Update on Fire Mitigation Work in Toll Canyon

The Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (“FFSL”) has partnered with Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District (“Basin Recreation”) and Utah Open Lands (“UOL”) to mitigate the risk and hazard of wildfire in the Toll Canyon Open Space. The project, which began in June and will be ongoing until complete, is treating an 80-foot corridor of forested open space along the emergency escape route between Summit Park and Pinebrook neighborhoods. The FFSL Hot Shot Fire Crews are work throughout the summer, clearing brush and hazardous trees and installing fire “breakaway” gates on either end of the escape route. This project has been funded by a FFSL Summit Fire Mitigation Grant.  The buffer being created by this project will serve to reduce the volume of surrounding forest vegetation (fuels) that present a fire hazard, while providing a safe exit in the case of a catastrophic fire to surrounding neighborhoods. It aims to reduce the homeowner’s exposure to wildfire and reduce the potential for fires to start in the treated areas. FFSL crews will also remove beetle-killed trees and thin dense growing conifers to improve forest health and enhance wildlife habitat in the area. A chipper is being utilized to dispose of the debris and redistribute the residue on the forest floor for recycling. Firewood rounds will be stacked on the road for a community collection. Contact Jess Kirby at jessica@basinrecreation.org for details how to collect the free firewood.