Project Details

The Shingle Mill project has been a high priority area for years and has had interest and buy-in from many agencies due largely to being part of the Monticello City municipal watershed, being a key winter and transitional wildlife range, its proximity to WUI and communities at risk, and ongoing soil erosion and increasingly homogenous vegetation.

This project addresses the health, productivity, and resiliency of soil and vegetation resources in the South Creek, Bull Hollow, and Verdure watersheds near Monticello. Pinyon-juniper encroachment results in increased soil erosion. By removing pinyon-juniper and deciduous shrubs and creating mosaics of diverse age classes and structure, as well as establishing grasses and forbs, water will more readily infiltrate the soil and remain in the system. Dense tracts of pinyon-juniper are a big concern for stand replacing wildfire, which tends to sterilize soil and cause hydrophobic soil. Removing sections of trees will help to slow down fire spread and intensity, and help to prevent invasive species like cheatgrass from establishing post-fire. These vegetation treatments will essentially replace the function of fire in the ecosystem and help maintain watershed health.
Additionally, the project area contains water pipes and infrastructure that supply the city of Monticello with drinking water. If there were a fire in the area, it could devastate this infrastructure.

Vegetation:
The proposed treatments will create vegetation density, structures, and ladder fuels closer to historic conditions, thereby restoring the role of fire in the project area and reducing Condition Class from high (3) and moderate (2) to low (1). A creation of mosaic of age classes and structure in the Gambel oak and mountain shrub types will move these stands and the landscape toward properly functioning conditions. Improvement of the quality and productivity of shrub and herbaceous understory vegetation will benefit mule deer and elk in this winter and transition range; it will also benefit pollinator habitat.

Wildlife:
This project aims to remove encroaching pinyon and juniper, gambel oak, serviceberry and other shrubs in order to improve the quality and productivity of shrub and herbaceous understory vegetation for important mule deer and elk winter and transition range. The resulting mosaic of vegetation age and seral structure will improve habitat diversity and forage production for wildlife and livestock.

Fire:
As a result of wildfire suppression and climatic changes, pinyon juniper and deciduous shrubs have encroached into historic sage and meadow openings in this landscape. Removal of a portion of the woody vegetation will replace the function of fire in the ecosystem and help to maintain watershed health by mimicking fire occurrence at historic intervals, intensity and severity. This will improve habitat as well as reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. If such fire did occur here, it could result in risk to two nearby communities, firefighter and emergency responder safety, private citizens, Monticello City watershed infrastructure, wildlife, recreation, and homes and other structures. In addition, unplanned fire could result in sterilized soil conditions, erosion, and reduced ground cover. This project aims to reduce the continuity, size, and class of fuels, and thereby reduce fire risk and threat in the area.

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.

Create a mosaic of vegetation age/seral structure to improve habitat diversity and forage production for wildlife and livestock. Improve the quality and productivity of shrub and herbaceous understory vegetation on important mule deer and elk winter and transition range, and for wild turkeys and other wildlife.
Reduce the risk of stand-replacing crown fire within the wildland-urban interface adjacent to private in-holdings and the Forest boundary, including reducing the risk from wildfire to life and property, reducing the risk of damage to vegetation, soil, and watershed resources from wildfire.
Increase resistance and resilience of forest and woodland vegetation and watersheds in this landscape to climate related stressors (drought, wildfire, insects, and disease) by encouraging a mosaic of vegetative conditions (species, age, and density).
Improve watershed conditions by improving upland vegetation composition and productivity, increasing ground cover and reducing soil and gully erosion.

