Choke Cherry Fire Rehabiliation Project
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Project ID: 3884
Status: Completed
Fiscal Year: 2017
Submitted By:
538
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Project Manager: Mark Farmer
PM Agency: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
PM Office: Central Region
Lead: Bureau of Land Management
WRI Region: Central
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Description:
Aerially seeding 1,031 acres of the Choke cherry fire in Tooele county
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Location:
East slope of the Deep creek mountains in Tooele county.
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Project Need
Need For Project:
The Choke Cherry Fire burned 1,779 acres on the lower slopes of the Deep Creek Mountains
and much of the soil's protective vegetative cover was destroyed. This vegetative cover that
was lost in the fire played a critical role in slowing overland flow, increasing infiltration, and
providing fibrous roots that held the topsoil in place. Much of the fire area is now vulnerable
to soil losses through water and wind erosion. Much of the terrain in the fire area consists
of moderate and steep slopes that are vulnerable to channel cutting. Thunderstorms over
previous burns in Pole and Chokecherry Canyons resulted in flash flooding with significant
channel cutting and sediment deposition onto the Deep Creek Mountain benches.
Objectives:
Establish perennial grasses to a value of 20% by the 3rd growing season
Establish perennial forbs to a value of 5% by the 3rd growing season
Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?):
The fire has removed much of the perennial plants, which has left open ground vulnerable to
weed invasion. Erosion will be a problem until herbaceous vegetation cover is reestablished.
Relation To Management Plan:
This project will help meet some of the objectives of the WMU 19 Deep creek deer plan including: 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 Cheatgrass with desirable perennial vegetation.
Fire / Fuels:
Seeding the burned area will ensure establishment of desirable perennial vegetation.
Water Quality/Quantity:
Rehabilitation of the fire will improve water quality of runoff
Compliance:
No NEPA is required. The project will aerially seed the burn but not disturbe the ground
Methods:
Aerially seed 1,031 acres of the fire that burned severly
Monitoring:
BLM will be responisble to monitor the response of the fire rehabilitation project.
Partners:
BLM, DWR
Future Management:
The area is part of the BLMs wilderness study area and will be managed as such in the future.
Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources:
Livestock grazing will benefit for the reseeding effort
| Budget | WRI/DWR | Other | Budget Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $73,359.03 | $0.00 | $73,359.03 | $0.00 | $73,359.03 |
| Item | Description | WRI | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractual Services | Aerially seed 1,031 acres @ $15/acre | $10,052.25 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2017 |
| Seed (GBRC) | Low elevation mix | $20,530.03 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2017 |
| Seed (GBRC) | High elevation mix | $39,776.75 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2017 |
| Equipment Rental/Use | Dozer rental | $3,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2017 |
| Funding | WRI/DWR | Other | Funding Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $73,359.03 | $0.00 | $73,359.03 | $0.00 | $73,359.03 |
| Source | Phase | Description | Amount | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLM ESR | N6462 | Included on BLM Mod 7 | $50,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2017 |
| UWRI-Pre-Suppression Fund | N5652 | $5,839.76 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2017 | |
| Federal Aid (PR) | $17,519.27 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2017 |
Species
| Species | "N" Rank | HIG/F Rank | ||||
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| Elk | R2 | |||||
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| Mule Deer | R1 | |||||
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Habitats
| Habitat | ||||
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| Gambel Oak | ||||
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| Mountain Sagebrush | ||||
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| Mountain Shrub | ||||
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Project Comments
Completion
Start Date:
09/01/2016
End Date:
12/31/2016
FY Implemented:
2017
Final Methods:
We aerially broadcasted shrub, grass, and forb seed from a helicopter. We did not do any on the ground treatments because of the high elevation and steep slopes.
Project Narrative:
The Choke Cherry Fire burned 1,779 acres on the lower slopes of the Deep Creek Mountains
and much of the soil's protective vegetative cover was destroyed. This vegetative cover that
was lost in the fire played a critical role in slowing overland flow, increasing infiltration, and
providing fibrous roots that held the topsoil in place. Much of the terrain in the fire area consists of moderate and steep slopes that are vulnerable to channel cutting. Thunderstorms over previous burns in Pole and Chokecherry Canyons resulted in flash flooding with significant channel cutting and sediment deposition onto the Deep Creek Mountain benches. This project will hopefully allow vegetation to establish more quickly and reduce these risks. Only the areas of high intensity burning were reseeded, 1,030 acres.
Future Management:
We will monitor the success of this project and determine if we can do similar treatment methods in the future.
Map Features
| ID | Feature Category | Action | Treatement/Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5382 | Terrestrial Treatment Area | Seeding (primary) | Broadcast (aerial-helicopter) |
| 5383 | Terrestrial Treatment Area | Seeding (primary) | Broadcast (aerial-helicopter) |
Project Map
