Saturday morning’s blizzard conditions did much to limit visibility on Interstate 80, but very little could hide the six flaming beacons writhing just above Woodward Park City, their orange flames stark against the white snow. Because, while most of the Wasatch Back kept warm in their beds — or braved the storm for Deer Valley Resort’s opening day — four Apex Fire Preparedness crew members took advantage of the ideal conditions to complete a pile burning project on Summit County-owned Robert’s Parcel. The 5.2-acre operation, visible from the highway and nearby neighborhoods, is part of a broader effort to reduce wildfire risk in the lower Pinebrook area, said County Lands and Natural Resource Director Jessica Kirby. And actually, this time, it wasn’t Summit County’s idea. “The fuels project was put together through a collaboration with Pinebrook and some work that they’ve been doing in their open space. And so their masters association reached out to Summit County a couple of years ago and asked if we would work together on doing some cross-boundary work,” she said. Pinebrook leaders and homeowners have pushed for fire mitigation and forestry work on their open spaces since 2018, with 1,500 acres of land in need of management and 600 acres under the homeowners association’s care. Over the past few years, cutting, piling and burning projects in Pinebrook have removed the excess vegetation that posed the greatest risk to the neighborhood. But since fire knows no boundaries, collaborative work with neighbors is another key step in creating a fuel break — an area with less vegetation that would burn in the case of a fire, lowering the fire’s intensity and making it safer for first responders to fight the blaze. Credit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park Record Credit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park Record Conner Nelson is the cofounder of Apex Fire Preparedness. He led the pile burning operation at Robert’s Parcel on Saturday. Like much of the Wasatch Back, Robert’s Parcel had cases of beetle-killed trees, lack of fire disturbance and excess overgrowth that caused potential fire risk, especially to the nearby homes, Kirby said.  Pinebrook did most of the legwork, and the county just needed to give them permission to go on the land. So in May, with funds secured from a Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative grant, a crew came in to cut and pile some of the dead trees, dense undergrowth and thin out a crowded fir stand. 150 piles were left to cure — dry out so they would burn more efficiently and with less smoke — and wait for safe burning conditions, usually spring or fall when snow moisture and storm cycles ensure less impact on the surrounding vegetation and community.  And Saturday was one of those days. Apex co-founder Connor Nelson led the burn over the weekend. Nelson and co-owner Trevor Searle, who worked together on a wildland fire hand crew for four years before forming the company, are now in their fourth season providing fuels-reduction services. They explained that with a high-visibility project like Robert’s Parcel, communication was key. “We try and talk to all the neighbors beforehand,” Nelson said, gesturing to the nearby Discovery Ridge homes and Woodward. “It’s definitely one of those things where people are a little concerned about controlled burns still, so trying to get out and talk to people and make them less concerned before we start burning is always good.” Signs were also posted on roads and trailheads, but it didn’t prevent the Park City Fire District from getting swamped with calls, and they dispatched a few officers to ensure the burn was still going as planned. Baylor Mitchell lights a pile Saturday morning using a drip torch, a common controlled burn tool that uses a burning fuel to get fire started quicker on often-wet piles. Mitchell is a Utah native who joined the Apex Fire Preparedness crew. Credit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park RecordApex Fire Preparedness crew member Poppy Snow checks for any wandering flames. When piles are lit in more forested areas that have less snow cover, one crew member stays and “babysits” the flames to ensure the piles burn how they should. Credit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park Record The piles themselves were built with a newer technique that incorporates wax paper roughly three-quarters of the way up the stack. Nelson said the layer helps keep the pile’s interior dry even after snowfall, making it easier to ignite later in the season. Crews used drip torches filled with a three-to-one diesel-and-gasoline blend — diesel helps the flame burn longer and penetrate deeper into the pile. At just an hour and a half in, some 6-feet-tall piles had already burned through, he said, and once roaring, it was plenty warm.   Because some of the piles sit relatively close to homes, the team ignited those more slowly and monitored them throughout the day to make sure they behaved as expected. Nelson said they would light piles around 50 at a time, spacing out the ignition so they could keep an eye on their progress but also to have breaks between peak smoke outputs. Apex Fire Preparedness Connor Nelson said some of the piles on the 5.2-acre parcel had burned almost all the way through after just an hour. Credit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park Record After the burn day, Apex crews planned to return daily until every pile is completely cold, mixing snow into any remaining hotspots.  Kirby said Robert’s Parcel was one of the earliest open-space acquisitions in the Snyderville Basin, purchased in 2005, and is protected under a conservation easement held by Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District, which also manages the trails there. But if Pinebrook hadn’t reached out, Kirby said they probably wouldn’t have gotten that work done this year. “It wasn’t a high priority for Summit County because we just didn’t have the capacity to get on that property,” she said. “Having Pinebrook reach out and be those partners was really how we got through the finish line.” Saturday’s burn project was highly visible from I-80, even during the early morning snow storm. Park City Fire District received numerous reports of smoke and flames and came to make sure everything was under control. Credit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park RecordCredit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park RecordWith high visibility pile burn projects like the one at Robert’s Parcel, crews put up signs that inform the public on their work. They also communicate beforehand with the appropriate city and county channels for permitting. Credit: Katie Hatzfeld/Park Record The post Pile burning on Robert’s Parcel reduces fuels neighboring Pinebrook appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less