SOUTHERN UTAH – The Bureau of Land Management, Color Country District, began work this week to rehabilitate an area near New Harmony that was burned by wildfire in June 2012.
This practice is frequently applied to fire zones 50 acres or larger and is done after the end of the fire season.
2012 affected areas
New Harmony Fire – 196 acres
Quail Fire – 1,388 acres
Reserve Fire – 2,976 acres
Toquerville Fire – 113 acres
White Rock Fire – 4,017 acres
Circleville Fire – 94 acres
Baboon Fire – 19,778 acres
The rehabilitation attempts to restart growth in burned areas by dropping grasses and plant seeds from a helicopter, which are then worked into the soil by chain harrows. A machine called a bullhog then cuts and mulches dead trees. Displaced animals will also be helped by the BLM’s efforts, including big game species, birds and endangered species such as the sage grouse.
“We will (also) be implementing treatments in (areas not burned) as a proactive measure to protect communities from future wildfires and promote rangeland productivity,” said Nick Howell, a Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist with the BLM.” Communities at risk of wildfire are always at the top of the priority list when rehabilitating Southern Utah’s wildfire areas.”
Throughout the remainder of 2012, the BLM will continue emergency stabilization and rehabilitation efforts for an approximate total of 30,000 acres of land in Southern Utah.
For more information, visit Utah Fire Info.
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2012, all rights reserved.
Nature is perfectly capable of ‘recovering’ without the ineptitude of the BLM in the mix.