Project Details

The Parowan Front Maple Hollow project area is dominated by stands of pinyon and juniper trees with a high percentage of young trees encroaching into areas of remaining stands of sagebrush, bitterbrush, cliffrose, and other deciduous shrubs causing a downward trend in herbaceous cover. The project area serves as an important winter and transition range for mule deer, and in recent years due to treatment has enticed some winter use by elk as well. The high fenced I-15 corridor severs access to the historic winter range for the Panguitch Lake deer herd (unit 28). The Panguitch Lake deer herd is currently below population objective. One of the limiting factors for this unit is winter range; this treatment will help to expand critical high quality winter range and transitional habitat, and in return will help bring mule deer populations within healthy carrying capacities for long-term sustainability in rangeland health. A short hike through this area shows signs of significant encroachment by pinyon pine and Utah juniper trees and a trained eye will immediately notice the stands of bitterbrush, sagebrush, and cliffrose hanging on in these areas where they used to dominate. The understory in the areas outline by this treatment although not completely void of perennial grasses and forbs are struggling to serve as hospitable habitat. Thus, there is a need to remove the pinyon and juniper that have encroached into these zones allowing the areas to release their understory component and utilize the nutrients available in the system to put on enough leader growth to set seed and regain dominance. Wild turkey that once flourished in the project area have struggled in recent years and we believe that opening up the canopy and allowing for the forbes in the area to flourish that we will increase the ability for hens to raise poults and to repopulate the area to once known numbers of wild turkey.

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 the sage steppe ecosystem; 
2)	Restore and enhance riparian systems and water quality, and improve big game habitat on public lands. 
Our objectives are to remove 90% or more of pinyon and juniper trees within the project area while leaving islands of trees in a mosaic pattern for use by mule deer as thermal cover
Re-establish perennial grass, forbs and shrubs by releasing the nutrients in these areas through competition removal. 
In projects similar to this, we have seen an increase in the available forage of up to 500% and we would expect similar increases in this project.
Re-establishing the perennial grass and forb component will allow for better absorption rates from rain events and water runoff reducing erosion potential and sedimentation in to the Cedar Valley and Little Salt Lake Valley. 
Removing invasive pinyon and juniper trees from the riparian corridors, as well as the adjacent uplands within drainage basins allows the riparian habitat to re-establish and function to reduce erosion and sedimentation events.

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.

The invasion of pinyon and juniper trees into areas once dominated by grasses, forbs, and shrubs has lowered the carrying capacity for wintering mule deer. Not completing this project, we risk mule deer herds having to compete for browse and forage on an already crowded winter range. We have seen evidence of this in our planning when we observed significant hedging of juniper trees within the treatment area. These factors combined with the lost connectivity to historic winter ranges have decreased the carrying capacity of the winter and transition ranges of this unit. The density of pinyon and juniper present on this site increases the risk for catastrophic wildfires in these habitats. If a significant fire were to happen it would likely result in the complete or partial loss of current winter range along the Parowan front. Also in small scale cases fires in this area have proven to quickly convert from a shrub dominated landscape to non -native invasive (ie cheatgrass, and thistle) systems detrimental to other wildlife species. Pinyon and Juniper expansion has also resulted in loss of foraging areas for raptors such as Ferruginous hawk due to the continuous canopy. Opening up foraging spaces in this canopy while retaining clumps of trees with large flat-topped juniper for raptor perches and nesting is synchronous with the design feature of retaining patches of thermal and hiding cover for wintering big game. A past project identical to the proposed project has proven successful in meeting these objectives. As with any surface disturbing activity in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem there is potential for weed invasion. BLM/DWR will aggressively treat any noxious weeds within the treatment area if found. If left untreated we expect that these systems will continue to decline and further loss of the shrub, grass, and forb plant community will occur. Left unchecked this decline will continue to the point that a much more expensive treatment type would need to occur in the area in order to be successful in restoring these areas to functioning winter ranges. These projects are usually about twice as costly. The answer to the why here why now question could also be answered by talking about the partnership that exist between UDWR and BLM. BLM has had funds, and plans to treat this area for two funding cycles now. They realize that there is a need to treat all of the planned areas and that both they and UDWR stand to pay significantly more per acre on the cost to treat these areas if they are not treated together as one contract. For these reasons they have been holding off treating the BLM lands waiting for the UDWR lands to secure funds to be able to treat them together in a combined contract. They have stated that if funds are not secured this funding cycle then they are going to move forward with treating the BLM lands, potentially leaving the UDWR lands untreated, or increasing significantly the cost to treat both BLM and UDWR lands.

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 Mule Deer Statewide Management plan (2014) Habitat Goal: Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. This project supports this goal by restoring a crucial winter range.

Panguitch lake Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (#28) 2015 States that work to reduce the pinyon-juniper cover especially in winter ranges should be a priority for this unit.  The mid elevation upland site is dominated by Pinyon Pine, and Utah Juniper and is generally considered to be in very poor condition for deer winter range. This infilling from pinyon-juniper trees has reduced understory shrub and herbaceous cover. This project aims to take action to reverse these conditions and allow for a healthy grass, forb, shrub plant community. In December 2018, 50 radio collars were deployed on mule deer wintering along the Parowan Front to provide insight on mule deer movement on this limited winter range. This project will assist in the evaluation of the immediate impacts to wintering mule deer in relation to habitat restoration efforts. The implementation of this project will provide a unique opportunity to acquire movement data associated with treatments prior to, during, and after implementation.

