Aspen is one of the most valuable forest types in Utah, not so much from a timber standpoint, but for its scenic, beauty, grazing opportunities, wildlife habitat, and it's contribution to landscape diversity. These aspen stands are at a climax stage in succession and have very little to no aspen regeneration present. Understory plant health is inadequate due to dry soils and long exposure to sunlight and wind. Drought, Sudden Aspen Decline, overbrowsing by ungulates and lack of disturbance are leading causes to declined aspen populations. This project is needed to encourage aspen regeneration, improve wildlife habitat, and increase understory plant health and condition before this resource is lost.

Goal: Create and maintain favorable wildlife habitat by means of aspen regeneration. Objectives - Create and maintain the availability of summer forage. - Enhance wildlife fawning habitats by increasing aspen acreage. - Promote aspen suckering to >500 stems/ac. The deer herd in this area is under objective and aspen regeneration would be beneficial for that herd (DWR is trying to increase these numbers). To meet the objectives listed above, a disturbance will be introduced into these decadent and dying aspen stands in order to stimulate the roots to regenerate. This 14 acre treatment will likely become a multi year project where additional acreage treatments will occur in different locations throughout the property in addition to surrounding proprieties including public land. Due to the elk density populations protection will be required for several years to prevent browsing impacts.

Any further delay in completing this project would result in further loss of the aspen resource in this watershed. Risks of completing this project include: (i) continued decrease in quality of wildlife habitat, (ii) a loss of aspen as a valuable watershed component, and (iii) increased risk of wildfire (aspen is more resilient to wildfire than decadent sagebrush rangelands or conifers). This project is a high risk of crossing an ecological threshold into a range dominated landscape. Refer to pictures showing stand condition. If this project is not funded now future restoration efforts may not be possible due to species die off.

- This project is entirely within the WRI Central Region Focus Area. - Utah Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) identifies Aspen-conifer as Terrestrial Key Habitats. - The project supports the Utah Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) by (a) including private lands in habitat improvement for key species, (b) increasing coordination with state and local government, NGOs and private landowners, and (c) restoring degraded habitat. - Wasatch County Resource Assessment, (a) which identifies declining aspen forests and soil erosion a concern. -BLM Vernal Field Office Resource Management Plan (RMP), including management decisions (a) VEG-10 to manage vegetation (aspen) to desired seral stage (earlier succession); (b) WDF-1 to manage aspen in favor of regeneration of aspen, (c) Area is identified as a Class III Visual Resource Management Class area, which are areas identified to "Seek to complement the rural, agricultural, historic, and urban landscapes on adjoining private, state, and tribal lands by maintaining the integrity of background vistas on the pubic lands.", (d) figure 18A: property is identified as crucial elk winter range. - Utah State Coordinated Implementation Plan for bird Conservation in Utah: (a) aspen is identified as a Priority B habitat as importance to birds and (b) 19 species of birds in Utah are found in aspen habitats. - Statewide Management plan for Mule Deer: (a) Strategy E: seek opportunities through the Watershed Restoration Initiative to improve aspen communities on summer ranges. - Project falls within the Uinta and Sevier-Skyline Priority Areas in the State of Utah's Forest Action Plan, which identifies (a) aspen is on a steady decline statewide, and meets (b) forest stewardship objective: identify and target private forest landowners located in important forest resource areas for assistance with stewardship. - Soldier summit ranch Forest Stewardship Plan: (a) Manage timber resources, which optimize revenues while balancing other multiple-use resource benefits. The concepts of sustainability and ecosystem restoration will provide a basis for management recommendations and decisions, (b) Optimize timber stand improvement in aspen stands by promoting aspen regeneration, (c) Maintain or enhance wildlife use, for a variety of big games species.

Promoting aspen regeneration will increase the understory grass and forbs habitat benefiting wildlife, and reducing the risk of loss from wildfire by making a more resilient forest. Adjacent to this property the USFS has plans to perform the Sheep Creek prescribed fire consisting of 5,600 acres which will benefit aspen regeneration near the top end of the burn unit. See attached map.

This project will result in short to moderate term impacts to water quality (increase grasses, forbs), but project design features will prevent long-term degradation. Aspen treatments will lessen the risk of catastrophic large scale high severity fires that could result in long-term watershed degradation. Water quantity and water infiltration rate into the soil will increase. This is a pure aspen stand on a south aspect. Introducing a disturbance will promote aspen suckering resulting in more shade on the forest floor, increasing the number of days with snow pack. Increase the resistance and resilience of watersheds and associated vegetation in the White River landscape to climate-related stressors (drought, snow pack, wildfire, insects, disease)

NEPA not necessary on private lands. Archaeology will be completed before the project starting date.

Dominant aspen will be clear felled with trees removed from the forest. A few of the younger co-dominant aspen that are not damaged from falling larger trees will remain uncut and help provide stand age variation. Felled aspen trees will be used as jackstrawed fencing to exclude browsers. The landowner will perform the felling and creating of the jackstrawed fence. To aid in root disturbance the landowner will also scarify the soil utilizing the mechanical equipment. In other areas where more protection is needed (where there is not an adequate amount of felled timber to form a fence), 8 ft. tall temporary game proof plastic fencing will be used to protect the aspen regeneration. Conservation corps crews will install the plastic fencing where needed and overseen by FFSL staff. The fencing will remain in place and monitored by the landowner for damage for up to 6-8 years, depending on how fast the regeneration reaches recruitment level (8-10 feet) or a height high enough to not be damaged by browsers. Successful regeneration of aspen is more likely if stands are harvested or treated in the dormant season when nutrient reserves in aspen roots are highest. Cutting will likely occur in the the fall season, then the plastic fencing to occur the following spring.

Photo points will be set up at numerous locations throughout the stands, marked with GPS, and revisited by FFSL on an annual basis. In addition, annual forest inventory surveys will be conducted within the treated stands to determine regeneration numbers. This inventory method is commonly used by FFSL. Fence lines will be walked on a regular basis to ensure that they are intact or see if they require repair. Any wildlife concerns will be identified and shared with DWR partners in the Springville office.

This project is located on a fairly large private property and will only encompass the single landowner due the size of the project. Surrounding lands consist of Forest Service administered land which do have future plans to carry out aspen projects and prescribed burning. The Forest Service supports this project and hopes to include additional aspen treatments within this area in years to come. DWR habitat biologist and big game biologist supports this project.

Currently the USFS is working on a aspen regeneration plan surrounding this property. In the future the USFS hopes to conduct aspen treatments in conjunction with additional future treatments on this property to make more of a watershed level project.

This project over time will improve/increase forage understory within the aspen stands which will benefit grazing, and wildlife. Fencing will remove ungulate herbivore while the aspen and understory plants can become established, once established both the plastic fencing and aspen jackstrawed fence will be removed by the landowner. Once the aspen fence has served it's purpose. It would be possible to utilize the biomass from the aspen jackstrawed fence to create biochar. Biochar could then be applied to the landscape to further promote soil health and structure.