The need to protect resources and rehabilitate vegetation communities within the Horse Hollow Vegetation Enhancement Project Area has been recognized for many years. This area continues to be a high priority area for vegetation resource enhancement, resource protection and fuels reduction. Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 (Bullhog) Phase 1 of the Upper Horse Hollow Project (Lop & Scatter) was completed 2018. The proposed Phase 2 (Bullhog) would expand the project by mechanically treating and seeding 1,027 acres of phase 3 pinyon and juniper encroachment that will tie into ongoing Color Country fuels work (approx. 670 acres completed) south of this proposed project in 2015,2016 and 2017 primarily for community fire protection. Areas have been identified and are planned to be completed in house FY-19 and FY-20. Also, included in this proposal are 961 acres that needs funding to complete the cultural clearance work for future phases of projects within the Horse Hollow Project Area where NEPA has been completed. The implementation of this phase of the project would continue to improve 834 acres of public lands and 193 acres of private that consists of substantial winter mule deer habitat and crucial year-long pronghorn range while providing habitat/connectivity. Proposed management prescription strategies for the sagebrush vegetation management area are based on departure from the ecological site, the potential for the community to respond to various treatment methods, as well as the desired future condition of the sagebrush/steppe vegetative community. The excessive juniper and pinyon pine encroachment into areas that were once dominated by perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs according to the Ecological Site Description is of primary concern within the project area. This project has also been identified based on the need for fuels treatments, the BLM has been prioritizing areas for fuels treatment based on fuel conditions, distance from Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI) areas and other human infrastructure, ecosystem health, and resource values that may be at risk. The general goals outlined in the National Fire Plan (NFP) include the implementation of fuels treatments that would: (1) reduce the risk of catastrophic fire; (2) protect communities; (3) reduce fuel hazards; (4) reduce wildfire acres and costs; and (5) restore fire-adapted ecosystems. The Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony (RMP) incorporates the landscape level fire management goals and objectives for the Color Country Fire District first established in the Utah Land Use Plan (LUP) Amendment for Fire and Fuels Management (September, 2005) that were based on the general goals of the NFP Mud Spring Canyon (Lop & Scatter) This project would continue to expand the work being done within the scope of the Horse Hollow Vegetation Enhancement project area EA. The project would treat 1,725 acres. Targeting phase 1 & 2 pinyon and juniper encroachment in the Pinyon and Juniper, Sagebrush Steppe/Sagebrush and Grassland focus areas addressed in the EA. The project will work towards meeting the desired condition and goals that will be addressed in the Objectives section. This project would also help to improve 1,725 acres of crucial winter deer range and crucial year long pronghorn habitat. Adjacent to this area there has been past and ongoing treatments to improve Utah Prairie Dog habitat that include spiking sagebrush, chaining sagebrush skeletons and seeding the area with a seed mix directed at improving Prairie Dog habitat. This project will open up more area to the dogs by removing encroaching trees in a Grassland focus area. This treatment is also located just outside the Bald Hills SGMA (Approx. 500 ft) and just under 5 miles from the Mud Spring Lek this project would work to enhance spring and summer Sage-Grouse habitat and encourage grouse to use the Mud Spring Canyon Wash as a corridor to travel between seasonal habitat.

