Project Details

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.

1) Restore watershed health and function by reducing pinyon and juniper trees
2) Reducing the risk of large wildland fires
3) Increase sagebrush
4) Improve elk winter range
Pinyon/juniper forests have historically been controlled by fire frequency (Miller and Wigand 1994), but because of changes in management and use the fire return interval has greatly increased.  Lack of natural disturbance along with prolong periods of drought have led to the expansion of pinyon/juniper into areas that were typically shrubland dominant.  Common to the hydrology of many of these communities, when trees are dominant they are a relatively high evapotranspiration component of the water budget (Roundy et al. 1999) and high exposure of surface soils between tress that provide of major sources of runoff and erosion.  Research has shown that in the southwest much of the erosion in these systems occurs in mid-summer during the monsoons and mid-winter with snow melt (Wilcox 1994). Shallow soils between tree canopy areas are wetter than in areas where canopies receive less precipitation due to interception (Breshears 1993).  Pinyon and juniper trees deplete soil moisture in intercanopy areas as they transpire more in the winter.  The lack of water and nutrient availability from tree-root exploitation of interspaces can result in eventual mortality of understory vegetation in absence of fire of other tree killing disturbances (Breshears et al 1997).  Manipulating vegetation that is deep rooted and uses more water (ie pinyon and juniper) allows more water to percolate through the soil and enter ground water and streams (Hibbert 1983).  Additionally, removing the trees opens they interspaces and allows for more water availability to other vegetative species that would typically dominate the site.

Because much of the work is associated with old chainings there will be almost 100% removal of pinyon and juniper trees from the site.  Through monitoring our objects are to see an increase of native plant diversity, at least a 70% change in the species composition and cover and a 50% change in the soil surface gaps, which is an indicator for wind and water erosion risk, water infiltration and the exotic plant invasion risk. We would like to see and increase of 20-25% in shrub cover and 20-30% increase in grasses and forbs.

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.

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.

