Conifer expansion is occurring into shrubland habitats identified within sage-grouse, bighorn sheep, mule deer, pronghorn, and elk ranges. The management action is designed to maintain the shrubland community by removing the invasive conifers. The purpose is to contribute to healthy and resilient sage-steppe landscapes by enhancing and restoring wildlife habitat, restoring vegetative conditions to resemble historic plant community mosaics, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire through reduced ladder fuel loads, and enhance native vegetation resistance to invasive and noxious weeds. Sage-grouse, bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope, and various brush species obligate wildlife utilize the project areas. Browse and brush habitat aspects of their respective habitat requirements are threatened by advancing conifer.

The goal is to maintain the native shrubland community type across the landscape and contribute to healthy and resilient vegetation and associated wildlife habitat. Objectives include maintaining native vegetative diversity, wildlife diversity, community type distribution, community type dominance, and combat invasive species pioneering. Specific objectives include: 1. Reduce shrubland vegetation community type change threats through invading conifer removal. 2. Reduce both potential wildfire threats and intensity through reducing hazardous fuel loads. 3. Improve wildlife habitat by maintaining native vegetation communities, understory diversity, and condition. 4. Protect the watershed stability and the municipal water supply.

Threats include the reduction of native understory vegetation as conifer canopy increases and begins to close. This sets the stage for invasive species such as cheatgrass to become established and dominant. Wildfire intensity and scale, such as those that occurred following the Mustang Ridge Fire near Dutch John have shown the capacity for complete community type change and associated wildlife habitat impacts.

The project supports the objectives and recommendations of the following applicable management plans: 1. UTAH DWR WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (WAP) 2015 - 2025: The project will provide enhancements for 3 "Key Habitats" identified in the Action Plan. These include the following terrestrial habitat classifications Lowland Sagebrush, p. 106; Mountain Sagebrush, p. 120; and Mountain Shrub, p. 127. The project addresses these areas by removing problematic plant species (native), reducing habitat shifting, and reducing foothold areas for invasive non-native species. 2. ASHLEY NATIONAL FOREST LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 1986: Wildlife and Fish Goals (ANF Land and Resource Management Plan 1986, p. IV 28 - IV 31): Goal 1 - Manage fish and wildlife habitat to maintain or improve diversity and productivity. Goal 2 - Involve concerned government agencies, environmental organizations, and special interest groups in wildlife and fisheries management program. Objective 1. Develop and implement habitat management planning and improvements to include key ecosystems, wildlife, and plant species. Objective 2. Develop the species/habitat relationships of fish and wildlife. Objective 5. Develop support from wildlife intrest groups for funding or labor for wildlife and fish projects. Soil, Water, and Air (ANF Land and Resource Management Plan 1986, p. IV 37-42): Goal 1- Increase water yields from National Forest Watersheds. Goal 2 - Improve and conserve the basic soil and water resources. Objective 1. Increase water yields through resource management activities. Objective 2. Maintain or improve soil stability, site productivity and repair or stabilize damaged watersheds. Range Goal (ANF Land and Resource Management Plan 1986, p. IV 32-33): Achieve satisfactory ecological condition on all rangelands. Maintain or obtain plant diversity to meet the requirements of the NFMA. Objective 1. Maintain or improve all range in a fair or better condition class. Objective 2. Develop and implement an action plan for control of noxious weeds. Protection Goal (ANF Land and Resource Management Plan 1986, p. IV 54-55) : Provide cost-efficient protection of Forest resources, users, and administrative sites. Objective 1. Develop and implement a cost efficient fire management program based upon resource values. 3. UTAH DWR STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR MULE DEER 2014: The project addresses a principle habitat issue and concern (p. 8) of declining quality and quantity of forage which includes pinyon and juniper encroachment. The conifer encroachment removal will manage crucial mule deer habitat, utilize the WRI program, make broad scale improvements by diminishing conifer encroachment. (IV. Statewide Management Goals and Objectives, Habitat Goal, Habitat Objective 1.c, and Habitat Objective 2.b, d, e, g; pp. 18-20.) 4. UTAH DWR STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR ELK 2010: This project addresses VI Statewide Management Goals and Objectives, B. Habitat Management Goal, Habitat Objective 2.c, d, g, & j; through identifying habitat improvement needs, working with WRI cooperation, and providing broad scale vegetative projects to improve habitats (pp. 13-14). 5. UTAH STATEWIDE and local BIGHORN SHEEP HERD MANAGEMENT PLANS (North and South Slope Units 8 & 9, respectively) recommend vegetation management actions to offset habitat losses or degradation. 6. USFS ASHLEY NATIONAL FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN SAGE-GROUSE AMENDMENT (2016): The project conifer removal will help address the established general desired condition standards (p. 140, Table 1.) Conifer removal will enhance lek security by removing raptor perches (conifers) in proximity to leks and should improve both sagebrush and grass cover. The project area is also within sage-grouse priority habitat as defined in the plan for added protection and conservation measures. 5. The project is located within the NER WRI "Rangelands" focus area and addresses the purposes of the WRI/UPCD program for watershed restoration activities.

