Long after wildfires are put out, impacts are felt in the environment. Debris flows, charred landscapes, threatened watersheds and, of course, longstanding impacts on wildlife are some of the issues in the aftermath of fires.
The Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative works to clean up after fires. In 2024 and 2025, it restored nearly 150,000 acres, improving high priority watersheds.
Created in 2006, this Utah Department of Natural Resources partnership-based program focuses on:
"These proactive projects to improve wildlife habitat and watershed health throughout the state are crucial, not only for our fish and wildlife species, but also for the residents of Utah," Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative Program Director Tyler Thompson said.
"It takes a great deal of coordination and funding to make these projects possible, and we are very grateful to our many partners and their continued support of wildlife conservation and improving water quality. Along with proactive improvement projects, we also do a lot of work to restore areas impacted by wildfires, like we saw this year. These efforts are vital for maintaining healthy ecosystems."
The state has been acting diligently to stop cataclysmic results from an out-of-control wildfire on the urban Wasatch Front, particularly the Big and Little Cottonwood canyons.
But it is not easy, especially when you have so many players involved, including the federal government, state agencies, county and city government and homeowners, all with a different vested interest.
Authorities want to prevent outcomes like the Tubbs Fire in northern California in 2017, which saw 5,636 buildings lost, or the Camp Fire, also in northern California, which was even more disastrous. The Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.
The Camp Fire lasted 18 days; 85 people were killed, and the town of Paradise lost 18,804 structures -- 85 percent of its buildings. There were 754 structures the fire did not totally destroy, but even in buildings that did not burn, it was often necessary to remediate interior smoke exposure.
The Utah Watershed Initiative wants to not only mitigate risks but provide a solid landing to restore landscapes.
In the last year, its accomplishments include:
Over $31 million in funding was invested by more than 63 partners to pay for the different restoration projects. Part of the funding for these projects comes from the DWR Habitat Council, which is funded by a portion of revenue from the fees that customers pay for licenses, permits, stamps and certificates of registration. Other funding partners include the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, conservation groups and many other non-government organizations.
Habitat work through the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative includes:
Reseeding efforts are currently underway for areas impacted by this year's wildfires, including the Monroe Canyon Fire, France Canyon Fire, Forsyth Fire, Deer Creek Fire, Willard Peak Fire and others through this effort.
Since 2006, this program has improved nearly three million acres of Utah's landscapes through more than 2,900 restoration projects. Visit the WRI website to see where these projects have taken place across the state.