Recreation Open Space program.
Prescribed burns are described as deliberate, carefully planned fires set under specific moisture and weather conditions. Crews monitor the sites for days or weeks following the burn to ensure control.
The shift toward prescribed burns comes as land managers move away from the full suppression approach used during most of the last century. While rapid suppression was once the standard, it allowed dead wood, dense undergrowth, and overcrowded tree stands to accumulate.
This accumulation of fuel can cause future wildfires to burn hotter and spread faster. By intentionally reducing built-up fuel through controlled burns, managers aim to lower the odds of ignition and slow the spread of future fires, providing responders with more time to protect homes and position crews.
The ecological necessity of fire is evidenced by species like the lodgepole pine, which is native to the Central Wasatch. The tree relies on fire to melt the resin on its cones to release seeds, making fire essential for its reproduction.
Fire has historically shaped western forests by clearing dead brush and small trees, recycling nutrients into the soil, and creating space for new growth. Many ecosystems in the region evolved to function around fire rather than in spite of it.