Parowan Front Wildlife management plan states; All of the units on the Parowan Front WMA have pinyon-juniper forests that are encroaching on the sagebrush flats and choking out many of the browse species important to wintering deer. Several thinning (lop and scatter) and chaining projects have been done in the past to remedy this problem. However, due to the extent of the encroachment an aggressive thinning policy needs to be carried out on the Parowan Front WMA to improve habitat for wintering deer. 
Southern Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan 2004, which states: Mechanically treat to convert pinyon and juniper invasion (condition class 3) into sagebrush/perennial grass (condition class 1 or 2) vegetation types. . There are places within this treatment plan where FRCC Class 3 conditions exist and this project would aim to reduce the FRCC to 1's and 2's wherever possible.

This project is supported by the National Fire Plan (2000), and the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 which both plans support protecting forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands from unnaturally intensive and destructives fires

Iron County Deer Winter Range Resource Plan (2011) support this project when they call for Protection and expansion of deer winter range and associated wildlife habitats.

State of Utah Resource Management Plan (2018) The state supports the efforts of the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative and other rehabilitative efforts throughout the state The state supports the Watershed Restoration Initiative to encourage reduced wildfire acreage, reduced soil loss from erosion, reduced sedimentation and storage loss in reservoirs, and improved water quality. The state plan supports active management to improve and enhance riparian resources to provide for appropriate physical, biological and chemical function. Engage with federal land management agencies to support active management of healthy riparian areas on federal land. Actively remove pinyon-juniper encroachment in other ecological sites due to its substantial consumption of water and its detrimental effect on sagebrush, other vegetation and wildlife. Use of the good neighbor program to collaborate with Federal Agencies to manage forage.

Iron County Resource Management Plan (2017) This plan supports our project in the following ways; Encouraging the BLM in managing rangelands "in a manner that will protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historical, ecological, environmental, air and atmospheric, water resource, and archeological values, while providing for outdoor recreation, food and habitat for fish, wildlife, and domestic animals. By stating that it supports management of rangelands and forestlands to enhance desired plant communities that benefit watersheds, wildlife, water quality, recreation, and sustainable livestock grazing. By encouraging multiple-use as custom and culture on current and future federal land projects. By encouraging protection of watershed from the threats of catastrophic wildfire through proper management of forests, and the reduction of fuel loads to prevent and minimize wildfires and their effects. Conservation efforts include preserving existing riparian areas as well as restoring damaged ones. Preservation should also include the dedication of sufficient water and groundwater to support vegetation. By supporting range improvement projects in crucial deer winter ranges to sustain viable huntable populations, limiting off-road travel of vehicles in crucial deer winter ranges, and efforts to expand deer wintering ranges in the county.

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 majority of the area is an Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) 2 or 3. This represents a moderate to extreme threat on the fire risk index. In this condition class, fire regimes have been extensively altered and risk of losing key ecosystem components from fire is high. Treatments identified within this proposal, would help reduce hazardous fuel loads, create fuel breaks, and reduce the overall threat of a catastrophic wildfire, which could affect the communities of Parowan, Cedar City, Paragonah, and Summit and outlying residential properties and infrastructure. There is a large fuel load build up along the Parowan Front and an alteration in fuel type in needed. Pinyon and juniper trees have expanded and moved into areas once dominated by shrubs, forbs, and grasses. Without this project, fuel conditions are such that a wildfire may be difficult to contain, leading to an increased risk to firefighter and public safety. Suppression effectiveness and natural resource degradation is likely with the levels of fuel loading that are currently present within these treatment areas. Other infrastructure at risk in the area include a pipeline in Maple Spring Hollow Canyon that runs directly through the proposed treatment area that is critical to wildlife and livestock operations in the allotment. As well as power line corridors that run directly parallel on both the north and east sides of the project that feeds power to both Parowan and Brian Head. Treatments in and around the sagebrush areas would break up continuous fuels and reduce the risk of wildfire entering these sensitive areas. Removing pinyon and juniper in a mosaic pattern would also break up continuous fuels and reduce the risk of a high intensity wildfire. Because there is a greater risk of conversion of shrublands to annual grasslands under a high intensity fire, managed, pro-active treatments proposed would reduce the likelihood of cheatgrass invasion and help perennial grasses and forbs persist long-term.

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.

