Encroachment of juniper into sagebrush steppe degrades the diversity of understory species which provide ecosystem function to the soils and increase resilience to disturbance. Removal of juniper can move the system to an earlier transitional state, releasing understory grass, forb, and shrub components thereby providing increased infiltration of precipitation, water available in the soil, and recharging ground water. Much of the understory is in good condition for lop and scatter of 395 acres of PJ encroachment which leaves the sagebrush component intact. In other areas the PJ encroachment has progressed to Phase III PJ and requires removal of the trees and reseeding of those areas (341 acres). These treatments will further expand useable Sage grouse habitat by removal of PJ and reseeding can provide a higher diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs that will defend against annual weed invasion, decrease erosion during precipitation events, and provide forage for wildlife and domestic livestock. This project will also improve winter habitat for Mule deer and breeding habitat for other sagebrush obligates while increase diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs within sagebrush habitat.

Improve browse and forage for Mule deer winter range, expand useable Sage grouse habitat, and improve domestic livestock forage by reseeding a diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs and bullhog PJ from 341 acres. a) Increase cover of perennial grasses to at least 12% by the end of the 3rd growing season following treatment. b) Increase cover of perennial forbs to at least 5% by the end of the 3rd growing season c) Reduce tree cover on treatment polygons to less than 4% d) Establish a density of desirable shrubs to at least 500 plants/acre by the end of the 3rd growing season following treatment.

As juniper stands increase they degrade forage values for Mule deer, Sage grouse and domestic livestock. Risk of drought could prevent seeding establishment. Invasion of annual weedy species without a seeding in Phase III PJ polygons. The threat of wildfire is moderate to high according to the wildfire risk assessment. Rate of fire spread, flame length and probability of a canopy fire are all high in this area due to the abundance of mature pinyon and juniper trees. A wildfire would eliminate all remaining sagebrush and other desirable non sprouting shrubs making this area poor sage grouse and mule deer habitat for more than a decade.

