By the time the Monroe Canyon Fire was contained in September 2025, it had burned more than 73,000 acres, forced dozens of evacuations, shut down trails and pushed Utah’s already strained air quality to significantly poorer levels.
As a lifelong Utahn who has recreated in our forests my entire life, I have witnessed these effects firsthand and with too much frequency. In my role as president of the University of Utah’s branch of the American Conservation Coalition, much of my time is focused on researching science-based, bipartisan solutions to better steward our natural landscape.
Through a deep care and investment in our forests, it is clear to me that proactively stewarding these resources will benefit our state in countless ways.
Much of the destruction and distress of these wildfires can be avoided in the future through a strong focus on active forest management. The forests of our Beehive State are not museums, and they should not be treated as such. They are living landscapes — shaped by constantly shifting ecosystems — and they require active attention. They are our neighbors, residing upstream and upwind of where most Utahns live, work and recreate. In 2026, a passive stance on forest management is not neutrality; it is a decision to accept larger, more severe wildfires, degraded watersheds and declining forest resilience.
Active forest management is our best option to ensure the longevity of our great state.
Active forest management involves the intentional and responsible use of tools such as selective thinning, prescribed fire, strategic fuel breaks and forest structure restoration. When applied thoughtfully, these steps reduce wildfire severity, help secure drinking water supplies and improve overall forest health.
The urgency for these practices continues to grow across the West as Utah’s forests face a growing number of threats, among the most pressing of these threats is increasingly severe wildfire. The science is clear: Proactive treatments that reduce fuels — especially when thinning is paired with prescribed fire — can significantly reduce wildfire severity and remain effective for years, even under extreme fire weather. Wildfire author and expert Zeke Lunder even hypothesizes that a specific focus on similar proactive fuel treatments could have greatly reduced and even avoided the impacts of the Monroe Canyon fire in 2025.
When fires like Monroe Canyon burn at high severity, the damage extends far beyond trees. Post-fire erosion and sediment can rapidly degrade streams and reservoirs, driving up water treatment costs and threatening water security.
These consequences are already affecting Utahns as we face historic drought. Reservoirs are running low, snowpack is far below average and by sending ash and sediment into our already limited water supply, wildfires threaten the dwindling drinking water of millions along the Wasatch Front.
Beyond the more immediate risks, these side effects threaten our outdoor recreation economy and overall way of life. Public lands are a cornerstone of Utah’s identity, but growing recreational use increases pressure to maintain safe access, minimize closures, and ensure healthy, resilient landscapes. Without proactive care for our forests, we cannot consistently meet these requirements.
At its core, active forest management is community insurance. Responsible stewardship of our forests offers practical, measurable solutions to these challenges. We can see a 62-72% decrease in wildfire severity in areas that have been actively treated. These benefits will directly help Utahns protect our investments in the state, whether they be physical, emotional, or financial.
If active forest management is community insurance, then Utah should fund and govern it like any other essential risk-reduction system. Our Beehive values — stewardship over neglect, outcomes over optics and resilience over reaction — must guide our approach.
It is time to put those values into practice by committing to the responsible stewardship of our public lands through active forest management.
(Joey Menning) Joey Menning is a University of Utah student and the president of its branch of the American Conservation Coalition.
Joey Menning is a University of Utah student and the president of its branch of the American Conservation Coalition.
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