As described above in the Threats/Risks and Relation to Management Plans sections, the project addresses hazardous fuels increases through removal of ladder fuel overstory conifers in shrubland communities, reduces the potential for large-scale and high intensity wildfires from developing, and supports maintenance of native understory vegetative communities. Native understories help eliminate establishment of potential fire-dependent invasive weed species monocultures or impacts (example: cheatgrass).

Maintaining healthy native understory vegetation communities will maintain soil and site stability; which will improve water percolation and reduce high intensity run-off risks and associated reductions in water quality. Also, removing deep rooted and year-long water use by pinyon and juniper species will enhance local water availability for adjacent native species. Water quality standards for the municipal watershed will also be supported by reducing the potential for large scale vegetative stand-changing fire events and the associated soil erosion and watershed stability issues that generally follow.

The project fits as a Forest Service Categorical Exclusion (CE) under NEPA planning guidelines. The Decision Memo is signed and the project is ready to be implemented. Concurrence consultations support the NEPA analysis project determinations for Endangered Species - Canada lynx (USFWS concurrence) and Cultural Resources (SHIPO concurrence). Treatments are also compliant with Utah Forest State Water Quality guidelines.

Encroaching conifers within mapped shrubland vegetative communities will be removed on approximately 1,874 acres. Removal will be through foot-accessed hand cutting crews utilizing standard lop and scatter methods. Cut materials will be reduced to a ground height not to exceed 24-inches and trunk/stem of >3-inch diameter cut to lengths not to exceed 2-feet. Additional silviculture cutting prescriptions may also be included to forest inclusions to facilitate thinning or improved stand characteristics.

Vegetative - Treated sites will be photographed immediately pre and post treatment (USFS). Wildlife - Bighorn and sage-grouse animal use and population response will be monitored via telemetry, ground, aircraft, and boat based annual surveys (UDWR). Observed bighorn and sage-grouse distribution into treated areas and herd population trend will both be surveyed and recorded.

Project public scoping occurred during the NEPA analysis and no adverse public comments were received. Agency cooperators include the USFS and the UDWR. Bighorn and sage-grouse telemetry monitoring are part of a cooperative and ongoing study involving the UDWR, BLM, and the USFS. The Utah Wild Sheep and Goat Foundation is a supporting partner in habitat improvement work for bighorn sheep on Bear Mountain.

The project sites are within the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and therefore receive a higher emphasis for recreation values. No changes are expected in this management direction. The Bear Mountain area has management direction that emphasizes bighorn sheep. No change is expected in this management direction. The project area is also within sage-grouse priority habitat and is managed within the parameters of sage-grouse conservation. No changes are expected in this management direction. There is no domestic livestock grazing in the Bear Mountain project site while cattle grazing is possible in parts of the Sheep Creek treatment area. Most of the Sheep Creek ridge project area is steep hillside slopes and is not highly suitable for domestic grazing. However, no changes to domestic grazing are expected for either area.

The limited amount of domestic grazing that occurs within the Sheep Creek project area site would benefit from improved rangeland vegetative conditions. Although the project does promote the open sagebrush-grass community type found at this site, the actual increase in forage availability for livestock grazing would be relatively small and difficult to measure.

06/12/2019

06/29/2019

2019

Removal of encroaching conifers was done with hand crews using chainsaws. Cut materials were left on the site or lopped and scattered. There was no piling, slashing, or burning of cut materials.

June 11 - Met with the foreman to have him sign for the key to get on Bear Mountain through the locked gate. June 12 - Crew began the treatment of the Sheep Creek polygon. Checked in on the crew progress over the next week, cutting progressing well. June 20 - Crew finished up the Sheep Creek polygons and moving to Bear Mountain. June 24 - Checked on the progress, crew was on the farthest polygon and working forward; what was done looked good. June 28 - Forman informed me he should finish tomorrow, he brought on a double crew on the 27th in order to finish before the 30th. June 29 - Met with foreman for the final time, they completed the project and returned the key. July 3 - Finally got a chance to inspect the work on the entire project, crew did a good job.

Work was done primarily for Greater Sage-grouse habitat improvement and hazardous fuels reduction. Both areas that were treated will be visually monitored over the next several years to make sure the sage-grouse habitat and hazardous fuels risk are maintained at an acceptable level. Retreatment will be evaluated in the future based on the rate of conifer regrowth.