Project Details

The Brianhead fire began on June 17, 2017.  Over the course of approximately the next month it burned approximately 71,672 acres (63,648 USFS, 749 BLM, 761 State, and 6514 Private).

Burn severity of the fire included 28,215 acres of low/unburned, 31,819 acres of moderate, and 11,639 of high severity.  In addition there are 54,275 acres rated with a high hazard for soil erosion and 27,549 acres with soil characterized as hydrophobic.  Hydrophobic soil conditions are common within moderate and high burn severity areas and contribute greatly to increased run-off and erosion.

The area burned by the BrianHead Fire is wide-ranging and can be broadly characterized by spruce-fir (Engelmann spruce and sub-alpine fir) , mixed conifer (Douglas-fir, white fir, ponderosa pine), mixed conifer/aspen, aspen, pockets of ponderosa pine, pinyon-juniper, mountain mahogany, oakbrush, mountain big sagebrush, silver sagebrush, black sagebrush, grass and forb-dominated montane meadows, and riparian communities.

Additionally large acreages of this fire has impacted many important wildlife habitats.  Of note the fire burned 4514 acres mapped as crucial deer habitat, 54,953 acres mapped as substantial deer habitat, 21,870 acres mapped as crucial elk habitat, 37,302 acres mapped as substantial elk habitat, 7076 acres mapped as sage grouse habitat, and 42,323 acres mapped as turkey habitat.

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.

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.

-Human life and safety:  Threats and risks for the general public to be impacted by rolling rocks, flash flooding, flooding, debris flows, falling hazard trees, and loss of ingress/egress access.

-Property:  Risks to roads and trails, Yankee Meadows Campground water supply and distribution system, Panguitch municipal water supply spring boxes, dams on Yankee Meadows Reservoir, Panguitch Lake, and Red Creek Reservoir, infrastructure at the Five Mile day-use site, fish barrier structures on Castle Creek and Mammoth Creek, the Parowan secondary water system source, and the secondary water system pipeline in Upper Center Creek and Bowery Creek drainages from the threat of increased water, sediment and debris flows, erosion, source contamination, loss of capacity, and overtopping and breaching during flood events.

-Natural Resources:  Risks to water quality for domestic and agriculture uses, ecosystem stability and native plant vegetation recovery from invasion of noxious weeds, soil productivity and hydrologic function from accelerated erosion, impacts to multiple wildlife species as noted above.

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.

