The project area is located within mountain shrub/Utah serviceberry vegetation types. The Gray's Bench chaining was last treated decades ago and is currently being heavily encroached with pinyon-juniper (PJ). This encroachment has limited the regeneration of grasses and shrubs. The project area is within designated crucial deer summer range and is a major migration corridor between the Pine Valley mountain range and Atchinson Mountain nearby. The project area contains a wildlife guzzler that was jointly funded by WRI dollars. Removing of the PJ will help increase regeneration of grasses and forbs and break up the continuity of vegetation resulting in a change in fuel type that reduces the potential for large scale high intensity wildfire.

Some overall goals of the project is to create a mosaic of quality foraging grass/forb areas mixed with patches of shrub/brush, surrounded by historic pinyon-juniper areas that can be used for hiding cover. Reducing the encroaching pinyon-juniper and seeding the area will help accomplish these goals by; increasing the representation of the grass/forb and shrub component, increase the diversity of forage for wildlife and cattle as well as improving the overall conditions of the landscape. Restoring a mosaic of grass/forb mixed with patches of shrub/brush, surrounded by historic pinyon-juniper areas creates a discontinuous fuel-bed across the landscape that can disrupt fire spread and alter fire intensity.

Threats may include the possibility that the area will experience drought, causing seed non-germination. Not seeding the project area may lead to further invasion of cheat grass and other noxious weeds. The maintaining and seeding of this old chaining is important to keep some of the good openings we have and to promote more grass and forbs for grazing and wildlife. There are two long term study plots located within this project. The one most recently surveyed in 2018 is functioning-at-risk and trending downward this is site 30-26. The other site 7022 is showing that it is functioning and trending upward. See the attached monitoring information in the imagine and documents sections. The current vegetation provides for a continuous fuel-bed that increases the potential for large scale, high intensity fire to impact local communities/infrastructure and promote cheat grass distribution.

"1) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule deer (2014-2019). Section IV Statewide management goals and objectives. This plan will address Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2019 (p 19). Strategy C. 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. The proposed treatments will reduce the amount of encroaching PJ and seeding will help improve foraging habitat. 2) Pine Valley Deer Herd Management Plan, Deer Herd Unit # 30 (2015) -Habitat management objectives: Maintain and/or enhance forage production through direct range improvements throughout the unit on winter and summer range to achieve population management objectives. 3) North American Mule Deer Conservation Plan (Mule Deer Working Group 2004). A) Mule deer habitat Objectives and Strategies-Develop and implement habitat treatment protocols that reduce the impacts of cheatgrass or other invasive plants. B) Manage mule deer habitat in a fashion to control type conversions (i. e., conversion of rangeland to croplands, and shrublands to monotypic pinyon-juniper stands) (Pg. 7). Seeding will help reduce the impacts of cheatgrass in this area by establishing desired grasses and forbs. Masticating PJ will increase the amount of forage available to mule deer. 3) North American Mule Deer Conservation Plan (Mule Deer Working Group 2004). A) Mule deer habitat Objectives and Strategies-Develop and implement habitat treatment protocols that reduce the impacts of cheatgrass or other invasive plants. B) Manage mule deer habitat in a fashion to control type conversions (i. e., conversion of rangeland to croplands, and shrublands to monotypic pinyon-juniper stands) (Pg. 7). Project will help prevent monotypic P/J stands further expansion of cheatgrass. 4) National Fire Plan (NFP) - Primary Goals: 1) Improve fire prevention and suppression; 2) Restore fire adapted ecosystem. Project will reduce fuel loading. 5) 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. 6) State of Utah-Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy-Protecting the health and welfare of Utahns and our lands. Priority Action Areas- Southwest Region 6, Washington County ""The area selected is the SR 18 corridor including the communities of Diamond Valley, Dammeron Valley, Veyo, Brookside and Central"" pg 19. Project will reduce fuel loadings near the communities of Central and Pine Valley. 7) Utah Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy- A) Conservation actions-Protect and rehabilitate remaining low elevation habitat for Mule Deer (pg. 6-60). B) Key Actions- Control invasive vegetation and plant desirable plants (Pg. K-11). C) Mountain Shrub conservation actions- Invasive Plant Species, Use herbicide mechanically remove, or otherwise control invasive non-native vegetation; plant desirable vegetation, including use of non-invasive, non-native species when ecologically indicated to fight invasive annuals (Table 8.1). The project area will be seeded with desirable vegetation. 8) Strategic Management Plan for Wild Tukey-Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR 2014). Grasses provide food for adults and are especially important to poults as an evironment where they can effectively forage for insects. Poults need an environment that produces insects and in which they can efficiently forage. Poults need an area that provides enough cover to hide them, but allows the adult hen unobstructed vision for protection from predators. Project area will be seeded to provide grasses and forbs improving foraging habitat for turkey. 9) Land and Resource Management Plan-Dixie National Forest (LRMP 1986). A) Management Area 4C and 6A-Provide adequate forage to sustain big game population levels agree to in approved wildlife management plans on NFS lands. Maintain habitat capability at 70 percent of potential. Project will help maintain and/or increase the quality foraging habitat for big game by removal of encroaching P/J and seeding. 10) 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. 11) Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan (2005). Protection of critical deer habitat and watershed protection (p196). Project will help protect critical summer range for mule deer and help maintain watershed conditions by seeding desired plant species and removal of P/J. 12) Pine Valley Allotment Management Plan-Coordination of with other uses (IX-b.) ""This area supports a sizable deer herd, some turkeys, grouse, cougar, and many small predator, rodent, and avian species. The re-vegetation projects and water developments are benefiting the wildlife, in terms of increased forage, increased ""edge"", lower successional stages of vegetation and better water distribution."" The project will help sustain the previous re-vegetation projects in this allotment that benefit wildlife by removing P/J and seeding. " 13) Utah Wildlife Action Plan (2015-2025). Terrestrial Key Habitats (pp 56-57): Mountain Shrub-Threat, invasive plant species. Terrestrial Key Habitats (35-36): Gambel Oak-Threats, Ivasive Plant Speices and Inappropriate fire frequency and intensity. Seeding the project area will aid in reducing the threat of invasive plants and reducing fire intensity or chance of high severity impacts.

