Manti‑La Sal Forest Service outlines large timber program to remove beetle‑killed trees, expand commercial sales and reduce fuels

Mike Scotter, a timber program staffer with the Manti‑La Sal National Forest, told the Emery County Public Lands Council that the Forest Service is expanding a long‑running fuels‑reduction program across the forest to remove large volumes of beetle‑killed spruce and other dying stands and to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

At a council meeting, Scotter said the work focuses on the forest’s North zone — roughly the area from Interstate 70 down toward Highway 6 and the Wasatch Plateau — and that the service has established a 20‑year master plan to treat high‑priority watersheds, wildland‑urban interface sites and other areas. “We’re doing a lot of work on the North zone … a lot of the work that we’re doing is fuels reduction using timber, as a means to do that timber harvest,” Scotter said.

The Forest Service described three main tools: prescribed fire and fuels work, stewardship agreements (including partnerships with state agencies), and a substantial increase in commercial timber sales. Officials said the agency is using commercial sales where smoke and safety concerns limit prescribed burning — for example near Spring City, mine ventilation shafts and a major 345 kV transmission corridor. “We can’t use fire for all of our fuels reduction, because of the wildland‑urban interface,” a presenter said.

Why it matters: council members and forest staff said dead spruce from historic spruce beetle outbreaks and other insect mortality have left extensive continuity of fuels that can generate fast, severe fires and severe post‑fire erosion. Presenters cited the 2012 Seely (Seeley) fire as an example of the rehabilitation costs and downstream sediment impacts that follow high‑severity fire, and argued that proactive removal and fuel‑breaks will reduce those risks.

What the plan would do: maps shown at the meeting identified roughly 60,000 acres already covered by completed environmental analysis (displayed as orange polygons) and roughly 100,000 acres of proposed analysis (purple polygons). Staff said currently treated and sold timber cells appear across that band, and that the program aims to keep industry supplied so sawmills and loggers can operate year‑to‑year. One presenter described volumes in the range of tens of thousands of CCF (hundreds of truckloads) in some cells and noted that, on average, a 10 CCF increment is about one truckload.

Industry, contracts and timing: Forest staff and commissioners discussed the mechanics of building a timber industry to haul and process this wood. Presenters said it takes roughly $8–$10 million to establish one timber processing site (mills/trucks/equipment) and that the Forest Service has shifted to longer contracts — commonly up to 10 years — so companies can justify the capital investment. Contractors described daily aspirations of 30–40 truckloads during the summer logging season and said that longer contracts and larger sales allow them to finance equipment and mills. Staff said contracts can allow harvest at any point during the contract term (for example year 2 or 5 of a 10‑year contract) and that the agency balances contract length against on‑the‑ground urgency.

Access, permits and local users: commissioners and attendees pressed the Forest Service on access to roadside piles and temporary roads, and on the scope of wood permits. A commissioner asked whether small operators or private citizens could purchase small lots of trees for local sawmills or firewood. Josh Drake, a forester based in Ephraim, said the agency is trying to maximize opportunities for people who want firewood or small‑scale timber: “any person … that’s looking to get trees, firewood, anything like that, we’re gonna try and put them wherever we can.” But staff also explained legal and environmental constraints: temporary roads built for logging often must be fully rehabilitated when the contractor leaves, which can make piles placed off main roads inaccessible for public wood permit holders.

Trail and recreation concerns: council members repeatedly asked that trail systems, recreation access and riparian areas be prioritized for reclamation after harvest. Presenters said rehabilitation is part of contracts to “an extent” and noted that some temporary roads and trail segments will be improved, regraded for drainage and then monitored. Commissioners urged the Forest Service to design contracts so contractors would finish and reclaim individual canyons rather than spreading work over many separate cells, arguing that concentrating work would allow roads, trails and stream crossings to be restored sooner.

Environmental and legal constraints: presenters cited several policy drivers: the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, the Forest Products Modernization Strategy and the need to coordinate with tribes and state agencies. They noted practical limits such as Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRA) that complicate mechanized treatments and said the agency has sought exceptions and worked to develop creative methods (high‑flotation equipment, limited heli‑operations) to access steep or roadless terrain. Staff also acknowledged that some large projects (the “Skyline heifer” project mentioned at the meeting) remain in objection or review and that national administrative pauses can slow NEPA scoping and decision activity.

Costs and benefits: presenters emphasized a cost tradeoff: large, proactive removal and restoration carry upfront costs for roads and temporary infrastructure, but staff argued those costs are far smaller than the emergency suppression and downstream rehabilitation costs after a stand‑replacing fire. The Forest Service said commercial sales generate revenue that helps fund work and support local jobs, including seasonal positions for nearby college students.

Remaining questions and next steps: commissioners asked how long the dead trees remain merchantable; staff said markets and secondary users (for example local log home builders and small mills) have extended usable life spans perhaps another decade in places, but that the agency is working to move material sooner rather than later. Officials invited local leaders to take field trips and encouraged the county to coordinate on contract language that better protects trails and cultural sites.

Votes and formal actions at the meeting: the council approved two sets of meeting minutes (Dec. 3 and Feb. 7) by motion and voice vote. The motions passed with members saying “Aye” and no recorded opposition; the meeting record did not specify a numeric tally.

Who spoke: Forest Service presenters Mike Scotter and Josh Drake led the technical presentation and answered detailed questions; multiple county commissioners and local stakeholders asked about permits, trails and contract terms. Staff offered to continue the discussion with county representatives and take local concerns up the Forest Service chain of command.

Ending: Forest Service staff requested continued local input on sale design, trail locations and reclamation priorities and said they would escalate some contract and policy questions internally. Commissioners and residents asked the Forest Service to provide clearer permit guidance, more accessible wood‑permit opportunities where possible, and tighter contract requirements to restore trails and roads promptly after harvest.