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. The project is consistent with the Standards and Guidelines of the Manti-La Sal Forest Land and Resource Management Plan of 1986, as amended.  
*Minimize hazards from wildfire - Reduce fuel loading, stand and crown/canopy density, and resultant fire hazard to vegetation, the public, private property, and firefighters (LRMP III-5).
*Maintain/improve habitat capability through direct treatment of vegetation (LRMP III-23).
*Provide habitat needs for deer and elk (LRMP III-19), especially improving the cover:forage ratio.
*The Utah Fire Amendment has a goal to reduce hazard fuels. The full range of fuel reduction methods is authorized, consistent with forest and management area emphasis and direction.
*Certain vegetative types are to be managed such that varying successional stages will be present to provide for a high level of vegetative diversity and productivity (III-2). Pinyon-juniper stands on gentle slopes and on lands with good soils will be treated periodically to maintain early successional stages (III-8). Intensive management practices would maintain structural diversity within the woody species in at least 25 percent of the area covered by the Gambel oak and mountain shrub type. In some cases, the Gambel oak would be encouraged to successionally develop as an open savannah or in a high seral stage (III-9).

2. National Fire Plan
*Designed to manage the potential impacts of wildland fire to communities and ecosystems and to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildland fire
*The NFP focuses on strategies for improving fire preparedness, restoring and rehabilitating burned areas, reducing hazardous fuels, assisting communities, and identifying research needs

3. San Juan County CWPP
The CWPP highlights the Shingle Mill project area as a high priority for fuel reduction need.

4. San Juan County Resource Management Plan
Objectives and policies from the county plan include:
*Forests, woodlands, rangelands, watersheds, and habitats are healthy and resilient and are managed for multiple use.
*Support the use of various vegetation manipulation tools (such as mechanical, chemical, biological, prescribed and controlled wildland fire and livestock grazing) to enhance production of wildlife and livestock habitat and forage and improve watershed and water quality conditions on woodland areas with potential for improved ecological condition.
*Actively manage forests and woodlands to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire.
*Impacts of wildfire on the health, safety and property of county residents as well as valuable natural and cultural resources are prevented or minimized.
*Use fuel reduction techniques such as conifer reduction, grazing, prescribed fire, chemical, biological, and mechanical treatments appropriate for site characteristics.
*Support land management practices that contribute to or maintain healthy watershed conditions.
*Support the implementation of rangeland improvement projects including brush control, seeding projects, pinion and juniper removal, noxious and invasive weed control, and livestock water developments.

5. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer 2014-2019
*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. Convert habitats back to young, vigorous shrub-dominated communities
*Work with land management agencies and private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning and wintering areas.

6. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Elk 2015-2022
*Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock.
*Reduce adverse impacts to elk herds and elk habitat.
*Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat.
*Coordinate 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.

7. Deer Herd Unit Management Plan Deer Herd Unit # 14 San Juan October 2015
*Protect, maintain, and/or improve deer habitat through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives.
*Work with federal, private, and state partners to improve crucial deer habitats through the WRI process.

8. Elk Herd Unit Management Plan Elk Herd Unit #14 San Juan August 2016
* Maintain and improve winter foraging areas through browse regeneration and pinyon-juniper removal projects.

9. Utah Wildlife Action Plan
Gambel Oak and mountain sagebrush are Key Habitats in the 2015-2025 Plan
Recommendations to improve condition include:
*Promoting policies and management that allow fire to return to a more natural regime.
*Promoting and funding restoration that reduces the uncharacteristic class, including cutting mulching of invading pinyon and juniper trees, and herbicide or mechanical treatment.
*single tree mulching/cutting invading conifer in the mountain sagebrush type.

10. Montezuma Creek and Lower San Juan-Four Corners Watershed Coordinated Resource Management Plan
The Shingle Mill project is part of the watershed implementation strategy in the watershed plan. The project addresses several specific resource concerns regarding soil and vegetation, and follows recommendations to thin/masticate pinyon-juniper and reduce gambel oak.

11. Utah's Wild Turkey Management Plan 
*The plan objective is to maintain and improve wild turkey populations. One of the strategies identified to reach this objective is to do habitat projects. This project will help to achieve this objective.
*The plan also identifies as an objective increasing habitat quantity and quality for turkeys by 40,000 acres statewide by 2020. This project will help to achieve this by increasing herbaceous foraging habitat for turkeys.

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.