The project is located in multiple focus areas as identified in the Horse Hollow Vegetation Enhancement Project EA and Decision (Refer to Attached Map - Horse Hollow - Focus Areas). Pinyon and Juniper Focus Area Use, as appropriate, mechanical and manual tools to remove areas of pinyon and juniper trees while leaving other areas intact to create a mosaic of vegetation types (boundary and age class) within the Horse Hollow project area. Avoid 100% removal of pinyon pine and juniper trees, which includes the Dominguez-Escalante Trail where stands are composed of more than incidental amounts of trees in excess of 2 centuries in age. These are likely persistent pinyon pine and juniper sites and understory species on these sites would be unlikely to respond favorably. Where desirable understory species are lacking, seed treated areas with a mix of desired grasses, shrubs, and forbs appropriate for the site. Desired Future Condition Pinyon pine and juniper stands exist on woodland ecological sites across the landscape in a variety of conditions, including young regenerating stands, mid-aged stands, mature stands, and old-growth stands. Pinyon pine-juniper stands are typically multi or even-aged with 5-20% canopy cover. Shrub canopy cover would be 25-35% and grass cover 20-35% and forb cover 0-5%. Pinyon pine and juniper stands along major roads would be maintained at a lower density to help reduce the potential intensity and rate of spread of fires. These areas would provide for sustainable product use for both personal and some commercial uses. Where large contiguous acres of pinyon pine and juniper are targeted for thinning, it may be desirable to leave islands and travel corridors interspersed with open areas to create a mosaic pattern across the landscape. Goals: 1) Improve heterogeneity by creating a mosaic of multiple-age classes and structure. 2) Improve vertical shrub cover and grass/forb cover. 3) Reduce threats from stand-replacing wildfire, disease, and insect outbreaks. Sagebrush Steppe/Sagebrush Focus Area Use, as appropriate, mechanical or manual tools to remove invading pinyon and juniper to improve sagebrush areas and understory. Treat sagebrush sites within the Horse Hollow project area with mechanical, manual or approved chemical (herbicide) tools to reduce sagebrush canopy cover and convert large even-aged sagebrush stands to multiple age structures, and improve grass and forb understory and diversity. Seed treated areas with a mix of desired grasses, shrubs, and forbs appropriate for the site. Desired Future Condition The treatments within this area would exhibit a mosaic of dominant Wyoming big sagebrush with perennial grassland openings across the landscape mimicking natural disturbance similar to pre-European settlement. These sites would exhibit multiple age classes of sagebrush with an adequate and desirable perennial grass and forb understory. There would be increased vigor of sagebrush as indicated by plants with leader and seed production in balance with precipitation levels. Composition by air-dry weight would be approximately 45-55% grasses, 5-10% forbs, and 40-50% shrubs. Canopy cover for grasses/forbs would be 20-40%, shrubs would be 15-40%, and trees would be 0-10%. Treatments would change even-aged sagebrush stands to multiple age structures. Treatments would also remove pinyon pine and juniper trees. Where grass, forb, and shrub diversity is limited, appropriate seed mixes would be used to provide a mix of native and non-native grasses, forbs and shrubs Goals: 1) Improve health, composition, and diversity of shrubs, grasses, and forbs. 2) Reduce pinyon pine & juniper density by 90-100%. 3) Maintain adequate habitat components to meet the needs of wildlife. 4) Manage to maintain/create large, un-fragmented blocks of sagebrush habitat with a variety of seral stages. Grassland Focus Area (Utah Prairie Dog Habitat) Use appropriate management tools including mechanical, manual, herbicide (including Tebuthiuron -- ground/aerial application) to meet or enhance perennial grassland habitat goals Treatments would maintain grassland conditions or convert sagebrush stands to perennial grassland dominated communities within draws and swale type formations with well-drained, deep soils and on other areas with site potential for grasslands. Maintain sagebrush cover below 10%. Dicamba and Picloram would be used for rabbitbrush control with or without mowing. Appropriate seed mixes would be used to provide a mix of predominantly native grasses, forbs, and sub-shrubs. Desired Future Condition The treatments within this area would exhibit a mosaic of diverse perennial grasses and forbs interspersed with Wyoming big sagebrush islands across the landscape mimicking natural disturbance similar to pre-European settlement. There would be increased vigor of grasses and forbs as indicated by plants with annual growth and seed production in balance with precipitation levels. Canopy cover for grasses/forbs would be 20-40%, shrubs would be <10%, and trees would be 0%. Desirable species would compete with and keep the noxious and invasive weed and cheatgrass component of the understory at acceptable levels, reducing fire risk and habitat degradation. Listed below are the acres of each project by focus area: Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 (Bullhog) Pinyon and Juniper Focus Area- (784 Acres) Sagebrush Focus Area- (50 Acres) Mud Spring Canyon (Lop & Scatter)- Sagebrush Focus Area- (733 Acres) Grassland Focus Area- (584 Acres) Pinyon and Juniper Focus Area- (209 Acres) State Parcel- (199 Acres)

The Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 (Bullhog) Project is focused on eliminating pinyon pine and juniper from a sagebrush ecological site; improving this community and removing ladder fuels to minimize the potential for a sagebrush stand replacing fire. Lack of natural disturbances such as wildfire have favored pinyon and juniper expansion and a subsequent decline in substantial winter mule deer and crucial year-long pronghorn habitat. And has created a risk of catastrophic fire that would threaten life and property of homes located on private parcels and the large power substation adjacent to the project area, cultural resources with potential of being present and livestock resources including fences, sheds and corrals adjacent to the project area. The Mud Spring Canyon Lop and Scatter Project is also focused on eliminating pinyon pine and juniper from a sagebrush ecological site; these sites are more intact, removing trees will minimize the risk of sagebrush stand replacing fires and the intact perennial grasslands to be be replaced by invasive annual grasslands. The projects are located at elevations that range between 5,000 - 5,500 feet, which is expected to help counteract the impacts of drought. Typically, rangelands at this elevation receive adequate precipitation to promote vegetative growth and viability in the short-term and long-term. In addition, research Roundy, et. al. (2014) has shown that mechanical treatments to remove pinyon and juniper increase time that soil water is available. This research indicates that even four years after treatment, treated areas showed from 8.6 days to 18 days additional water availability at high elevation sites. Additional research by young, et. al. (2013) also showed a relationship between tree removal and soil climates and wet days on these sites, which while providing more available moisture for desired vegetation could also provide moisture for weeds. Numerous studies have shown that increased infiltration rates and less overland flow improve both water quality and quantity. Implementation of the projects has risks/threats including annual precipitation fluctuations and invasive/noxious weed establishment; however, mitigation measures have been identified that will limit these threats/risks to the project area.

