A controversial proposal that first surfaced in the 2023 Utah legislative session is once again being pushed by a GOP Salt Lake County councilwoman.
SALT LAKE CITY — A controversial proposal that first surfaced in the 2023 Utah legislative session is once again being pushed by GOP Salt Lake County Councilwoman Dea Theodore, who contends bush and tree thinning in the Great Salt Lake watershed will reduce the risk of wildfires, boost public safety and increase water yield.
Scientists have slammed Theodore's assertion that vegetation management — including that of conifers — will result in any quantifiable extra water.In February, the Great Salt Lake Strike Team Report released by the Kem Gardner Institute of Policy at the University of Utah conceded that forests in Utah are overgrown and increase the potential for high intensity wildfires.
While Julander did not say more active tree thinning will fill the Great Salt Lake, he made it clear that fewer straws in the pond means more water for streamflows if tree thinning is used as a strategic target. The amount of trees or brush that get the ax is contingent on resource management plans by government agencies, funding, impact to the environment and projected results. Depending on topography and multiple conditions, some scientists say thinning can impact water availability in an area.
Hurlow pointed to a study in central Oregon covering 12 years of treatment of pinyon and juniper pine that showed significant increases in spring flow and groundwater recharge. He added that improved local water yield should not be promoted as a reason to do thinning projects, but rather to improve landscape health such as sagebrush steppe in the Great Basin where pinyon and juniper encroachment harms the imperiled greater sage grouse.
"Ensuring safe havens from wildfires in the mountainous regions of the Wasatch is of utmost importance as much of the area is at high wildfire risk. Moreover, Little Cottonwood and Millcreek canyons lack secondary escape routes, while Big Cottonwood Canyon only has a seasonal, potentially insufficient route," she said.
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