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.

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 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.
The treatments proposed in this vegetation type are designed to stimulate the younger/mid age classes through cutting or masticating invading conifer.
The WAP lists Invasive Plant Species Non Native as a Medium level threat to Mountain Shrub communities and suggests the following: 
Promoting policies that reduce inappropriate grazing by domestic livestock and wildlife.
Continuing the use of appropriate methods for reducing the spread and dominance of invasive weeds and annual grasses, including "early detection -- rapid response" programs.
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.
Pinyon juniper removal as described in the proposed project in and around these stands along with seeding around these stands should reduce the risk of wildfire, as well as limit the spread of cheat grass into these areas.
2.3.15 Conduct riparian vegetation treatments to restore characteristic riparian vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings. Pinyon juniper removal as described in the proposed project in and around these stands along with seeding around these stands should reduce the risk of wildfire, as well as limit the spread of cheat grass into these areas.

State of Utah Resource Management Plan
The States RMP has the following objectives for fire management:
The State will advocate for forest management practices that promote species diversity and overall ecosystem health.
The State encourages local jurisdictions to prevent wildfires, prepare their residents for wildfire and reduce their fuel load by entering into cooperative agreements that give incentive for those actions.
The State will participate with federal wildfire agencies to leverage and combine resources and strengths wherever possible.
The proposed project endeavors to increase species diversity through pinyon juniper removal, aerial seeding, chain harrowing and drill seeding. The proposed project crosses jurisdictional boundaries and is adjacent to past work across jurisdictional boundaries. The proposed project is a collaborative effort between State and Federal agencies.
The State RMP sets the following objectives for livestock management:
Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds.
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.
The proposed project aims to improve the range through PJ removal, chain harrowing, aerial seeding and drill seeding to provide maximum flexibility to permittees.

The State's RMP has the following objectives for Wildlife:
Expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat.
Conserve, improve, and restore 500,000 acres of mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges.
Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands.
Avoid, minimize or compensate for damages to private land occurring when wildlife populations are above targeted management plan objectives.
The proposed project will improve forage on public and private lands for wildlife and livestock, improving mule deer habitat and reducing the potential for adjacent cropland damages,

Deer Herd Unit #30 (Pine Valley)
The proposed project would help to meet the following Habitat Protection, Improvement and Maintenance actions identified in the Mule Deer Herd Unit #30 Plan: 
Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat improvement projects.
Protect deer winter ranges from wildfire by reseeding burned areas, creating fuel breaks and vegetated green strips and reseed areas dominated by Cheat grass with desirable perennial vegetation.
Reduce expansion of Pinion-Juniper woodlands into sagebrush habitats and improve habitats dominated by Pinion-Juniper woodlands by completing habitat restoration projects like lop & scatter, bullhog, and chaining.
The Herd Plan also suggests that:
Future habitat work should be concentrated on the following areas. Landscape level watershed improvements on the Pine Valley Ranger District of the Dixie National Forest with a focus on transitional ranges. Retreatment of older treatments (>10years) to protect investment through maintenance.

Dixie NF Noxious Weed Management Plan (EA 2000). Prevent spread of noxious weeds and other invasive plants. Project seeding treatment will help reduce spread of cheatgrass. If noxious weeds (scotch thistle) are found, those areas will be avoided by project equipment and reported to district staff.

National Fire Plan (NFP) - Primary Goals: 1) Improve fire prevention and suppression; 2) Restore fire adapted ecosystem. Project will reduce fuel loading. Accompanying (NFP) 10 year Comprehensive Strategy - Guiding Principles: 3) Prevent invasive species and restore watershed function and biological communities through short-term stabilization and long-term rehabilitation; 4) Restore healthy, diverse, and resilient ecological system to minimize uncharacteristically severe fires on a priority watershed basis through long-term restoration. Project will help invasive species encroachment by seeding and help minimize severe fires by reducing fuel loadings.

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.