Numerous studies have shown that increased infiltration rates and less overland flow improve both water quality and quantity. We believe that by implementing this project in the Maple Hollow Spring drainage basin that feeds Parowan Creek, the amount of water that makes it to the stream bed will increase. We anticipate that this will result in an increased amount of flow in the stream as well as how far the stream flows. We also expect that this will result in stream flow durations that will take sections of the stream from current conditions of intermittent flow and change them over to perennial flow. By changing the flow regimes in these areas, we also feel like this will allow for the riparian vegetation along the channel to expand and the overall riparian footprint in the area to increase allowing these systems to infill and create a healthy functioning riparian and stream systems. Maple Spring Hollow Canyon corridor has several springs that are critical for wildlife and livestock in the area. A pipeline exists in the drainage that feeds several stock/wildlife troughs. The proposed project is expected to improve spring flows and benefit these riparian areas.
In the lop and scatter process much of the bare soil will be covered by limbs, branches and other pieces of woody debris which will aid in the establishment of vegetative cover. This desirable vegetative cover will reduce water runoff and decrease soil erosion into Cedar Valley, Little Salt Lake Valley, and Parowan Creek. Implementation of this project will also greatly increase water infiltration into the soil, as perennial plants regain hold and allow for percolation of water, recharging groundwater systems in the area.

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.

Pinyon Pine and Utah Juniper, which currently occupy and are encroaching upon the site will be removed through lop and scatter methods. Islands and corridors of pinyon and juniper will remain untreated throughout the unit, creating a mosaic pattern of treated and untreated vegetation with special attention given to retaining a few large flat-topped juniper for raptor perching and nesting in the patches by species such as Ferruginous Hawk, as well as retained for thermal and hiding cover for big game. Creating these open areas with dense grass forbe communities will also attract mice and voles and other small mammal species that will serve as a foraging benefit to snake species especially the Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake that has been observed in this area in the recent past. These treatment areas are primarily phase 1 and 2 pinyon-juniper sites will be lop and scattered with the use of chainsaws. Limb debris would be scattered in a way to facilitate micro-environments for plant to take advantage of and avoid browsing due to growing un places where grazing of them would be difficult. This would allow plants to grow and set seed in the areas speeding up the recovery of the area to the desired plant communities. It is anticipated that this work would take place in the fall of the year. This would allow for the winter snow to cover lop and scatter debris aiding in the breakdown of materials. The release of the understory would then take effect in the spring of the year with the availability of nutrients and the lack of competition during the peak growing season.

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.

There is one long term monitoring plot within the project area, which will continue to be read in the future and used to monitor treatment response. 
Photo points will be established throughout the project showing before and after pictures to help evaluate success. These photos will continue to be taken for 5 years post treatment to maintain a scale of success of the project over time. 
UDWR Habitat and Wildlife biologists will establish a monitoring site within the treatment area that will monitor pellet counts for utilization as well as point intercept plots that will monitor establishment and overall health of the plant community. This will not be an established plot read by the DWR Range Trend Crew. This plot will be read annually in the spring by DWR habitat staff and or wildlife biologists after winter utilization has taken place to determine rangeland health and carrying capacity on WMA properties, and should correlate closely to surrounding treatment areas on BLM, and Private Land. 
Radio telemetry data from wintering mule deer will be used in the evaluation of this project. The data will also be used to identify future treatments that may provide valuable stopover habitat during migratory movements.

Monitoring reports generated through BLM will be uploaded to the WRI database as the monitoring takes place.

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 BLM portion of this project falls within two authorized livestock (cattle) grazing allotments within the treatment area; P-Hill and Summit. Vegetation will continue to be monitored for utilization, cover and trend. Both of these allotments will continue to follow the multiple use policies adhered to by the BLM in their future management plans. Also future maintenance projects to protect investments made by UWRI/BLM on this and other treatments in the area have been discussed and will be allowed through the project planning document (NEPA) planning process, on an as needed basis.
UDWR property falls within the Parowan Front Wildlife Management Area, and will be managed primarily for the benefit of wildlife. Grazing of cattle will be used on the WMA properties to reduce grasses and promote the growth of browse if deemed necessary by habitat management staff. Grazing will only be administered through a high intensity short-term period strategy, from early May to early June. Regional UDWR personnel will evaluate each unit for habitat quality on a yearly basis. At that, time it will be decided what units, if any, will be grazed by livestock (primarily cattle) the following year.

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.

Rangeland conditions are expected to improve following implementation of the proposed vegetation project. The health, vigor, recruitment and production of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs should improve which would provide a more desirable nutritional source of forage for both livestock and wildlife. Implementation of this project would eventually improve overall livestock performance (e.g. increased cow weights, increased calf crops, increased weaning weights, etc) and improve the economic stability of the permittees due to an increase in the quantity and quality of grasses and other herbaceous forage, which are important to livestock grazing. Thick woodlands typically deter use by livestock, simply because there is easier and more desired areas to feed. Opening these areas and increasing the amount of forage available will allow livestock to disperse, providing relief to other areas historically utilized. Hunters and wildlife viewers use the Parowan Front Wildlife Management Areas, extensively for recreation. These areas are also popular areas for shed antler gathering. UDWR issues several firewood permits every year allowing the public to remove firewood from previously treated areas. On BLM administered lands firewood gathering, and cedar post cutting is also permissible and governed through a permit purchased at the local BLM office. This area is very popular for wildlife viewing, because of the mule deer that use this area for wintering habitat.  By re-invigorating the winter range conditions, wildlife-viewing opportunities should continue long into the future.

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.