West Box Elder CRMP Objectives/Strategies: a) Vegetation cover is managed to promote infiltration and recharge. Continue On-going Public and Private Pinyon/Juniper Treatments. b) To maintain momentum, continue on-going treatment efforts, using mechanical means as well as fire to remove encroaching pinyon/juniper and reseeding areas with shrubs, grasses, and forbs, and ensure maintenance of areas treated in the past. c) Recognize and publicize successful treatments in maps, on websites, and in end-of-season press releases. d) Winter Rangeland Improvement. Implement Forage Improvements. Based on the results of the forage assessment, seek funding for recommended improvements. Start with projects on private land to avoid extended timeframes associated with NEPA review and other agency procedures. This project addresses removal of PJ and reseeding for improving species diversity of understory species and browsing species in sage-steppe. This is a cooperative effort involving a CWMU, and four private landowners within important sagebrush habitat and have been presented and discussed in the CRMP meetings. http://www.utahcbcp.org/htm/groups/boxelder UDWR Mule Deer Unit #1 Mgt. Plan Objectives/Strategies: a) Pinyon-juniper encroachment on summer and winter range in Unit 1A is increasing resulting in less forage and increased fire risk. b) Additional threats and losses to deer summer and winter range in the West Box Elder area is the reduction in habitat quality due to the loss of critical browse species (sagebrush, bitterbrush etc). c) To address habitat quality and degradation, habitat improvement projects have been, and will continue to be planned throughout the unit. Through annual grass control and shrub plantings, and pinyon-juniper thinning/removal on summer, winter, and transitional range in West Box Elder. d) In critical winter range habitat, Pinyon-Juniper expansion is a crucial aspect of winter browse species loss. Projects that address the removal of P/J from these areas are of high importance and should be addressed whenever possible. e) These projects should be done on public and private lands when the opportunity is available. Addressing these needs on private land is crucial as a large majority of winter range falls on private lands. All tools that are available should be considered, such as chaining, lop and scatter, bullhog removal, and chemical removal as well. In accomplishing the removal of P/J on private land, private landowners' needs should also be considered. f) Raft River range should be focused on removal of encroaching pinyon-juniper, and reestablishing understory with summer and winter browse species as well as species of plants that can be used in the spring by wintering deer. This project addresses removal of PJ and reseeding for improving species diversity of understory species and browsing species in sage-steppe. This is a cooperative effort involving a CWMU, and four private landowners within important mule deer winter range. http://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/plans/deer_01.pdf Utah Greater Sage grouse Mgt. Plan 2013 Objectives/Strategies: a) Enhance an average of 25,000 acres of sage-grouse habitat in Sage-grouse Management Areas annually. b) Increase the total amount of sage-grouse habitat acreage within Sage-grouse Management Areas by an average of 50,000 acres per year, through management actions targeting Opportunity Areas. c) Removal of encroaching conifers may create new habitat or increase the carrying capacity of habitat and thereby expand grouse populations, or the distribution of water into wet meadow areas may improve seasonal brood-rearing range and enhance greater sage-grouse recruitment. d) Aggressively remove encroaching conifers and other plant species to expand greater sage grouse habitat where possible. e) Livestock grazing is a major resource use in most SGMAs, and can be an effective tool to improve habitat quality and seasonal nutrition, and thereby enhance local populations. f) Removal of trees to less than 5% cover and g) maintenance of at least 10% sage brush cover; h) Maintain forb cover greater than 10% and grass cover greater than 10% during nesting/brood-rearing season; i) Maintain or improve wet meadows, when present; and j) Installation of green-strips or firebreaks to protect existing habitat. k) An improvement to existing habitat that does not result in an acreage gain. For example: Removal of pinon-juniper conifer trees in young open canopy stands still used by sage grouse. This plan will help toward the acreage goals for enhancement and increased Sage grouse habitat by removal of PJ in existing use areas, opening up new habitat and providing a diversity of seeded species for livestock and wildlife. Part of the plan is to enhance wet meadows through seeding. https://wildlife.utah.gov/uplandgame/sage-grouse/pdf/greater_sage_grouse_plan.pdf Utah's Comprehensive Wildlife Management Strategy or Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) Objectives/Strategies: Mountain Sagebrush and Lowland Shrub a) Funding restoration that reduces older age classes and stimulate younger age classes...treat non-native invasive species and...invading pinyon/juniper trees. b) Continue the development of new restoration techniques suited to this habitat. c) Deploying techniques to diversify the understory species composition and age classes of decadent even-aged sagebrush stands. d) Deploying techniques to diversify specie composition in monoculture or near monoculture stands of seeded non-native plants (e.g. crested wheatgrass). e) Promoting management that includes seeding a diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs that will lead to increased resiliency and resistance in the plant community. This plan addresses invading PJ, mitigation of non-native invasive species, new restoration techniques, and diversification of understory species composition in mountain and lowland sagebrush steppe. http://wildlife.utah.gov/cwcs/ Governor's Executive Order Objectives/Strategies: The Order ensures state agencies will conform to the Conservation Plan and make management and policy decisions that "maintain, improve and enhance Greater Sage-Grouse habitat." State agencies will continue to work with federal agencies to assure the conservation needs of the bird. The purpose of this plan is to improve and enhance Sage grouse habitat. http://www.rules.utah.gov/execdocs/2015/ExecDoc156045.htm NRCS SGI 2.0 Objectives/Strategies: a) Reduce threats...by grazing sustainably ...re-vegetating disturbed areas and combatting noxious weeds. Avoid further loss of sagebrush grazing lands to wildfire by reducing annual grass threat. b) Accelerate removal of conifer trees. c) Avoid further loss of riparian edges, wet meadows, restore and enhance degraded mesic areas to help increase (Sage grouse) populations." d) Reduce sage grouse fence collisions. This plan will support this initiative by removing conifers (PJ) revegetating disturbed areas and enhancing degraded wet meadows. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwjcn47rzK_KAhWLaz4KHVyACisQFggiMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrcs.usda.gov%2Fwps%2FPA_NRCSConsumption%2Fdownload%3Fcid%3Dnrcseprd391816%26ext%3Dpdf&usg=AFQjCNHWGtF7AMa-Zb9dz3eZ82IG9FdBbQ Utah DWR Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer Objectives/Strategies: a) Programs that provide incentives to private landowners to manage their properties for mule deer and other wildlife are critical to the success of the state's deer management program. b) Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. c) Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts. d) Work with local, state and federal land management agencies via land management plans and with private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning, wintering and migration areas. e) Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2019. f) Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that have been taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats, ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs and browse species. g) Continue to support and provide leadership for the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats throughout Utah. His plan addresses improving and restoring Mule deer habitat, by working in cooperation with partners, mitigating invasive annual species, ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs, and browse species, and improving sagebrush-steppe. https://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/biggame/pdf/mule_deer_plan.pdf

