From 2000 to 2015 , four times as many wildfires were started along roads in Utah as in remote national forests, according to an analysis of government data by the Wilderness Society. The areas requiring attention most are forests with roads and lands near the urban wildland interface. These are proven strategies recommended by the National Fire Protection Association in its Firewise USA program, co-sponsored by the Forest Service, the Interior Department and the National Association of State Foresters. For instance, the Forest Service approved the cutting and sale of beetle-infested spruce trees on 19,000 acres in several Utah roadless areas and road access in another roadless area to a phosphate mine. Those were among 23 requests approved by the Forest Service in 2017 and 2018 for timber harvesting or road construction in roadless areas in Utah.

Source: New York Times May 21, 2019 21:45 UTC