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.

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.

*	Stands historically dominated by aspen are declining and are being dominated by late seral conifer trees (Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and Douglas-fir).  Aspen stands provide valuable biodiversity, wildlife habitat and forage, and resistance and resiliency to severe wildland fire.  Unless the succession is set back to early seral (young) aspen stands and conifer tree competition is removed, some areas of aspen may be lost for wildlife & watershed benefit.
*	Dense conifer stands are susceptible to severe stand-replacing fire, particularly in conjunction with climate change (drought and increasing temperatures). This can impact watershed values, vegetative conditions, wildlife habitat, and other resource values if large stand replacing fire events occur.
*	Loss of aspen and increase in conifers in this landscape could result in loss of valuable nesting and forage habitat for northern goshawk, as well as habitat for elk, mule deer, and other species.  Through prescribed burning, a mosaic of burn conditions will allow for greater biodiversity thus allowing for multiple species benefit.
*	In 2016 the Southeast Catastrophic fire committee has classified the Joe's Valley/Cottonwood Canyon as one of the top priority areas to focus efforts in addressing high fire risk and intensity.  Joe's Valley/Cottonwood Canyon ranked high due to the potential impact to wildlife, municipal watershed, and homes in the area.

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.

MANTI-LA SAL NATIONAL FOREST LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN (1986) 
* Provide an optimum cover:forage ratio for deer and elk habitat (III-19)
*	Maintain/improve habitat and habitat diversity for populations of existing wildlife species (III-22)
*	Maintain/improve habitat capability through direct treatment of vegetation (III-23)
*	Under a proactive approach, manage for diverse forest cover types with strong representation of early seral tree species
DEER HERD UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN Deer Herd Unit # 16 Central Mountains
*	Cooperate with land management agencies in carrying out habitat improvements such as controlled burns
*	Management efforts should focus on improving deer habitat and carrying capacity
*	Enhance forage production through direct range improvements throughout the unit on winter range to achieve population management objectives.
*	Provide improved habitat security and escapement opportunities for deer.
*	Provide a long-term continuing base of habitat quantity and quality sufficient to support the stated population objectives.
STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MULE DEER (2008)
*	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 support and provide leadership for the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats across all landownerships.
*	Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinyon-juniper woodlands and
aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages.
UTAH DIVISION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MULE DEER
*	Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts.
*	Work with land management agencies and private landowners to identify and properly
manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning and wintering areas.
*	Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2013.
UTAH ELK STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN (2010)
*	Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve elk habitat with emphasis on calving habitat and winter ranges
*	Encourage land managers to manage portions of forests in early succession stages through the use of controlled burning.

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.

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.