Vegetation: A healthy Gamble oak brush community should consist of a diverse plant community and a variety of wildlife. The oak zone in the La Sals is becoming degraded due to encroaching pinyon and juniper and aging oak brush. Areas where trees have become dominant, they have out competed understory species for light, moisture, and nutrients. This eventually results in a loss of many understory species. The lack of understory species will deplete the native seedbank, increase soil erosion, and increases non-native weed invasion. When the oak becomes overgrown it is inaccessible for livestock and wildlife to utilize as forage. Excessive fuel build up can result in catastrophic wildfires, which further degrades the habitat. Removing pinyon/juniper and mulching oak brush to 2ft will improve site conditions. It will ensure the seedbank maintains desirable species, reduces the chances of catastrophic wildfires, and decrease the risk of weed invasion. Wildlife: The La Sals deer herd is at approximately 50% below the population objective for the area. These population declines can be attributed in part to habitat quality and quantity on both summer, transition and winter ranges. High quality mule deer summer and transition range on the La Sals is found in the oak zone. With the lack of disturbance in the oak brush community it has allowed pinyon/juniper to encroach and the oak to become over grown, which can impact wildlife that use this habitat type and reduce the amount of forage for deer during important times of the year. These stands are in poor condition as a result drought cycles, fire suppression and high utilization by both deer and domestic livestock. Furthermore, existing stands are being out competed by Pinyon and Juniper (PJ) trees thus reducing the carrying capacity for mule deer and other wildlife species. Removing trees in a mosaic pattern will improve forage conditions, because pinyon-juniper trees do provide valuable thermal and hiding cover for deer. Removing some pinyon and juniper trees will improve the quantity and quality of habitat in the area. This would provide valuable forage for mule deer with hiding and thermal cover in close proximity. This should aid in both overall deer health as well as fawn production.

1) Promote a healthy understory of grasses, forbs and shrubs to provide quality habitat for wildlife and range species. 2) Reduce the encroachment of pinyon/juniper trees and bring the oak brush to level that can be utilized, but leave patches of trees and older oak stands for wildlife corridors and cover. 3) Reduce the density of pinyon/juniper trees and older stands of oak brush as a hazardous fuels treatment to protect habitat at risk from a catastrophic wildfire event. 4) Reduce overland flows of water from rain/snow events where there is heavy pinyon/juniper stands. Allowing water to be infiltrated into the soils and slowly released back into the system. 5) After mechanical treatments have occurred it has been shown that 2 to 3 years post treatment there is a decrease in bare ground on the site. This increase was from grasses, forbs and litter left on site from mechanical treatment (Miller et al. 2014). 6) Increase available forage for livestock for wildlife. 7) Help bring this plant community back into a more natural state with a variety of age classes of oak. 8) Maintain and improve ecological site description as described in the NRCS Ecological Site Description, 39-41% Shrubs, 4-6% forbs and 29-31% grasses.

This project focuses on pinyon/ juniper removal and oak disturbance as a means to maintain healthy mountain browse habitats. Grasses and forbs are at risk of being lost due to excessive pinyon and juniper, over grown oak brush and subsequent wildfire. Wildfire may also reach the canopy of the scattered Ponderosa's. The summer/transition range has been declining due to a lack of disturbance, fire suppression and over utilization by wildlife and livestock. As the conditions in these areas decline so does herd health for wildlife and livestock in the area. A Conservation Assessment of the Colorado Plateau Ecoregion prepared by the The Nature Conservancy in 2002 identified Beaver Creek as a Conservation Target, an important area to manage for conservation to retain native biological diversity and ecosystem function. It had a High ranking for Biodiversity Values, and a moderate ranking (includes the whole watershed) for fire regime alteration. The Assessment does not provide management direction, but highlights the importance of the area and serves to focus future planning efforts. Project activities will improve and maintain diversity and improve ecosystem functions in the area. The majority of the area is ranked as well-suited for mechanical treatment on the NRCS Web Soil Survey. The project will help native plants found in the ecological sites described on the NRCS web soil survey to maintain and to increase vigor of shrubs described. If no treatment occurs the site will continue to lose components of the ecological site description. 39-41% Shrubs, 4-6% forbs and 29-31% grasses.