a) The fire risk index is -1 to -15 within most of these treatment polygons. b) Removing junipers will decrease the chance of catastrophic wildfires within the Juniper stands. c) Seeding of forage kochia will also mitigate fuel load in this project area.

a) Water quality and quantity will be improved through removal of junipers and establishment of reseeded plants. b) Shredded PJ litter remaining on the ground will help to decrease soil moisture evaporation and mitigate sheet erosion in a heavy precipitation event. c) Reseeding efforts and removing juniper trees will improve precipitation infiltration and protect the treatment area by mitigating sheet erosion.

NEPA provided through NRCS CPA-52. The CPA-52 looks at all impacts to the area of concern including soils, water, air, plants, animals, human, and energy. It also looks at all resource concerns and provides the landowner or lessee with alternative choices for ways of dealing with resource concerns. Archeological clearance will be provided by the NRCS and take place before the project starts

a) Photo points, Utah-2, Rangeland Health Assessment, Mule deer, Sage grouse and Rangeland WHEGs, CPA-52 as close to May 15th as possible by Project Manager and NRCS Range Conservationist. b) NRCS application, eligibility, ranking, and obligation between Feb 19 and May 30, 2018 c) Contracted Arch Survey, report and clearance by 30 June, 2018. d) Contracting of lop and scatter hand crew to remove 395 acres of Phase I and II PJ for removal of 100% of PJ within prescribed polygons beginning in October 2018. e) Order seed mix from GBRC 15 September 16, for delivery 01 Oct to project site by Project Manager. f) Contracted aerial seed flight >12 lbs/ac pls (341 acres) before bullhogging the PJ, 01 Oct 2016. g) Contracted bullhogging of 341 acres or Phase III PJ to commence 2nd week in Oct 2018. h) Order and procure bitterbrush seed from GBRC after bullhog is finished. i) Planting of bitterbrush seed with ATV rangeland drill by Project Manager after bullhog (November time frame). j) Monitoring of seeding establishment two years post treatment with photo points, Utah-2, and rangeland health assessment.

DWR, photo points, Sage grouse Lek Counts at the Park Valley Leks, USU grad student will monitor radio collared grouse during the next two years. NRCS Rangeland Health, NRCSUtah-2, Mule deer WHEG, Sage grouse WHEG, and SG threats checklist all as a repeatable baseline (see example of the above monitoring tools which will be replaced when completed (see Methods section)).

Private Landowners, Division of Wildlife Resources, Natural resources Conservation Service, United States Forest Service, east Box Elder CRMP former Local Working Group for Sage grouse, Utah State University, East Box Elder Soil Conservation District.

An agreement with the DWR to defer grazing for two growing seasons to allow reseeded species to establish. Monitoring two year post treatment to determine establishment of reseeded species. Prescribed grazing w/ the NRCS.

341 acres of Phase III Juniper is yielding no forage which will be producing forage with the establishment of the reseeding and mastication practice. 395 acres of current forage will be enhanced by the removal of PJ competition for resources.