1) Monticello RMP/ROD (BLM 2008), which incorporated in its entirety the Utah Land Use Plan Amendment for Fire and Fuels (BLM 2005) (as summarized in Table 2.1, Chapter 2, page 2-16 of the RMP). Chapter 3, page 3-32 of the RMP describes the pinyon-juniper woodland in the Monticello Field Office and establishes the desired wildland fire condition as the "restoration of pinyon-juniper woodland to the vegetative community previous to pinyon-juniper encroachment." 
2) The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) is the basic authority for BLM activities. It establishes the principle that public lands be retained in Federal ownership and provides for the management, protection, development, and enhancement of the public lands under the principles of multiple use, sustained development, and sustained yield. 
3) The implementation of effective wildland fire management programs is mandated in Departmental Manual 620 (Wildland Fire Management). Section 1.5 (C) (Objectives) instructs the BLM to "...develop fire management plans, programs, and activities which are based on the best available science; that incorporate public health and environmental quality considerations; and support bureau land, natural, and cultural resource management goals and objectives." 
4) The National Fire Plan (NFP) was designed to manage the potential impacts of wildland fire to communities and ecosystems and to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildland fire. 
5) Public Law 108-148, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA), focuses on hazardous fuel treatment of BLM lands at risk of wildland fire. 
6) Division of Water Quality stresses the importance of treating uplands to stabilize soils in their Watershed Approach initiative. General standards for water quality in Utah are found in the Standards of Quality for Waters Title II (43 USC 1901 et seq), as amended. 
7) The BLM Grazing Management Regulations, 43 CFR Subpart 4180.2(e), required development of guidelines to address the restoration, maintenance and enhancement of habitats to promote the conservation for federally proposed, federally candidate and other special status species. 
8) BLM National Policy Guidance on Wildlife and Fisheries Management This manual provides direction to restore, maintain and improve wildlife habitat conditions on public lands through the implementation of activity plans 
9) Mexican Spotted Owl Recovery Plan Management recommendations within the plan include: * Ecosystem/landscape management: management should sustain biotic diversity and the natural processes and landscape mosaics that generate diversity. * Encourage proactive fire management programs which assume active roles in duels management and understanding the ecological role of fire. * Forest management- provide uneven-aged stand of trees and develop or maintain stratified mixtures of forest systems. 
10) The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer (December 4, 2008). Section VI Statewide management goals and objectives. This plan addresses: * Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range. * Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that are being taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats. * Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinion-juniper woodlands and aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages. * Work with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working groups to identify and prioritize mule deer habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration. * Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that are being taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats. * Continue to identify, map, and characterize crucial mule deer habitats throughout the state, and identify threats and limiting factors to each habitat. * Work with land management agencies and private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning and wintering areas. 
11) Deer Herd Unit Management Plan-Unit 14 San Juan * Maintain and protect existing critical deer ranges sufficient to support the population objectives. Seek cooperative projects to improve the quality and quantity of deer habitat. Maintain and enhance habitat security and escapement areas for deer. * Work with public land management agencies to develop specific vegetative objectives to maintain the quality of important deer use areas. * Continue to coordinate with land management agencies in planning and evaluating resource uses and developments that could impact habitat quality. * Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat improvements such as reseedings, controlled burns, water developments etc. on public and private lands. * Cooperate with federal land management agencies and local governments in developing and administering access management plans for the purposes of habitat protection and escape or security areas. 
12) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Elk 2008-2013. * Improve the quality and quantity of forage and cover on 250,000 acres of elk habitat with emphasis on calving habitat and upper elevation elk winter range by the end of this plan. * Work with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working groups to identify and prioritize elk habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration. 
13) Elk Herd Management Plan-Unit 14 San Juan * Limited Summer Range - Work with public land management agencies to develop specific vegetative objectives to maintain the quality of important elk use areas. Respond to any range deterioration concerns and address documented excessive forage utilization. Continue to investigate and develop habitat projects on summer range to improve forage availability for both elk and cattle. * Habitat Loss - Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat rehabilitation projects such as reseedings, controlled burns, water developments etc. on public and private lands to maintain or increase forage quantity and quality. * Land Resource Activities - Continue to coordinate with land management agencies and energy development companies in planning and evaluating resource uses and developments that could impact habitat quality. Work to develop and administer access management plans for the purposes of habitat protection and escape or "security" areas. 
14) The San Juan County Master Plan approved and adopted July 8, 1996 (Revised in March 2008). The plan (Section 4 p.108) supports vegetation treatments, such as mechanical and burning, to restore rangeland for the mutual benefit of livestock and wildlife. Section 5 revision (p. 110) promotes programs to remove pinyon and juniper with mechanical treatments to stimulate grasses and improve water yield. 
15) Utah Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy *Shrubsteppe habitats ranked out as the 4th highest habitat priority for the state of Utah. This places the shrubsteppe into a "key" habitat type *Shrubsteppe habitat should be a target for restoration and conservation. *Recommends where decadent pinyon juniper has increased into shrubsteppe due to lack of disturbance to disturb the decadent vegetation 
16) Utah Wildlife Action Plan * Desert Grassland: Promote policies and management that allow fire to return to a more natural regime; Promote policies that reduce inappropriate grazing by domestic livestock and wildlife; Continuing the use of appropriate methods for reducing the spread and dominance of invasive weeds and annual grasses..., Continuing the development of plant materials suited to this habitat. * Lowland Sagebrush: Promote policies and management that allow fire to return to a more natural regime; Promote policies that reduce inappropriate grazing by domestic livestock...;Promote restoration that reduces the uncharacteristic class, including cutting/mulching/chaining of invading pinyon and juniper trees, herbicide or mechanical treatment of non-native invasive species...;Promote management that includes seeding a diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs that will lead to increased resiliency and resistance in the plant community.

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.

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.

The project area is located with the Dark Canyon and Cataract Canyon-Colorado River HUC 12 Units. Pinyon/juniper forests have historically been controlled by fire frequency (Miller and Wigand 1994), but because of changes in management and use the fire return interval has greatly increased. Lack of natural disturbance along with prolong periods of drought have led to the expansion of pinyon/juniper into areas that were typically shrubland dominant. Common to the hydrology of many of these communities, when trees are dominant they are a relatively high evapotranspiration component of the water budget (Roundy et al. 1999) and high exposure of surface soils between tress that provide of major sources of runoff and erosion. Research has shown that in the southwest much of the erosion in these systems occurs in mid-summer during the monsoons and mid-winter with snow melt (Wilcox 1994). Shallow soils between tree canopy areas are wetter than in areas where canopies receive less precipitation due to interception (Breshears 1993). Pinyon and juniper trees deplete soil moisture in intercanopy areas as they transpire more in the winter. The lack of water and nutrient availability from tree-root exploitation of interspaces can result in eventual mortality of understory vegetation in absence of fire of other tree killing disturbances (Breshears et al 1997). Manipulating vegetation that is deep rooted and uses more water (ie pinyon and juniper) allows more water to percolate through the soil and enter ground water and streams (Hibbert 1983). Additionally, removing the trees opens they interspaces and allows for more water availability to other vegetative species that would typically dominate the site.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.