GNA Spotlight - Utah, October 2026
Submitted by Taylor Moosman, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands
The Deer Springs Project began in 2024 through a Good Neighbor Authority Agreement between the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL) and the USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) Dixie National Forest. This 5-year project identified over 4,000 acres within the Powell Ranger District for hand and mechanical thinning to reduce wildfire risk, restore and maintain healthy forests, increase resilience to future disturbance, and improve wildlife habitat.
FFSL facilitated contractual services to complete the first milestone of this project, totaling 444 acres on the Paunsaugaunt Plateau, east of Alton, Utah, in 2025. The treatment included lopping and scattering of mixed conifers on National Forest lands, with the intent to reduce stand density by removing encroaching and undesirable species and to support stand health by mitigating the spread of Dwarf Mistletoe in infected trees. This phase is situated entirely within the top 20% of Utah’s Shared Stewardship Highest Priority Areas. The partnership between FFSL and the Forest Service has directly increased the pace and scale of project implementation while reducing cost and allowing for additional acres to be treated.
Future milestones through 2028 will take the same collaborative approach by capitalizing on partner strengths to accomplish desired results on National Forest and private lands in Kane County, UT. Objectives of the authorized vegetation management activities include mitigating fire risk to water quality, watershed health, wildlife habitat, and the wildland-urban interface.
For more information, contact Chris Petersen, WUI Specialist for Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands at chrispetersen@utah.gov or Dixie National Forest at (435) 865-3700.