Gov. Cox issues wildfire executive order as Utah prepares for the ‘unexpected'
The order establishes the Working Group on Wildfire Management, which will be composed of several agency heads, including Utah Department of Natural Resources Director Joel Ferry, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands Director Jamie Barnes and Utah Department of Public Safety Director Jess Anderson.
They will be tasked with providing a report by June 1 that outlines areas of concern; coordination with city, state and private land owners; and improvements to evacuation planning. The report will also seek to identify "priority areas" for wildfire mitigation projects on state and, through possible coordination, federal land, and post-fire risks like debris flows, among other things.
"This is about making sure we're ready before the next fire season begins," Cox said in a statement.
His order is slated to expire June 1.
The order comes less than a week after the governor said he was working on potential emergency declarations for some parts of Utah amid drought concerns in central and southern Utah. He hinted that drought-related executive orders could be issued when legislators return to Capitol Hill for a session in May.
Most of Washington County and parts of Iron County remain in extreme drought, while another third of the state — including large portions of eastern and western Utah — is listed as in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Only a quarter of the state is either not listed under a drought category or considered "abnormally dry."
These indicate that soil moisture levels are not ideal for most of the state, which is a potential problem.
"Utah's low soil moisture can create conditions favorable for wildfires," the order states. "Unpredictable factors, such as weather, can impact fire activity and may cause the rapid growth of wildfires."
Long-range outlooks don't offer many favors, at least for the start of summer. While the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center projects a wet end to April for Utah, its latest report lists the state as having greater odds for below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures in May.
Its three-month outlook leans toward slightly drier conditions for most of the state between May and July, aside from the very southern end of the state, which is listed as having "equal chances" for precipitation. Even then, early monsoonal storms could produce lightning before conditions improve across the driest part of the state.
That's where early planning comes into play. Cox's order comes after the state passed a few wildfire-related bills in the 2025 legislative session, including one that put Utah on track to join the Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact, which would allow it to share resources with other member states.
Those legislative conversations took place as state leaders looked to find ways to avoid repeating the catastrophic fires that killed more than two dozen people and destroyed over 15,000 structures in Southern California earlier this year. Meanwhile, state fire experts have warned about unpredictable fire conditions that can last before and after the typical summer months.
'When it comes to wildfires, the unexpected has become the new normal,' Barnes said. 'Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our planning efforts can help reduce risks to watersheds and landscapes across the state — and strengthen our overall wildfire preparedness.'
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