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Forest officials outline large timber‑sale and fuels‑reduction push to tackle spruce beetle mortality
Summary
Manti‑La Sal National Forest staff told the Emery County Public Lands Council they plan extensive mechanical and prescribed‑fire treatments over tens of thousands of acres to reduce wildfire risk after a spruce‑beetle epidemic killed much of the Engelmann spruce; staff stressed long contracts and industry capacity are required to remove dead timber safely.
Manti‑La Sal National Forest staff presented a multi‑decade timber‑management plan to the Emery County Public Lands Council on January 31, describing a large fuels‑reduction effort to address widespread spruce‑beetle mortality and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
In a 75‑minute presentation, Mike Scotter, a forester with the Manti‑La Sal forest, said the forest has focused in recent years on the spruce band above communities such as Mount Pleasant and Huntington Canyon and that warming trends and multiple beetle species have killed large swathes of high‑elevation Engelmann spruce. "We've had that spruce beetle epidemic, which has pretty much wiped out all of our spruce," a district forester said, adding the outbreak and historic fire suppression have increased risk across the landscape.
The Forest Service outlined a three‑pronged approach: prescribed fire and fuels crews, stewardship agreements (including Good Neighbor Agreements with the state), and commercial timber…
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