The project area is located on the east side of the Abajo Mountains above the town of Monticello. It is located within the Monticello city municipal watershed and WUI (wildland-urban interface) area. Private property borders the 10,676 acre USFS project area. 1,300 treatment acres are on private lands next to homes and outbuildings. In 2018 the Southeast Catastrophic fire committee classified the Shingle Mill area as one of the top priority areas to focus efforts in addressing high fire risk and intensity. Partners on this committee included members of Federal and Utah State land agencies, Emergency Management coordinators for several counties, County Commissioners, and members of the public.

According to UWRAP (Utah Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal), the Phase I treatment area ranges from moderate to high wildfire risk and threat severity. The area is primarily Fire Regime III (3) and Condition Class 2, with a moderate departure from historical conditions. The historical conditions were mostly sagebrush, grasses and other shrubs. Climatic change, fire suppression and other factors have led to pinyon, juniper and Gambel oak encroachment in these areas.

Fuels in the current state pose a hazard to fire personnel, private citizens, agricultural land and animals, structures, and infrastructure. Within the project area, there are pipeline and collection structures for Monticello's culinary water system. A fire in the area would pose a significant threat to these structures and therefore water sources for the city.

The removal of live and dead fuels will reduce the severity and intensity of wildfire on the landscape. It will reduce the fire regime condition class (FRCC) on approximately 2260 acres (total project area, not just Phase Two). Vegetation treatment will create vegetation density, structures, and ladder fuels closer to historic conditions; thereby restoring the role of fire in the project area and reducing Condition Class from high (3) and moderate (2) to low (1) in this Fire Regime area that is adjacent to the private inholdings and the Forest boundary. This will make it safer for firefighters to manage an unplanned ignition within this area.

Treatment will also reduce risk to two communities at risk (Monticello, approx. 2 aerial miles away from nearest treatment area, and Blue Mountain Ranch approx. 0.5 aerial miles from nearest treatment area), permanent infrastructure (including power lines and water collection), Monticello city watershed, dispersed and developed recreation sites, and critical wildlife habitat. Treatment will reduce risk to homes in the Verdure Creek valley with the nearest home being 100 feet away from a proposed mastication area. It will create a mosaic of age classes and structure in the Gambel oak and mountain shrub types, moving these stands and the landscape toward historic and properly functioning conditions.

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.

It is the Forest Service's responsibility to ensure that activities implemented by the Forest include appropriate best management and other practices to protect water resources. Project design, site specific recommendations and the incorporation of SWCPs during project implementation mitigate concerns for watershed and water quality.  
By reducing the risk of severe, large scale wildfire in the project area, the actions will protect watershed values from damage to soils that result in reduced infiltration and increased runoff in the short term and loss of top soil and subsequent reduction in soil productivity in the long term.

The project is designed to increase percent effective ground cover, reduce soil loss due to erosion and reduce the potential amount of area in detrimental soil condition (as from severe fire, compaction or displacement). Monitoring of similar treatments on other areas of the Manti-La Sal National Forest with similar equipment found no detrimental soil compaction from several passes of the machine on the soil surface.  The chips from the mulching added additional ground cover.  Soil bulk density following use of the Brush Hog was similar to non-treated or control areas.  The total effective ground cover in the Brush Hog (Pinyon-Juniper chipped) areas was higher due to wood chips than non-treated areas.
Areas dominated by pinyon-juniper produce limited understory vegetation and the bare soil inter-spaces are prone to soil loss by erosion. Herbaceous vegetation is important in impeding overland flow and is effective at reducing soil erosion. Both the potential increase in herbaceous vegetation and the masticated tree material should help stabilize the soils by reducing erosion and protect the water quality throughout the watershed. Pinyon-juniper trees alter the amount and distribution of water that reaches the soil, intercepting 10-20% of precipitation according to Horman et al. 1999.  By removing PJ this should allow for more precipitation to contact the soil and increase biomass on the ground. Pinyon-juniper expansion into areas that historically had greater forbs and grasses present impedes streamflow for off-site (downstream) uses (Folliott 2012). Because PJ is very competitive for water this often reduces grasses and forbs within the area, leading to bare soil. "The increase in bare soil, particularly in the spaces between trees, typically leads to increased runoff and soil loss as the juniper infestation increases" (Thurow 1997). Increased runoff and sediment load, decrease water yield and water quality within the watershed. Studies have shown that an evaluation of alternatives using conversion treatments to enhance stream-flow in the PJ should be made (Barr 1956).  A recent publication by Roundy et al. 2014 showed that phase 3 juniper removal can increase available moisture for more than 3 weeks in the spring. And removing juniper from phase 1 and 2 stands can increase water from 6-20 days respectively. Because juniper are prolific water users they readily out compete understory species which eventually die off.

