This summer, as smoke filled the skies, residents of Pine Valley in Washington County held their breath as the Forsyth Fire raged, a stark reminder of the ever-present threat of wildfire in Utah. In Sevier and Piute counties, the story was different. When the Monroe Canyon Fire ignited on Monroe Mountain, it was a test of a decade’s worth of foresight, hard work and investment. The outcome sends a clear and powerful message: Proactive forest management is critical to protecting our communities and natural resources.

For years federal agencies, private landowners, and many local partners and sportsman groups have been diligently working on Monroe Mountain. They thinned dense forests, conducted prescribed burns and strategically removed excess vegetation. This wasn’t a response to an emerge

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