Stage 1 fire restrictions finally lifted for Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
On Sept. 2, the stage one fire restrictions on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest were finally lifted.
This means campfires or charcoal fires in developed and undeveloped recreation sites are now allowed for anyone within those boundaries, including Logan Canyon.
This announcement comes after reports of recent rainfall reducing the number of large wildfires and human-caused fires in this specific region.
The forest service said they understand hunting season is also approaching and people will probably want to be able to head up into the mountains and can cook their food.
Despite the rainfall and cooling weather, local fire rangers are still concerned for drought in the upcoming months. Logan district ranger Jennefer Parker said September can be a very busy month, and warned that we are still in the heat of fire season.
Parker cautioned citizens to be just as careful, if not more, dealing with fire now as they would’ve in the past.And although the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache areas have seen some rain recently, the region is still considered to be in a significant drought and compared to other forests, these rainfall numbers are very low.
“Our long-term forecast shows it’s supposed to stay relatively dry, so human-caused fires are still going to be a concern,” Parker said.
On the flip side, the forest service does want to commend the public for their efforts in drastically decreasing human-caused fires.
For some students at Utah State University, this gives them something to look forward to before winter starts to set in. Ethan Barker, a USU student, happens to be one of those individuals.
“I went camping last weekend and was actually able to have a fire,” Barker said. “Of course, still taking things with a grain of salt and not lighting everything on fire. But it was great to finally roast marshmallows and cook Dutch ovens.”
However, for other students, like Elise Vandenberghe, they are a bit more wary of the ban being lifted and are worried the lack of restrictions has put the forest in danger.
Moving forward, the Logan Ranger District advised everyone to still be extremely careful when dealing with fire.
Parker urged all students to take water with them when they head to the mountains because they won’t find much water anywhere else. Despite the rain, most of the streams are dried up and therefore will be no help if you plan to use them to put out your fire.
Parker said anyone who starts a fire to fully extinguish it and stay with it until it is fully put out.
“People can be held responsible for those costs, and you don’t want to have that happen,” she said.
Even now the Forest Service is still experiencing escaped campfires and reaffirm that wildfire is always a risk. Thus, in the spirit of keeping our forests safe, Parker reminded all students, community members and camp lovers, to keep using their “fire sense.”
-Brielle.carr@usu.edu