Horse Hollow Vegetation Enhancement Project EA/FONSI/DR - 2015 The EA/FONSI/DR recognized the importance of the Project Area with regard to improving the vegetation component within the Horse Hollow Area. A variety of treatments were authorized that would improve/maintain Rangeland Health in accordance with the Ecological Site Description. The focus for management within this area is to enhance wildlife habitat and provide fuel breaks around communities built in the wildland urban interface area. While maintaining the dominant aspect of the sagebrush community providing expansion of perennial grasses and forbs. The Proposed Action and alternatives identified below are in conformance with the Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony Resource Management Plan (1986). Although the Proposed Action and alternative(s) are not specifically mentioned in the plan, they are consistent with its objectives, goals and decisions. Wildlife CBGA Plan Objectives: Manage wildlife habitat to favor a diversity of game and nongame species. Provide forage for current big game numbers and prior stable or long-term numbers in the future should populations increase and habitat improvements occur. Improve habitat in poor condition on substantial deer winter range to reduce depredation on private lands. Protect against the loss of crucial big game habitat from encroachment by incompatible uses. Range CBGA Plan Objectives: The analysis area includes lands within the Hole in the Wall, Horse Hollow, Iron Springs, Jenson, Perry Well, Sherratt and Upper Horse Hollow Allotments. The CBGA land use plan categorizes the Hole in the Wall, Iron Springs, Jenson Allotments as 'I' category allotments. The Horse Hollow, Perry Well and Upper Horse Hollow Allotments are categorized as an "M" category allotment. The Sherratt Allotment is categorized as a "C" category allotment. Fire Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony Land Use Plan Amendment (2004) -- Open up the pinyon-juniper and juniper plant communities to increase the sagebrush and grass in the plant composition. In the sagebrush create a mosaic of different age classes using prescribed fire or mechanical treatment. (This document is currently being replaced with the Southern Utah Area Fire Management Plan). Cultural Resources CBGA Plan Objective: Protect the cultural and historic values in the planning area from accidental or intentional destruction and give special protection to high value cultural and historic sites (CBGA Pg. 163) Cultural clearances would be conducted as part of the Horse Hollow Vegetation Enhancement project, prior to any ground disturbing activity, to adequately protect cultural resources that may occur in the project area. Soil/Water/Air CBGA Plan Objective: Improve watershed conditions in areas identified with considerable erosion issues and on other sensitive watershed areas. Avoid the deterioration of or improve watershed conditions on all other federal lands (CBGA Pg. 97). Forestry CBGA Plan Objective: Authorize harvest of woodland products which approximates the biological capability of the stands to replace its harvested trees (CBGA, Pg. 103). In addition, the following local and national directives specifically address or apply to vegetation treatments within the Project Area: Deer Herd Unit Management Plan, Deer Herd Unit #30, Pine Valley, February 2015 The project area would allow the continuation of adequate forage for deer winter range by removing encroaching Pinyon and Juniper that would help to attain the goals outlined within the plan that include: Manage for a population of healthy animals capable of providing a broad range of recreational opportunities, including hunting and viewing. Balance deer herd impacts on human needs, such as private property rights, agriculture crops and local economies and help to maintain the population at a level that is within the long-term capability of the habitat to support. Utah Pronghorn Statewide Management Plan (2009) The proposed project will help to attain the goals in this plan by removing encroaching pinyon and juniper into the sagebrush steppe with adequate herbaceous understory within Crucial year-long pronghorn habitat. The project will play a key role in the Habitat Management Goal: Assure sufficient habitat is available to sustain healthy and productive pronghorn populations and the Recreational Goal: Provide high quality opportunities for hunting and viewing of pronghorn. Southwest Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan (2006) The Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 and Mud Springs Canyon Lop and Scatter Project fall within the Escalante Desert Fire Management Unit (FMU) identified in the Cedar City Fire Management Plan. The purpose of the Fire Management Plan is to facilitate activities that would be used to achieve ecosystem sustainability including its interrelated ecological, economic and social components within the Color Country District. The Escalante Desert FMU requires full suppression action of wildfires due to wildland urban interface and noxious weed potential. The plan calls for protection of private lands and areas with low rehabilitation potential. An objective for the Escalante Desert FMU is to use treatments to reduce the existing fuel load in specific areas and meet community and land use needs. National Fire Plan (2000) The National Fire Plan provides national direction for hazardous fuels reduction. This direction emphasizes measures to reduce the risk to communities and the environment. The primary elements applicable to this plan are: * Improve Prevention and Suppression * Reduce Hazardous Fuels * Restore Fire Adapted Ecosystems Wildlife Action Plan (2015-2025) This project will fulfill WAP threats to habitat types by addressing lowland sagebrush habitat for mule deer and pronghorn by lowering the risk of catastrophic fires from dense fuel loads from encroaching P/J allowing maintenance and improvement to the existing herbaceous forage. Also by removing encroaching P/J and opening up the herbaceous understory will push the habitat towards a more desired potential state opening up habitat for both Golden eagle and Ferruginous hawk allowing increased opportunity for hunting prey species. Wildlife surveys will be conducted as mentioned in this proposal and any currently identified nest will have a half-mile buffer associated allowing areas for birds to perch and nest. Overall this project will allow for better recharge of ground water by removing encroaching P/J lowering soil erosion and loss by allowing better infiltration of precipitation benefiting the habitat for all species. Utah Field Office Guidelines For Raptor Protection From Human And Land Use Disturbances January 2002 Update By removing encroaching P/J and allowing for the recovery of a habitat that should be dominated by shrubs and perennial grasses, this project will have an immediate impact to raptors, especially Ferruginous hawk and Golden eagle by creating a more desired habitat for other birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects that constitute the bulk of the prey base for raptor species (Steenhof 1983, Palmer 1988). As mentions in this proposal wildlife surveys will be conducted before implementation of this project. Any current raptor nests for Golden eagles and Ferruginous hawks will have a half-mile buffer placed around them and added into the project design to create snags that will allow birds more desirable areas to perch and nest.

The Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 and Mud Springs Canyon project fall within the Escalante Desert Fire Management Unit (FMU) as identified in the current Cedar City Fire Management Plan (FMP) (2004). This FMU requires full suppression action of wildfires due to wildland urban interface and noxious weed potential. The plan calls for protection of private lands and areas with low rehabilitation potential. Full suppression tactics have been used for many years to any wildfires within the project area. This has resulted in a large fuel load build-up and an alteration of fuel structure and composition. The pinyon/juniper trees once held in check by frequent fires, have expanded in range and moved into areas once dominated by shrubs, forbs and grasses. Pinyon/juniper expansion is well documented throughout the west. One of the objectives for the Escalante Desert FMU is to use treatments to reduce the existing fuel load in specific areas. Within the project area, mature pinyon and juniper stands are now at a stage where the tree canopy and material on the ground has increased the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Extreme fire behavior such as fire whorls, flame lengths in excess of 300 feet, and spotting distances in excess of 1/2 mile can be anticipated in dense canopy pinyon, juniper and sagebrush fuel types (FMP, 2004). With the expansion of human development into this area, the risk to private property, firefighter and public safety is of great concern. Hazardous Fuels reduction treatments should be designed to reduce the risks of wildland fire by decreasing or modifying fuels to reduce the potential for severe fire behavior and reduce the impacts of post fire damage. Fuels can be modified by changing the vertical and horizontal distribution and continuity, size and shape of fuels, and fuel loading. Fire Regime and Condition Class is out lined in the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station technical report entitled "Development of Coarse Scale Spatial Data for Wild land Fire and Fuel Management (RMRS-87) dated April 2000. The Healthy Forest Restoration Act (2003) adopts this classification system, known as the Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC), which describes the amount of departure of an area or landscape from historic to present conditions. This departure from the natural state may be a result of changes in one or more ecosystem components such as fuel composition, fire frequency, or other ecological disturbances. As mandated by national direction, the Cedar City FMP utilizes the FRCC classification system to rank existing ecosystem conditions and prioritize areas for treatment. The entire project area is in FRCC 3 which are lands that are significantly altered from their historical range. The lands targeted for treatment in the proposed action are areas which have the greatest potential for moving from FRCC 3 to FRCC 2 or FRCC 1. The treatments proposed would require maintenance in the future which would be based on need due to regrowth of fuels and the continued effectiveness of fuel breaks.

The Project Area is located at 5,000 - 5,500 feet above sea level; therefore, it is expected that the opportunity to restore native species to the composition and frequency appropriate to the area is high. As discussed, this area is dominated by encroaching pinyon pine and juniper. Perennial herbaceous understory is decreasing due to pinyon and juniper encroachment increasing the potential for soil erosion. The project is expected to improve herbaceous understory that is already established with the project area, this will reduce water runoff and decrease soil erosion while increasing infiltration. Improvements to the Standards and Guidelines for Healthy Rangelands (Standard 1 and Standard 3) are expected through project implementation. It is expected that Standard 1 (Soils) -- will improve by allowing soils to exhibit permeability and infiltration rates that will sustain/improve site productivity throughout the area. This will be accomplished by making improvements to the Biotic Integrity of the community by converting areas that are dominated by pinyon pine and juniper to a diverse component of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs that is consistent with the Ecological Site Description. Indicators will include sufficient cover and litter to protect the soil surface from excessive water and wind erosion, limiting surface flows and limiting soil moisture loss through evaporation, which will promote proper infiltration. Rangeland Health monitoring data has been collected with the project area. This monitoring data will be utilized as baseline data to determine the success of treatment while providing for a scientific measurement of the indicators identified above.

The NEPA/Final Decision documents were completed for the project in March 2015 The cultural clearance for the Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 (BLM 834 acre Bullhog) has been completed. The other 193 acres will be on private land and is dependent on funding. The Mud Spring Canyon (Lop and Scatter) no intensive cultural survey will be required for the hand thinning. As discussed 961 acres have been identified for future work and would need funding to complete the cultural clearacne that will be needed for future phases.

