A multi-site fire mitigation update presented to the Duchesne County Commission on Oct. 27 laid out current and planned fuel-reduction work centered on a 17-acre county parcel on old Highway 40 and other nearby treatment areas.

Emergency management staff said crews have cut, slashed and chipped vegetation, created roughly 30–50 slash piles on the 17-acre site and prepared mosaic mowing and firebreaks to widen access and reduce fuels. "They've done an outstanding job of getting cleared up," said Levi McKee, who described pile-making and pre-burn preparation. Staff said they plan to burn the piles when weather and air conditions permit and will notify nearby residents, including an individual on oxygen, before ignition.

The presentation mapped completed and planned work through 2027. Staff identified Big Pinion as a rework site (repiling and removing standing trunks), Sam's Wash as a chipping/maintenance area and the 17-acre parcel as a staging area labeled in staff materials as the Pinion Ridge Staging Area for use by response crews and public egress if needed.

Staff reported about 31.74 acres worked so far in 2025 and gave an average cost of roughly $6,000–$7,000 per acre to date, noting equipment purchases will lower unit costs once crews are fully mobilized. The presentation included prior-year figures that staff compiled for 2022 and 2023 and a multi-year total; meeting remarks described those prior totals as an accounting summary rather than a finalized audit.

Commissioners and staff discussed using county signage to show completed work, counting mitigation performed voluntarily by private landowners as credit toward the county's totals if properly documented, and tying county crews to larger state projects such as Tabby Mountain and other fuels projects. A commissioner asked staff to coordinate with the planning department to confirm whether approaches and contractor work related to oilfield access roads have been completed and paid, so the county can enforce compliance conditions where necessary.

Staff said the county will continue to submit updated maps to the state as areas move from planned to completed, and that they expect to continue mitigation as a sustained, ongoing program similar to road maintenance. No formal policy action or funding allocation was taken at the meeting; the presentation was informational and commissioners expressed general support for continuing the program.

Provenance: First related remarks at 15:56 into the meeting and the last related remarks at 43:30 (presentation Q&A and close).