A controversial proposal that first surfaced in the 2023 Utah legislative session is once again being pushed by GOP Salt Lake County Council member Dea Theodore, who contends bush and tree thinning in the Great Salt Lake watershed will reduce the risk of wildfires, boost public safety and increase water yield.
Theodore’s most recent request implores Gov. Spencer Cox, and other state leaders, to shepherd a number of strategies, including:
- Establish a statewide program to eliminate non-native trees that consume excessive amounts of water, particularly in the Jordan River watershed.
- Install equipment that measures results in areas that have been treated.
- Work with private landowners to advance aspen restoration.
- Allocate $100 million a year in funding to the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, beginning in 2024 and continuing for five years.
However, Theodore's efforts have had a mixed reception. Scientists have been critical of her assertion that vegetation management will result in any quantifiable extra water.
In February, the Great Salt Lake Strike Team Report released by the Kem Gardner Institute of Policy at the University of Utah noted:
“In the past decade or so a growing body of research has shown both increases and decreases in streamflow following canopy reduction,” stressing that the impact of tree thinning to help the world’s eighth largest terminal lake or its tributaries is unclear and would likely to be minimal or could potentially even decrease flows.
But Theodore remains committed to her assertion that strategic thinning of trees, including non-natives and, yes, conifers, will provide ecological benefits.
Theodore said her proposal has the support of representatives of 22 of 29 counties in Utah, private landowners and several lawmakers, as well as Mike Styler, who headed up the Utah Department of Natural Resources, is a former legislator and helped develop the Watershed Restoration Initiative into a robust program.