Courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service
Forest officials announced they would burn about 30 acres in coming weeks near the Mirror Lake Highway to preserve one of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache Forest’s only native Ponderosa Pine stands.
Crews will torch thick undergrowth near the pines, including juniper and lodgepole pines, according to a prepared statement from the U.S. Forest Service. The stand is near the highway east of Kamas between the Lower Provo overlook and the Soapstone Basin turnoff. The goal is to preserve the genetic diversity of the trees and reduce the risk of wildfire near the roadway.
It is one of several projects happening in the forest that aim to reduce the risk of wildfires or improve the health of rivers.