Malpractice in Utah forest management

If you’d like to take action on this topic, you can express your views to:

Joel Ferry, Utah Department of Natural Resources Director
joelferry@utah.gov
801-538-7201

Governor Cox
https://cs.utah.gov/s/submit
801-538-1000

Field-level DNR employees:

redgel@utah.gov
tylerthompson@utah.gov
jasonvernon@utah.gov
danieleddington@utah.gov

Is logging, “thinning,” and burning really the way to reduce wildfire risk? If it seems counterintuitive, that’s because it is. If it seems like climate malpractice, that’s because it is. If it seems like an air pollution nightmare, that’s because it is. If it seems like exactly the wrong thing for state and federal agencies to be doing even more than ever before, that’s because it is.

Controlled burns can lead to poor air quality, exacerbating respiratory conditions and causing health problems for individuals with pre-existing respiratory issues. Smoke and particulate matter generated during controlled burns can have adverse effects on human health, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and individuals with respiratory conditions. Wood smoke is some of the most toxic pollution a person can breathe, having parallel impacts as smoking cigarettes. 

Multiple federal and state agencies are engaged in widespread forest “thinning/restoration” and prescribed burns that damage our forests, exacerbate the climate crisis, intensify flooding and drought, and are an assault on public health.