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State forester: monsoons provided pockets of relief, but fuels remain very dry and resources are thin
Summary
State Forester Jamie Barnes said monsoonal storms have improved humidity and brought rain in places, but dry fuels and low soil moisture persist; the nation is at preparedness level 5 and Utah's firefighting resources are thin because crews are committed elsewhere.
State Forester Jamie Barnes gave a situational briefing during the Utah League of Cities and Towns webinar on July 20, saying recent monsoonal activity produced localized improvements but did not eliminate wildfire risk across the state.
"We're in a better spot than we were when we talked about the last order... it's we've seen higher humidities in areas, and we have seen some areas that have got some considerable amount of rain," Barnes said. "But fuels are still dry. ... So we are thin on resources." She said the nation is at a national preparedness level of 5, driven by large fires in neighboring states and the Midwest, which has pulled firefighting resources away from Utah.
Barnes described the near-term outlook: humidities may fall and temperatures rise again after about July 27, which could increase fire starts and the potential for large acreage fires. She urged local leaders to factor both current conditions and local fire department resource availability into decisions about fireworks restrictions.
The briefing informed the discussion of the forester's pending fireworks order: officials said the statewide order will incorporate current conditions and that municipalities should document local hazards (dry fuels, low soil moisture) in their requests for expanded restrictions.
