Comments about ‘Massive reseeding war begins on charred fire front in Sanpete County’

This is a waste of tax dollars and unnecessary. Nature always does a better job of restoration that government should leave a lone. Natural regrowth works very well and what Utah is trying to do is unnatural and risky as improper grasslands get established in an area that should not be altered in any way.

Fires and flooding are a natural event in deserts and to attempt to alter the master plan is always a disaster. Look at Utah lake, it is an example of disaster by government interference. Lands should be allowed to reseed itself and it would by next spring be back to its best state without all these costly and unfounded programs.

My biggest concern is what has Utah done to doubt that nature cannot repair itself? Have they put the land at risk again by allowing illegal zoning alterations/changes to the environment?

What about the Seely burn. First it was that it wasn't important enough to get the fire fighters needed to nip it in the bud. Now it endangers the Hunter power plant. It has already destroyed the Huntington Creek fishery. Maybe if we cut power to the state capitol we can get some reclamation started!

I don't know if my 2 cents is a biologist or other scientist but his understanding of "natural" seeding is flawed. The first plant back in many fire areas is some variety of brome or "cheatgrass" and that is not natural to Utah or a forest eco-systems. In addition it is very prone to fire as even a broken bottle can produce a flame by focusing the suns rays into a patch of "cheat". And all of the bromes have a seedhead that causes problems in the mouths of foragers.

I am concerned that a botanist would make the decision to introduce Kochia as part of the re-seeding plan. It is a prolific seeder and although excellent forage in its early stage, ripens to a woody like tumble weed which is moved around spreading seeds by the wind. In many areas of the country it was introduced into pastures for its forage value and is now being fought as an intrusive non-native species outside the pastures. Although alfalfa is harder to establish, it is a superior forage throughout its life cycle and does not usually spread outside of the area it is planted.