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West Government Creek Fire Rehabilitation
Region: Central
ID: 3893
Project Status: Completed
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Project Details
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Need for Project
: Fire severity was very high across the entire burned area and most existing perennials were killed. Without seeding, most of this burned area would likely be invaded by cheatgrass and the noxious squarrose knapweed. The entire fire occurred within occupied Greater Sage-grouse (GRSG) habitat and the majority of the fire is also located in priority brood-rearing GRSG habitat in the Sheeprocks Population Area. The fire killed Wyoming Big Sagebrush that is needed to provide feed and cover for GRSG. The draft Greater Sage-grouse planning EIS identifies wildfire and invasive species as the leading threat to the Sheeprocks GRSG Population.
Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.
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Objectives
: 1. Stabilize exposed soils of the North Moore Fire area. 2. Re-establish native and preferred grasses, forbs, and shrubs. 3. Prevent invasive and noxious weed species from establishing in the burned area. 4. Improve the habitat for sage-grouse, mule deer, elk, and other wildlife.
Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.
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Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?)
The fire burned hot and removed most of the soil's protective cover. The bare soils pose risks to wind and water erosion, roads, and the watershed. This fire has opened a window of opportunity for noxious and invasive weeds. Squarrose knapweed the most signifcant noxious weed concern in different areas of the North Moore Fire. This knapweed typically increases logarithmically after fire disturbances, such as the nearby 2011 Desert Mountain Fire (GEL6). Cheat grass is found in many of the surrounding areas of the fire and will likely dominate the landscape if other plants are not seeded.
LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.
TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.
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Relation to Management Plans
Because squarrose knapweed has been a long-term problematic noxious weed for the Fillmore Field Office (FFO) in the northern portion of the office area, the Squarrose Knapweed Management Demonstration Area (SKDMA) was established in 1997. SKDMA is a multi-partner organization made up of various government and private entities that were organized to help tackle the squarrose knapweed problem. Partners involved include two BLM offices, one Forest Service office, Utah State University, U.S.U. Extension Service, APHIS, Utah Dept. of Natural Resources, Utah Division of Wildlife esources, and four county governments. SKDMA has been making collaborateive efforts to educate the public on the problem and work with its partners to control knapweed since its inception in 1997. Each year SKDMA and other BLM efforts are carried out through Integrated Pest Management to control the spread and proliferation of squarrose knapweed. The most important factor in the control of weeds is aerial seeding treatments, which would establish perennial plants that are needed to occupy space and compete with noxious and invasive weeds.
List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.
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Fire/Fuels
This project will help to prevent the establishment of a monoculture of annual grasses and weeds that are more prone to fire and will change the fire frequency. This will also help to reduce the risk of future fires by having vegetation that holds more moisture later into the summer.
If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.
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Water Quality/Quantity
The fire has removed all vegetation and the soil is exposed and vulnerable to erosion. This project will help to establish vegetation that will stabilize the soil and help to reduce the amount of sediment that will enter streams and washes. This will help to improve the water quality of the watershed. Also, currently moisture will move across the soil more quickly and water quantity will be lost. This project will help establish vegetation that will hold more moisture in the system and allow for it to soak into the soil and enter under ground water storage.
Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.
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Compliance
All the necessary archaeological clearances will be conducted to ensure that no cultural resources are damaged by the soil disturbance.
Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.
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Methods
We will drag an ely chain one way across sections of the fire where slopes will allow to knock down standing tree snags. We will then fly seed over aerially with seed. We will then do a second pass with the chain where possible to help incorporate the seed into the soil.
Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.
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Monitoring
BLM will establish a vegetation trend study that will be read after each growing season for five years after the fire (2016-2021).
Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.
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Partners
BLM, SITLA, and UDWR are all partnering to help rehabilitate this area after the fire.
List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.
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Future Management
Fences are being built to help keep livestock from grazing the areas that will be seeded for at least two growing seasons. The BLM and SITLA will work with permittee to also ensure that this happens.
Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.
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Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources
: Re-seeding and chaining this area will help to establish perrennial grasses and forbs that will have greater value for livestock especially in the later summer months.
Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.
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