The 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 BLM National Policy Guidance on Wildlife and Fisheries Management *This manual provides direction to restore, maintain and improve wildlife habitat conditions on public lands through the implementation of activity plans Grand County Master Plan *Public Lands Policy 2- Grand County will work to protect watersheds. Public agencies are encouraged to adopt policies that enhance or restore watersheds for Moab *Public Lands Policy 11- Grand County contains a number of damage areas and the County encourages public land agencies to restore these lands *Sensitive Lands Policy 1- Sensitive lands are defined as watersheds; seen areas of elevated benches, mesas, ridges and slopes; and significant geological, biological and archeological sites. *Implementation Actions- Encourage responsible re-vegetation, preservation of existing native plant communities and control of noxious weeds Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer 2014-2019 Section VI Statewide management goals and objectives. This plan will address 1: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range. 2. 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. 3. Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinion-juniper woodlands and aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages. 4. Work with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working groups to identify and prioritize mule deer habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration. 5. 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. 6. Continue to identify, map, and characterize crucial mule deer habitats throughout the state, and identify threats and limiting factors to each habitat. 7. Work with land management agencies and private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning and wintering areas. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Elk 2015-2022 1) Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. 2) Reduce adverse impacts to elk herds and elk habitat. 3) Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. 4) 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. 5) Identify habitat projects on summer ranges (aspen communities) to improve calving habitat. 6) Encourage land managers to manage portions of forests in early succession stages. DEER HERD UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN Deer Herd Unit # 13 La Sal October 2015 A)Protect, maintain, and/or improve deer habitat through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives. B)Work with private landowners and federal, state, and local governments to maintain and protect critical and existing ranges from future losses and degradation through grazing management and OHV and Travel Plan modifications. C)Work with federal, private, and state partners to improve crucial deer habitats through the WRI process. Elk Herd Unit Management Plan Elk Herd Unit #13 La Sal Improve forage and cover values on elk summer ranges. Practices will include prescribed fire, selective logging, and mechanical treatments that promote a diverse age structure in aspen communities. Over 300 acres per year will be targeted. * Remove pinyon-juniper encroachment into winter range sagebrush parks and summer range mountain brush communities. Over 500 acres per year will be targeted using primarily mechanical treatments. * Improve existing canyon bottom riparian communities by treating greasewood and overmature sagebrush through chemical, mechanical, and other methods, and minimize impacts on croplands in these habitats. Utah Wildlife Action Plan Gambel Oak is a Key Habitat in the 2015-2025 Plan One of the threats identified to gambel oak is inappropriate fire frequency and intensity Recommendations to Improve condition are: 1)Promoting policies and management that allow fire to return to a more natural regime. 2)Promoting and funding restoration that reduces the Uncharacteristic class, including cutting mulching of invading pinyon and juniper trees, and herbicide or mechanical treatment. Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan: (Since we are asking for archaeological clearance for Forest Areas) -Provide habitat needs for deer and elk (III-19) Which includes maintaining 50% of habitat as foraging habitat (early seral stage, not thick old brush) -Maintain/improve habitat capability through direst treatment of vegetation (III-23) -In Range Emphasis Management Units, nonstructural restoration practices include a full spectrum of vegetation treatments -Utah Fire Amendment -- Reduce hazardous fuels. The full range of fuel reduction methods is authorized, consistent with forest and management area emphasis and direction. MLNF Watershed Assessment 2011 Moderate priority watershed for treatment A Conservation Assessment of the Colorado Plateau Ecoregion Prepared by the The Nature Conservancy, 2002 Beaver Creek was identified as a Conservation Target, an important area to manage for conservation to retain native biological diversity and ecosystem function. It had a High ranking for Biodiversity Values, and a moderate ranking (includes the whole watershed) for fire regime alteration. The Assessment does not provide management direction, but highlights the importance of the area and serves to focus future planning efforts. Willow Basin Community Fire Plan (2010) Goal B. Community will work with county, state and federal fire officials to decrease fuels on adjacent public lands to reduce wildfire intensity and impact in and around the community. Utah's Wild Turkey Management Plan Objectives 1. The plans 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. 2. 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 increase herbaceous foraging habitat for turkeys. 3. Another objective in the turkey management plan is to increase hunting opportunity. This project will help to accomplish this because the project is located on SITLA administered lands where hunters have access. 4. Enhance appreciation for wild turkeys in Utah. This project will help to allow easier access to turkeys by the public and greater opportunity to observe these animals. This will help to achieve this objective.

This project will decrease the risk of high severity wildfire by reducing fuel loading, reducing soil erosion, and promoting the growth of understory vegetation, which are critical to maintaining ecosystem resilience. Fuels in the current state pose a hazard to fire personnel, the private citizens, structures and infrastructure. The current fire regime condition class is moderate (2), and would be reduced to low (1) immediately after treatment. The project area is in the Willow Basin communities at risk (FFSL), it has a overall score of 11, and would have impacts to cabins in surrounding areas if wildfire occurred. It has been identified in the 2015-2025 Utah Wildlife Action Plan that Gambel Oak is a key habitat and the threats associated with this key habitat are inappropriate fire frequency and intensity. This project will help to achieve this goal. The area is mapped as moderate risk and threat by the Utah DNR Wildlife Risk Assessment Portal (Cat. Fire Map).

