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.

Improve vegetation structure, species composition, and age classes that would contribute to providing healthy and diverse habitat for a variety of wildlife species, as well as a resiliency to future insect and disease infestation.
-Release previously harvested stands from stagnation so that they progress toward a mature forest structure suitable to wildlife species requiring late successional habitat.
-Enhance and restore habitat for wildlife including big game, federally listed species, sensitive species and migratory birds.
-Reduce the current effects of tree mortality associated with the mountain pine beetle and spruce beetle epidemic in order to restore healthy ecological conditions and scenic quality.
-Manage stand composition and structure within lodgepole pine and mixed conifer stands that, in turn, would provide for a diverse mosaic of habitat types thus reducing the susceptibility of future large scale insect and disease outbreak.
-Proactively manage hazardous fuel loads associated with current and predicted mountain pine and spruce beetle infestation in order to: minimize the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire capable of destroying habitat; and enable the protection of adjacent lands and infrastructure.

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.

In recent years, the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest has seen impacts within its forested lands as a result of mountain pine and spruce beetle infestations. In some areas, these infestations have reached epidemic levels that has resulted in substantial mortality to the Forest's coniferous tree species.  Forest health assessments, conducted within the Red Ryder project area in 2013 and again in 2016, indicate high levels of decline and mortality within the lodgepole pine and mixed conifer stands as a result of mountain pine and spruce beetle infestations. This existing condition, combined with projected drought stress; frequency of dwarf mistletoe; and the stands' homogeneous structure and age class (with a majority existing in a state of over maturity), is predicted to increase the scale of future insect and disease outbreak to surrounding stands if left untreated.

Delaying treatment will result in increased cost in the future as the subalpine fir continue reproducing and increasing in size; therefore, becoming more difficult to remove along with larger diameter lodgepole pine.  Any additional delay in treating this stand will create a perfect breeding ground for mountain pine beetle, which thrive in high density stands that are heavily competing.

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.

Forest Plan of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Forest wide Goals: 3-Biodiversity & Viability, Goal 3d, Goal 3f., Goal 3g. Goal 3o., 
The project is consistent with the following Forest Plan Ojective:
3.d. Increase grass and forb production and plant species and age class
diversity in sagebrush and pinyon/juniper by treating
approximately 2,000 acres average annually1 for a 10-year total
of 20,000 acres.
Utah Elk Statewide Management Plan:

Statewide goal A, 
Strategy r.Properly manage elk populations to minimize competition with mule deer on crucial mule deer range.
Habitat Management Goal B: 
Habitat Objective 1. Maintain elk habitat throughout the state by identifying and protecting existing crucial elk habitat and mitigating for losses due to human impacts. 
Strategies A. and B. 
Habitat Objective 2: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. 
Strategies c, d e, h. and j.
Recreation Objective 1: Maintain a diversity of elk hunting opportunities. 
Strategies 
d) Assist state and federal agencies with the development of travel management plans.

Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer:
Habitat Goal and Habitat Objective 1, Strategies a, and b. 
Habitat Objective 2 and strategies, B, C, D, E, F and H. 
Habitat Objective 1: Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and
enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts.
d. Minimize impacts and recommend mitigation for losses of crucial habitat due to
human impacts.
Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a
minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2019.
e. Continue to support and provide leadership for the Utah Watershed Restoration
Initiative, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats
throughout Utah.
f. Seek opportunities through the Watershed Restoration Initiative to improve aspen
communities that provide crucial summer habitat for mule deer.

DEER HERD UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN, Deer Herd Unit # 2 (Cache)

ELK HERD UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN Elk Herd Unit # 2 Cache:
Habitat objective: Maintain and/or enhance forage production through direct range improvements throughout the unit on winter range to achieve population management objectives. Pay special attention to WMA's and areas were holding elk could alleviate pressure on private landowners experiencing damage by wintering elk.Work with private and federal agencies to maintain and protect critical and existing winter range from future losses.
UTAH MOOSE STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN
C. Habitat - The primary limiting factor for moose in Utah and across their range is the availability of suitable habitat. - Moose have done well in drier habitats in northern Utah which are dominated by mountain mahogany, Gambel oak, serviceberry, quaking aspen, and burned over coniferous forests
A. Habitat Degradation or Loss. - The single biggest influence on moose populations in Utah is the quantity and quality of available habitat. Habitat can be degraded, fragmented, or lost to a variety of causes including human development and plant succession
B. Habitat Management Goal: Assure sufficient habitat is available to sustain healthy and productive moose populations. Strategies -- A,D,E
Logan Ranger District Travel Management Plan implementation;

