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Clearing dead timber could prevent forest fires, experts say

Posted at 6:10 PM, May 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-29 00:11:59-04

A new restoration project proposed by Manti-La Sal National Forest will strip dead and diseased trees from a swath of Utah about the size of Bryce Canyon National Park.

The idea is to take out the most volatile fuel for potential wildfires which have grown in size, frequency and cost to fight.

“It is certainly more cost effective to be upfront and do the planning and implementation of a project like this than to wait for an uncharacteristic wildfire where the cost last year on this forest approached fifty million dollars,” said Ryan Nehl, Manti-La Sal National Forest Supervisor.

If you would like to see maps of the proposed area along with environmental analysis, go here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/nfs/11558/www/nepa/108095_FSPLT3_4647693.pdf