Watershed Health: 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 and Juniper intercept 10-20% of precipitation according to Horman et al. 1999. By removing p/j this should allow for more saprecipitation to contact the soil and increase biomass on the ground. In areas where lop and scatter will be used there should be adequate vegetation to avoid soil erosion but this should increase the amount of water into the system instead of evaporating before it reaches the ground. Pinyon-juniper (PJ) expansion into areas that historically had greater forbs and grasses present impedes streamflow for off-site (downstream) uses (Folliott 2012). PJ presence alters the amount and distribution of water that reaches the soil. 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). According to the Ecological Site Description the soil is in hydrologic groups b and c. The runoff curve numbers are 61 through 86 depending on the condition of the watershed. Results of the Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative study in Nevada (Desatoya Mt.) found that by removing (lop and scatter) P/J (130 trees/acre) there is the potential to increase water recharge yields 4% on wet years. On wet years this will increase recharge, but does not increase stream flow. Wet meadows and upland plants benefit by utilizing the increase soil moisture, providing for better resiliency during drought years. This provides for an increase in water quantity for herbaceous plants on sites where p/j is removed. 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.

Archeological clearance and SHPO consultation will be completed before project activities begin. SITLA RIP application will be approved before work begins on SITLA administered lands.

The project methods will utilize bullhogs to masticate pinyon/juniper and oak. There will be a mosaic of larger oak left to provide habitat for band-tailed pigeons. This will allow for the treatment of the basal re-sprouting shrubs (oak and other mountain browse) to create better vigor and provide increased leader growth for forage. There will be no seeding since the area has good understory already. Place 1-2 nest boxes on the site to provide nesting habitat for cavity nesting birds in the area.

Photo Monitoring will be done pre-treatment and then 3 year post treatment. Wildlife Pellet Group counts will be done pre-treatment and then 3 year post treatment. Line Point Vegetation Transects will be done pre-treatment and then 3 year post treatment. Detailed Methods are attached in the Images/Documents section. Online form will be created for each sampling method, this way as soon as monitoring is completed it can be uploaded to the database from the users smartphone or internet connected device. In areas with no cell service form will be upload at the end of the day when back in cell coverage.

This project is a multiple phase project. The project was originally brought to the attention of DWR by Mule Deer Foundation. There was a day in the field with BLM, Forest Service, MDF, DWR and landowners in the area. The project was designed to treat much of the area in the north beaver creek area of the La Sals. In the second phase we have worked with the NRCS and the landowner has applied for NRCS funding as supplemental funding to the project. The partnership has reached out the National Wild Turkey Federation to help gain support and help in project design. In phase 1 of this project we treated private lands while the archaeological clearances were completed on the Forest Service lands. In this phase additional private lands and SITLA lands will be treated in addition requesting funding for a consultant to complete the Environmental Assessment for the Forest Service lands while they are busy with forest plan revisions.

The hunting rights have been leased for guided hunts on this property. The landowner is interested in continuing to promote wildlife on the property. Grazing will continue on the property the landowner uses the property to trail livestock to forest service and STILA grazing leases. They move the animals 3-4 days through the property in late June and in the fall they use the property for 1 week in October. This will continue since there will be no seeding this will not harm the results of the treatment. The La Sal deer herd is well under 50% of population objective. Elk on the La Sal's are at objective. DWR will continue to strive to achieve and maintain objectives for big game on the La Sal's. The SITLA administered lands that will be treated will continue to be grazed. DWR purchases the hunting leases on SITLA properties so these lands will continue to open for public hunting.

The landowners are cattleman and would like to make sure the project will benefit their livestock in the future. They are willing to rest the area until treatment is reaches vegetative goals. They will still need to trail livestock through the area in the spring and fall but it would be for a short period of time and they would keep the cattle moving. For the landowner this would be the primary benefit of the project and wildlife would be a side benefit. The removal of pinyon/juniper and reducing the size of the oak in the area will increase the amount of available forage. The treatments on SITLA lands will continue to provide and potentially increase quality and quantity of forage for the permitee.

04/17/2018

06/07/2018

2018

Trackhoe's with fecon heads masticated oakbrush, pinyon and juniper in the northeast side of the La Sal mountains. No seeding occurred since the area has an under-story. Areas of larger diameter oak were not masticated.

Deer Valley Sand and Gravel was the contractor that completed the mastication of the gambles oak. They started on 4-17 and continued work until the week of 6-7. Conditions became too dry and they were at risk of causing a fire. Work did not continue once fire danger was lower, instead the polygons that remained will be treated on a future phase of this project. The treatment area was located on private lands as well as SITLA and the landowner was very enthusiastic about having the treatment occur on the property. The area had very thick and dense stands of oak brush with scattered pinyon and juniper trees. The treatment will open up areas for basal re-sprouting shrubs like oak-brush to regenerate and allow wildlife and livestock to forage on it. The mastication on the pinyon and juniper trees will set back the encroachment into the oak-brush. By reducing the ladder fuels the limited ponderosa pines will be protected when fire occurs in the area.

The area will continue to be grazed by the landowner in the spring and fall as they are trailing cattle to their forest permit. There will be no rest period since there was no seeding on this project. DWR will continue to promote healthy herds of deer, elk, turkey and other wildlife in the area.