Mid May might not seem like a logical time for worrying about wildfires. After all, our landscape is at its greenest, with trees and plants budding and blooming beneath snowcapped peaks. But this is exactly the time of year to think about fire prevention, before temperatures soar and our high desert transforms from relatively lush to a powder keg of dry fuels.

Wildfires are a fact of life in Tooele County. Sometimes, as with last year’s Big Pole fire, which was ignited by lightning and burned nearly 44,000 acres in Skull Valley and the Stansbury Mountains, there’s little that can be done to prevent a blaze. Increasingly, however, the interface between man and nature is being blamed for more of our local fires.

One problem is more homes being built in remote areas near fire hazards and far from firefighting services. Last week’s shed fire in South Willow Canyon illustrates that particular danger well. Homeowners in these areas need to consult with fire prevention specialists to make sure they’ve created adequate fire breaks around their home. They also need to make sure they’re prepared to defend their homes — at least to a reasonable point. Having water resources on site helped some Skull Valley ranchers save their homes during the Big Pole fire last year. And finally, they need to have an evacuation plan if all else fails.

Another problem to combat is wildfires sparked by recreationalists. Campers need to make sure they only build responsibly sized fires in regulation pits and put them out completely, ATV riders should use spark arrestors, and shooters should avoid shooting in areas of dry vegetation or using tracer ammunition. Finally, firecrackers, sparklers and flares have no place in our dry desert, particularly during the summer months.

Thinking about wildfire safety sooner, rather than later, might not prevent all wildfires but it will spread broader awareness of how fragile our dry desert homeland can be. And it will make us all tread more cautiously when we interact with those wild places this summer.