Utah's Wildlife Action Plan (WAP): 
The WAP identifies the following key habitats that may be addressed through project planning in the Panguitch Municipal Watershed NEPA project: Riverine, Mountain sagebrush and Aspen-Conifer. The WAP lists Inappropriate Fire Frequency and Intensity a high level threat for BCT and Aspen-Conifer Ecosystems with the following as potential conservation actions.
2.3.14 Conduct upland vegetation treatments to restore characteristic upland vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings.
2.3.15 Conduct riparian vegetation treatments to restore characteristic riparian vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings.
2.3.17 Apply or allow more fire in habitats/locations where fire was historically more frequent or intense.
This project will design riparian and upland treatments to restore characteristic vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings with the end goal to be able to allow natural ignitions to be managed for resource benefits in the future.
The WAP lists Problematic Plant Species -- Native Upland as a Very High level threat to Mountain sagebrush communities with the following as potential conservation actions.
Promoting and funding restoration that reduces the Uncharacteristic and surpluses of older age class, including: Dixie/chain harrow, brush mowing or other treatments that reduce the older age class and stimulate the younger/mid age classes; herbicide or mechanical treatment of non-native invasive species such smooth brome; single tree mulching/cutting of invading conifer. Post fire all of these types of treatments are being considered in our restoration efforts and we are trying to apply the best restoration practices to the landscape. 
A post fire evaluation of the conifer succession into mountain sagebrush communities allows us to design treatments to restore earlier seral stages within these plant communities.
The WAP identifies that Improper grazing is a High Threat for Riverine habitats and BCT and recommends:
2.1.2 Adjust grazing practices -- per the grazing principles of timing, duration, and intensity -- to improve conditions of habitat, water and wildlife.
An objective for this planning process would be to evaluate potential improvements to reduce pressure on key emergent and riverine habitats where livestock use is causing damage. 
Dixie National Forest Land Resource Management Plan (as amended)- 
Goal 14 -- Improve the quantity and quality of aquatic habitats through direct habitat improvement and increased coordination with other land use programs (page IV-5). 
Goal 15 -- Maintain or enhance the terrestrial habitat for all wildlife species presently on the Forest (page IV-5). 
Goal 17 -- Managed Classified Species habitat to maintain or enhance their status through direct habitat improvement and agency cooperation (Page IV-6). This project has the potential to benefit conservation populations of BCT. BCT are an Intermountain Region Sensitive species and is managed under Conservation Agreement and Strategy that both DWR and the Forest Service are signatories or involved partners.
Goal 32 -- Design and implement practices on the ground that will reestablish acceptable soil, hydrologic and vegetative conditions that are sufficient to secure and maintain favorable water flow (Page IV-9).
10B IV-156 Municipal Watershed: Forest Plan Management emphasis is to protect or improve the quality and quantity of municipal water supplies
9A IV-135 Riparian Area Management: Forest Plan Goals of management are to provide healthy, self-perpetuating plant communities, meet water quality standards, provide habitats for viable populations of wildlife and fish, and provide stable stream channels.
6A Livestock Grazing:  The area is managed for livestock grazing. Intensive grazing management systems are favored over extensive systems.  Range condition is maintained through use of forage improvement practices.  Investment in structural and nonstructural range improvements to increase forage utilization is moderate to high. If conflicts occur between livestock and wildlife in areas of critical wildlife habitat they will be resolved in favor of wildlife. 
1 General Direction: Maintain Structural diversity of vegetation on management areas that are dominated by forested ecosystems. Manage aspen for retention wherever it occurs.
UTAH MULE DEER STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN
This project is designed to help meet Habitat Objective 2 to improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer habitat (p. 19). Specifically the strategies to Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats improve aspen communities that provide crucial summer/winter habitat by increasing regeneration and reducing conifer encroachment, improve aspen communities that provide crucial summer habitat for mule deer and manage portions of pinion-juniper woodlands and aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages using various methods including timber harvest. Specifically this project addresses the winter range for mule deer and has specific reseeding efforts that help to restore these critical areas. 
UTAH ELK STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN
This project is designed to help meet to meet Habitat Objective 1 - Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. Specifically the proposed treatment will contribute toward increasing forage production by treating elk habitat, and will be conducted on summer ranges (aspen communities) to improve calving habitat and will manage portions of forests in early succession stages through logging. 
Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Bonneville cutthroat trout (Lentsch et al. 2000): 
As outlined in the Project Need, Water Quality and Quantity and Threats and Risks sections the planning for treatments proposed here will support the following objectives and actions from the BCT CAS:
Maintain or restore water quality to a degree that provides for stable and productive riparian and aquatic ecosystems;
Maintain or restore stream channel integrity, channel processes, and the sediment regime (including the elements of timing, volume, and character of sediment input and transport) under which the riparian and aquatic ecosystems developed;
Panguitch Lake Mule Deer WMU plan
-This plan mentions lack of winter range as a limiting factor in reaching mgmt goals for mule deer.
Panguitch Lake Elk WMU plan
-This plan calls for increasing in forage through habitat projects.
Utah Greater Sage Grouse Management Plan
-This project specifically addresses the following from the State plan :
Primary Issues:
-Loss of sage-grouse habitat (quality and quantity) within Utah
Management Issues
M3) Rehabilitate or restore large contiguous intact sagebrush communities within the state.
b) Restore degraded sagebrush habitats through appropriate treatment methods which will retain sagebrush while incorporating native and non-native perennial grasses and forbs.
c) When conducting any habitat improvement/enhancement project, make sure to monitor, evaluate, and document the sage-grouse response as well as the other species response to habitat treatment projects.
This project helps support ecosystem restoration demonstrations and principles identified in the Upper Sevier Watershed Plan.

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.

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.

This project is designed to provide emergency stabilization of previously burned areas, by aerially seeding and spreading agricultural wheat or barley straw. Mulch applications have been found to be effective at reducing erosion and runoff from burned areas, promoting increased soil stability and accelerated recovery of desired vegetative plant communities.
	The success of emergency response, rehabilitation and restoration of watersheds relies on the ability to mobilize and implement expeditiously. The intent of this project is to meet objectives of protecting, rehabilitating, or restoring watersheds and other land resources before storm damaging events occur.
	Following the emergency stabilization efforts listed above we will also be prescribing additional seeding efforts to re-establish healthy perennial grass/forb plant communities in areas of concern within the fire. Namely these areas are high severity burn locations where emergency stabilization efforts are taking place, private lands areas below 9,000 ft in elevation, critical mule deer winter range, and greater sage grouse critical habitats. 
	Most of this work will be carried out with contracts that will implement the desired treatments. Contractors will aerially spread straw mulch and triticale seed onto prescribed areas. Following this application a dormant aerial seeding of the perennial grasses and forbs will take place allowing the establishment of a persistent diverse and desirable plant community to exist. 
	The USFS will also carry out and implement work associated with its BAER funding including work similar to that listed above, as well as road and trail work, signage, and rapid weed response efforts in conjunction with this project also.

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.