BLM will provide overall project oversight and will also refine flagging of the treatment area (i.e. leave islands; cultural and wildlife) in cooperation with program specialists. The Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 (Bullhog) treatment will involve mechanically mulching 834 BLM acres that fall in both the Sagebrush and pinyon and juniper focus areas that is all located in the Upper Horse Hollow Allotment. The other 193 acres is located adajecent to the BLM acres on private land and will also be mechanically mulched and afterwards small islands will be harrowed. Herbaceous understory is limited in the majority of the project area. To work towards the goals and objectives of the focus areas the project will need to be seeded with perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs to be brought back to its ecological community. The Mud Spring Canyon lop and scatter treatment method would treat 1725 acres within the Perry Well and Horse Hollow Allotment. The lop and scatter project area occurs in both the Sagebrush Steppe/Sagebrush, Pinyon and Juniper and the Grassland Focus Areas. Perennial grass, forbs and shrubs are present throughout the project area; therefore seeding is not necessary for this phase of the project. Removal of the encroaching pinyon and juniper will allow the existing herbaceous understory to persist and expand without the competition of pinyon and juniper. To provide for future work in the area, we have included needed cultural clearance work as discussed.

Pre-monitoring within the project has been ongoing, futher monitoring will be included as needed within the project footprint. Monitoring will continue to be completed by the BLM, which may include some support from UDWR or other cooperators. Standard surveys will include: Key Forage Utilization, Nested Frequency (Trend), Line Intercept (Shrub Cover and Age Class), Standards and guidelines for Rangeland Health Assessment, Photo Points, Raptor Nest Surveys, General Wildlife Use Surveys and Noxious weed inventory/monitoring. Pre and Post vegetation and wildlife monitoring data will be collected throughout the project area. This monitoring data will be compiled into an overall monitoring report that will help determine the level of success for the project in the short-term and long-term. Key Management Areas are typically established in grazing allotments to monitor trend where there is livestock use. The trend sites that have been established in the Project Area will provide for baseline monitoring data so that short-term and long-term treatment success can be monitored. Because trend within the treatment area that has been collected is baseline data, trend will be determined in subsequent years as data is collected. Trend will be collected at these sites for 3 years following treatment and then these sites will be incorporated into the overall range vegetative monitoring schedule and be collected every 3-5 years. The current trend at these Key Management Areas would be expected to be static to downward based on pinyon and juniper expansion within the Project Area. Following the treatment it is expected that this will be reversed and an upward trend will occur.

This project was presented at the SWARM meeting in 2018. A internal meeting also took place that involved cooperators from SITLA, NRCS and the UDWR. During this meeting we expanded the Mud Spring Canyon Lop & Scatter to include work on the state section adjacent to BLM. Their are currently permittees that have a application with NRCS on both the Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 (Bullhog). Funding availability will be dependent upon NRCS application ranking.

Upper Horse Hollow Phase 2 (Bullhog) Livestock grazing within the Upper Horse Hollow Allotment has been assessed through the permit renewal process. Grazing management systems that identified livestock numbers, season of use and AUMs were identified through this process. The Upper Horse Hollow Allotment has authorized livestock grazing from November 1st - February 28th for cattle and January 1st - March 31st for sheep on an annual basis. Sheep use is primarily limited to pasture 7 in the portion of the allotment West of Lund Highway, Where the projects are being implemented. Cattle use takes place in the pastures West of Lund Highway. Deferred livestock use until the completion of the critical growing period ensures the the vegetative community will be maintained/improved. In addition, utilization data has been collected on a continual basis within the allotment. Livestock use has been within established utilization parameters on a consistent basis. It is expected that the vegetative treatment will result in forage production increases that are consistent or greater to what has been identified in the Ecological Site Description. The proposed Bullhog project will be completed in pasture 7 that is used exclusively for sheep grazing. An agreement will be signed and this area will be rested from grazing for a two year period or longer if determined by the authorized officer. The sheep will not be taken off the pasture for two years, but have plenty of range to the North, including the lop & scatter from fall 2018 that was completed and will be kept in the area by herders. Mud Spring Canyon (Lop & Scatter) This project falls within three different grazing allotments, including the Upper Horse Hollow Allotment, east of Lund Hwy. All have been assessed through the permit renewal process to determine proper livestock numbers, season of use and AUMs for each allotment. Horse Hollow: This allotment has three separate operations using both cattle and sheep grazing. Cattle Grazing is authorized for May 1st - November 15th, sheep grazing is authorized starting December 1st - March 10th. Perry Well: This allotment runs on a 3 year rotation with the authorized use dates from November 1st - May 2nd. Post Treatment Vegetation would continue to be monitored for utilization, cover and trend. No seeding would occur for this project so the grazing management system identified during the grazing permit renewal process would be resumed. Future maintenance projects to protect investments made by UWRI/BLM have been addressed and allowed through the project planning document (NEPA). A large amount of treatment methods have been identified and authorized for future phases of the project.