The Gray's Bench project is one of a series of project's on the Pine Valley Ranger District and within this area that help reduce the fuel continuity across the landscape and disrupt large fire spread, reducing fire risk to local communities, infrastructure and private property. The towns of Pine Valley and Central along with State Route (SR) 18 are all within 5 miles from the project area and have had similar treatments implemented to reduce fire risk. In addition, the project surrounds a large parcel of private land (Grassy Flat) and contains multiple wildlife and range water developments and infrastructure. This project also compliments and ties together the currently implemented fuel reduction projects with projects that are in the planning process such as Grass Valley and Pinto, which are similar in treatment. The seed mix will contain species that are more fire resilient and that provide the best opportunity for establishment for this region.

The project area is within the Mahogany Creek-Santa Clara River and Pinto Creek HUC 6th watersheds which drains into the Santa Clara River system (3 miles south). Seeding will help maintain adequate ground cover to reduce the risk of detrimental run-off and erosion.

NEPA is completed including Archeology clearance.

Masticate/mulch the pinyon-juniper trees on approximately 919 acres through WRI contract. Chainsaws maybe needed in areas that cannot be treated with mastication equipment. The seeding will be through an aerial contract and seed mix from GBRC. It is desired that we seed just before or during the mechanical treatment to help establish a seedbed and microsites for seed germination.

This area is monitored by Forest Service personnel every five years for long term vegetation trends. The area is also monitored by the UDWR range trend crew for Utah Big Game Range Trend Studies data (Grassy Flat Ridge-Range Trend Study No. 30-26). Following treatment, Forest Service personnel will monitor the project site using various methods (photo plots etc.) at one, three and five year intervals. Photos and notes on project success will be downloaded on the project page.

This vegetation project is one of a series of projects that have taken place along the Central to Pine Valley and SR 18 routes. The Eight-mile, Four-mile and Central fuelbreak projects are in this complex and have had support and or funding from partners such as WRI, UDWR, communities of Central and Pine Valley and permittees. The BLM and Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands have completed or are currently working on similar projects on adjacent lands in Central and SR18.

The Pine Valley Allotment Annual Operating Plan (AOI) will be adjusted to accommodate the increased reliability of the Black Bench Pasture as part of the rotation. During drought years, the Black Bench Pasture will also be able to take on an increased role when designing drought solutions on the Allotment. Finally, grazing pressure on the private land fence in the center of the Black Bench Pasture will be decreased as reliable water becomes available on Gray's Bench. This will result in a decrease in conflicts between Forest livestock permittees and private land owners.

The project area is within the Pine Valley cattle grazing allotment. Seeding the project area will improve the grass/forb component therefore improving the amount of forage available to livestock. Livestock distribution will be improved on the Pine Valley Allotment with reliable water being available on Gray's Bench within the Black Bench Pasture on the Allotment.