2 fires on marshes — 1 planned, 1 wild

There were two fires on the Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area recently — one scheduled, one unscheduled.

One was the second in a four-step program to eliminate phragmites (pronounced frag-mite-ees), a plant that has become a serious threat to Utah's marshes.

The second was a wildfire of undetermined origin and rates as one of the largest in Weber County — approximately 3,200 acres.

The two fires are unrelated. The prescribed burn was 3 1/2 miles from the wildfire. Fire officials are currently looking into what caused the wildfire.

The phragmites burn involved 379 acres.

The plant is an alien species that has invaded Utah's northern marshes and is choking off valuable wetland habitat. It is an ornamental plant that, on appearance, would seem to fit well into the family of wetland plant life. It has wide leaves, a tall stem,--upward of 14 feet--and a beautiful plume of tiny flowers on the tip of the stem.

Unfortunately, it is of very little value to either wildlife or the marshes. It is also a plant that is very difficult to remove. The process involves chemical treatment in the fall, followed by burning in the spring and a second and third on-the-ground treatment over the following two years in the fall to kill any surviving and new plants.

Val Bachman, manager of the refuge for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said 2,000 acres of phragmites was treated over the past two years, "and the first of three prescribed burns was last week."

"We had two more burns scheduled, one for 885 acres and the largest one of 1,214 acres," he said. "Currently, because of the wildfire, the largest burn is on hold."

Last week there was a burn on 300 acres with the Salt Creek management area. Officials reported that smoke clearing and ventilation were good, and ash particles were small. Another burn of 250 acres is planned.

The scheduled burn at Ogden was completed on a Friday and the fires were entirely out by Saturday morning. The wildfire was first observed midafternoon on Saturday, roughly 3 1/2 miles away in an area known as Pintail Flats.

The day picked for the scheduled burn offered ideal conditions. "Smoke clearing was good and ash particles were small and drift direction was as planned," he said.

"And, when it comes to prescribed burning of phragmites, we are becoming the agency others are following."

The DWR's control program started in 2006 with the treatment of 1,790 acres at Farmington Bay, Ogden Bay, Howard Slough, Harold Crane management area and Salt Creek.