Wasatch-Cache Forest Plan;
Forestwide Goal 3-Biodiversity & Viability
Provide for sustained diversity of species at the genetic, populations, community and ecosystem levels.  Maintain communities within their historic range of variation that sustains habitats for viable populations of species.  Restore or maintain hydrologic functions. Reduce potential for uncharacteristic high-intensity wildfires, and insect epidemics.

3m.  Provide for connectivity of continuous large patches of forested habitat for interior forest-dependent and wide-ranging species (such as lynx, wolverine and migratory birds).
3o.	Provide adequate habitat components for sustainable big game populations coordinated with State wildlife management agencies, private lands and other resource needs and priorities. 
3s.	Greatly reduce known infestations of noxious weeds and rigorously prevent their introduction and/or spread.

Guidelines for Biodiversity and Viability:  
(G26)	Protect key big game calving, fawning and lambing habitat and provide security in summer concentration areas.

Greater Sage-grouse ROD, Greater sage-grouse Utah Plan Amendment (FS 2015).  
GRSG-GRSGH-GL-032-(UT) In priority and general habitat management areas, sagebrush focal areas, and Anthro Mountain, native plant species should be used when possible to maintain, restore, or enhance desired conditions (Table GRSG-GEN-DC3) in Utah. (Amendment #13, September 2015)

GRSG-RT-GL-071-Guideline (UT);GRSG-RT-GL-076-Guideline (WY) In priority and general GRSG habitat management areas, sagebrush focal areas, and Anthro Mountain, when decommissioning roads and unauthorized routes, restoration activity should be designed to move habitat towards desired conditions. (Amendment #13 September 16, 2015).

State of Utah's new Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plan (2009) --M2 Maintain/protect large contiguous intact sagebrush communities that contain seasonal habitat needs of sage-grouse populations within the state.

Logan Ranger District Travel Management Plan implementation;

Forestwide Goal 5-Road/Trail and Access Management
Provide a road and trail system that is safe, responsive to public and agency needs and desires, affordable and efficiently managed.  Provide an access system that minimizes negative ecological effects and is in balance with available funding.  Focus on achieving an integrated transportation system that serves multiple functions and is consistent with desired future conditions for a given area.

5d.	Manage trails to provide desired recreation opportunities for recreation users and to meet Forest Service standards.

Guidelines for Biodiversity and Viability:  
(G26)	Protect key big game calving, fawning and lambing habitat and provide security in summer concentration areas.

Several of the main priorities outlined in the Utah Forest Action Plan are applicable to this project 1) Conserve and manage working forest landscapes for multilple values and uses 2) Protect forests from threats 3) Enhance public benefits from trees and forests.

This project is a critical component to the Forest Stewardship Plan developed in 2015 for the private lands in this project that specifically outlines several related management objectives:  1) Enhance and maintain forest health by addressing the mountain pine beetle infestation in lodgepole pine stands.  2) Maintain, utilize, and increase rangeland production on the property for long-term, sustained livestock grazing. 3) Manage current forested areas to improve and maximize health in addition to minimizing the threats of wildfire and infestation.  4) Improve habitat for elk, deer, and other wildlife that are found in the area.

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.

Forests generally have very low erosion rates unless they are disturbed in a manner that exposes bare soil to the erosive energy of water and wind. Evidence of soil erosion due to management activities is minimal in the project area. Soil erosion rates would remain unchanged from existing conditions in the short term.

Thinning or regeneration treatments with ground-based equipment during operations may add to the total detrimental condition across an activity area (different locations within an activity area). Mastication equipment typically is light on the land and does not produce the same disturbance to soils as harvest equipment. Ruts and compaction of soil may occur if operations occur while soils are wet. Thinning and regeneration treatments would not impact the soil resources where work is accomplished with hand tools.