The project is expected to improve health, composition, and diversity of shrubs, grasses, and forbs in accordance with Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines and the Ecological Site Description, which will be beneficial to livestock grazing. Furthermore, the project will be proactive in improving vegetative communities and removing ladder fuels within areas that are dominated by pinyon and juniper, which will minimize the potential for a catastrophic wildfire throughout the area, which would be detrimental to livestock grazing. It is expected that the vegetative treatments will result in increased forage production that are consistent or greater to what has been identified in the Ecological Site Description.

10/11/2019

01/09/2020

2020

The lop and scatter portion of this project was contracted out to Summitt Forests, Inc. @ $50/per acre. The Final project acres contracted out was 1,608 acres. The project was divided into 3 units. All live and dead standing trees would be cut with exception to trees with a base diameter that measured greater than eighteen (18") inches measured at six (6") inches above ground. The project units consisted of an old chaining with all small trees, a more mature juniper stand, and an area that the trees had been spiked for Utah Prairie dog recovery work and needed to be cut down. All the areas had excellent herbaceous vegetation and were not seeded. The project was started Oct. 10th and completed Nov. 11th. The mastication portion of this project was contracted out to Arlin Hughes @ $174/ per acre, he sub contracted with RAZRBAK. The project methods consisted of aerially seeding and mulching all 785 acres of pinyon and juniper trees within the identified areas. The contract was started Dec. 1st and completed January 9th. 1,268 acres of this project is mapped as Affected area that required Cultural Surveys for future project work. The project work that was proposed on private lands did not occur due to the private landowner deciding not to mover forward with the project.

The acreage for the lop & scatter project differed from the original proposal from 1,725 acres to 1,608. This changed from a few buffers that needed to be included due to raptor nests and some areas that were flagged out due to thicker stands of juniper with not enough herbaceous vegetation, these changes were made while implementing the final flag line on the ground. The project area consisted of an older stand of juniper trees, that was unique in the way that perennial grasses and forbs still persisted in adequate amounts all the way to the trunk of the trees, it was determined from several site visits that this was a unique area, and we should set a diameter specification to leave some trees but clean out the encroaching juniper that was infilling and impacting the site. The other two units consisted of young juniper trees that had encroached from an old chaining project and area that was spiked to improve habitat for the Utah Prairie dog. Summitt Forests, Inc. did an excellent job meeting the specifications, while completing the job quickly. The acreage for the mastication project differed from the original proposal of 1,027 acres to 785 acres. The acres were changed due to areas that needed to be flagged out after the cultural and wildlife inventories were completed and adjustments made while working with the public that had concerns with the treatments around their private residencies. All the acres masticated were seeded. This was one of the contractors first UDWR contracted jobs. He did an excellent job keeping the machines running and met all the treatment specifications.

The lop & scatter portion of the project will not be rested from livestock grazing, since it was not seeded. In the area that was determined to be a unique juniper ecological site a future forestry project will be completed this fall to expand the treatment and continue spacing out trees giving the area a savanna type look. We will continue to maintain the old chaining area and Prairie dog area by removing the small trees that move in over the next few years. In the mastication portion of the project the area will be rested from livestock grazing for two growing seasons and the project will be maintained by removing any of the trees that re-grow over the next few years. A nested frequency monitoring site and photo plot was established within the mastication project to show before and after treatment photos and allow us to monitor treatment success. A permanent photo plot will be established within the lop and scatter project to monitor treatment success.