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.

Treatments for this phase of the Shingle Mill project will utilize a combination of mechanized bull hog (fecon head) mastication of pinyon/juniper and Gambel oak and hand-thinning with chainsaws to remove encroaching pinyon pine and juniper trees from sage and mountain brush areas.  Group selection regeneration treatments will be applied to Gambel oak, serviceberry, and birch leaf mountain-mahogany to regenerate a portion of the mid-aged and mature vegetation to diversify stand structure and provide more palatable plants for wildlife forage. There will be a mosaic of larger oak left to provide forage (acorns) for wildlife, including black bears and turkeys. The treatment of the basal re-sprouting shrubs (oak and other mountain browse) will create diverse age classes, better vigor and increased leader growth for forage for big game. Some areas, particularly the lower elevation portions, may be seeded to enhance understory diversity and production. 
Thinning and woodland regeneration treatments will emphasize retention of ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, larger mature trees, and clumps/groups of woodland trees.  Designation of openings and clumps/corridors will be coordinated with the District Wildlife Biologist.  
The results of this type of treatment are well-understood and have been successful in similar areas on the Abajo and La Sal Mountains.

Portions of the area (375 acres) with mancos clay soils will be seeded with native grass and forb species during the mastication treatment. The elevation, ground cover and good soils in the remainder of the area are conducive to self-reseeding of grasses and forbs.

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.

*Day-to-day monitoring of contract or force account operations will be completed during implementation by a designated Contractor Officer's Representative (C.O.R.) or by a qualified Forestry Technician.
*FS Range personnel will monitor for weeds post-treatment. Existing or new weed populations will be treated in accordance with existing noxious weed management decisions.
*An interdisciplinary review will be conducted following implementation (within two years) to determine if project objectives have been met and to determine whether implementation of project design features has been effective.
*Photo points will be established (by USFS personnel) to identify pre and post-treatment conditions, as well as long-term monitoring points for future reference.  Post-treatment photos will be taken within 3 years post-treatment.
*Monitoring of raptor nests in the project area will be continued annually by the USFS. 
*The interdisciplinary review and post-treatment photos will be uploaded to the WRI database upon completion (in the aforementioned 2- and 3-year time frames, respectively).

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.

The project area in Phase 2 is in the North Creek and Lakes/South Peak cattle allotment of the USFS. The proposed treatment would decrease the amount of woody vegetation (especially pinyon-juniper, oak) on 332 acres of the North Creek allotment and 1204 acres of The Lakes/ south peak allotment. This will lead to an increased production of herbaceous vegetation (grass and forb species) on up to 1536 acres. This will allow the area to be more resilient to grazing and drought. With the treatments and amount of herbaceous vegetation that will be released as well as the resprouting of desirable woody species it is anticipated that along with water improvements taking place as well as the release of more water through the removal of PJ and other shrubs that increased distribution will occur.  Noxious weeds are not expected to increase or spread as a result of the treatments as best management practices will be implemented. Site visits found little cheatgrass in the areas to be treated and the risk of cheatgrass being established as a result of the project is very low, due to the existing diversity and healthy grass production of most of the understory layers and because of the elevation. Any other noxious weeds in the area would continue to be treated.  In the short-term there could be some interruption of grazing operations; however the long-term benefits to the range resource outweigh the short-term negative impacts that may have to occur to individual permit holders such as resting pastures or exclusion of livestock from areas.

Mule deer hunting is popular on the USFS side of the fence as well, as is hunting for turkey and other small game. Being close to town, the area is also very popular for off-road/atv recreation and camping.

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.