Use Best Management Practices and Soil and Water Conservation Practices during project level assessment and implementation to ensure maintenance of soil productivity, minimization of sediment discharge into streams, lakes and wetlands.

Water quantity may increase with a reduction on younger trees competing for available ground water. This has been proven in other thinning treatments of both oak and juniper species.

Water quality and quantity will be improved in this area by ensuring these stands remains a productive and viable forest stands.   By removing a large portion of the conifers, water quantity will be temporarily increased by the reduction of trees and by the increased amount of snow that will fall directly to the surface into a partially shaded canopy.  Less snow will be captured in the canopy of the conifers and sublimated rather than soaking into the groundwater.

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.

Extensive pre-planning monitoring was collected through "common stand exams". This data was used to determine the best treatment for each stand. While implementation occurs, close contract/project monitoring will occur to assure the treatments are meeting stated objectives. Years following treatment post monitoring will occur along with additional common stand exams to determine the need and appropriate next treatment for the stand, this may occur in 10-20 years post. At this time the stand will be harvested/sold.

The private lands included in this project are part of an ongoing monitoring strategy to continually look for new weed infestations, erosion, and insect and disease outbreaks.  FFSL will accompany the landowner on a yearly basis to assess the treatment and determine effectiveness in regards to insect/disease resistance, subalpine fir encroachment, and lodgepole growth response to the treatment.  Qualitative monitoring will be done to establish photo points and a baseline inventory has already been established for this stand.
  
The private landowner regularly works with the NRCS to develop and implement grazing improvement strategies and make changes to the grazing plan including the proposed project.

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.

The Red Ryder project area will continue to be managed for multiple use. The project area will see additional treatments over the next 1-7+years. A recently sold 3,208 acre timber sale will take place over the next 1-5 years with the saw logs going to a local sawmill. Following timber harvest an 8,000 acre prescribed fire is planned to treat conifer encroached aspen stands providing for improved wildlife habitat and a more resilient forest stand across SITLA and near the WUI boundaries.  Preventative weed treatments are also planned following treatments or as needed.  Additionally cattle grazing will continue along with opportunities for hunting, and other recreation use.

The private landowner is part of the Forest Stewardship program with the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands in addition to applying for a Forest Legacy easement on the property.  Grazing will not need to be reduced on the property given the low utilization of the property.
The landowner has agreed to monitor and maintain the stands by continually removing new subalpine fir while they are still small and manageable.  The landowner will include this area in their regular monitoring and maintenance schedule to check for weeds or other forest health issues such as insects and diseases and will work with FFSL when necessary to deal with maintenance issues.

The landowner has a grazing management plan with the NRCS designed to benefit livestock and wildlife that is regularly monitored and updated.

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.

Three allotments are within the project area. The North Rich Allotment (a cattle allotment) is in the northern portion of the project area. The Bug Lake Allotment and the North Randolph Allotment (sheep and cattle allotment, respectively) are within the southern portion of the project area.
The reduction in canopy cover and reduced completion amongst smaller saplings will increase forage for livestock grazing.  When the canopy opens, previously unavailable areas to forage will be increased due to the increase of light and nutrients to the forest floor.

The private lands have been moderately grazed by the landowner's family for more than 60 years.  It is part of a much larger Forest Service allotment and heavily influenced by Forest Service regulations.  Approximately 6,000 sheep and occasional cattle graze through the property including the treatment area. 
 
This project will temporarily improve grazing in the area by removing the subalpine fir and thinning the lodgepole, which are currently creating a closed canopy with little forage.  Increased light and moisture availability will improve grazing for livestock with increased forage.  Currently, the stands are so dense that they are rarely used for grazing and there is little forage available.

The private landowner regularly works with the NRCS to develop and implement grazing improvement strategies and make changes to their conservation plan.

This project will provide substantial sustainable uses in addition to grazing.  All of these stands are being precommercially thinned with the purpose of improving the stand for future timber harvests.  Thinning will significantly increase the value and health of each stand.  Many of these precommercially thinned stands will yield posts and poles, firewood, furniture, and other small wood opportunities.

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.