This will be a multi-year project and this is the first phase of the project. This is phase one of a multiphase project, and only one phase of more than a decade long effort of the Ashley NF to remove encroaching conifers from sagebrush/mountain brush and grass/forb communities.This project will improve wildlife habitat and deter the encroachment of conifers into important sagebrush, mountain brush, and grass/forb communities that are critical for wildlife. Currently, both of these community types (shrub and grass/forb) communities are at risk due to the encroachment of pinyon/juniper and Douglas fir trees. Studies and observations indicate that conifers have encroached into the shrub and grass/forb communities mentioned above. Barring disturbance, conifers will suppress and ultimately replace the existing shrubs and grass/forbs. This will negatively affect sagebrush and grass/forb obligate wildlife species such as bighorn sheep, deer, elk, golden eagle, several hawk species, and a variety of song birds (including species on the F&WS list of birds of conservation concern).

1) Deter conifer encroachment into sagebrush/mountainbrush communities and grass/forb communities. 2) Improve wildlife habitat for sagebrush/mountain brush and grass/forb obligate birds, through maintaining sagebrush/mountain brush and grass/forb communities on approximately 896 acres on Fossil Ridge. Improve big game winter, summer, and transitory range by maintaining forage for bighorn sheep, mule deer, and elk. This project has several long term objectives which will be measured by the vegetative and wildlife studies that are conducted into future years. The project will maintain the sage brush/ mountain brush communities and grass/forb communities for at least 25+ years, maintaining these communities for the long term. Since this project accomplishes many objectives in several management plans (see Relation to Management Plans Section), this project will accomplish habitat objectives for several species. This project also provides habitat for future population growth for the wildlife species listed in the Species Benefiting section, as well as other species of concern not listed in that section (e.g. Brewers sparrow and sage sparrow - both F&WS Birds of Conservation Concern). The success of this project depends on the ability of the contractor to cut encroaching trees to specifications. The contractor will be held to the specifications of the project. This project is entirely located within a Focus Area and will help to maintain/improve habitat in this focus area for 25 years or more.

Over time encroaching conifers will replace the sagebrush/mountain brush communities and grass/forb communities with a seral stand of pinyon/juniper or Douglas fir. The loss of the these community types would have negative impacts to sagebrush/mountain brush and grass/forb obligate species such as sage sparrows, Brewers sparrows, variety of other song birds, golden eagle, several hawk species, bighorn sheep, elk, and deer. The 2018 State-wide Bighorn sheep Management Plan identifies conifer encroachment as a threat to bighorn sheep. This project will remove encroaching conifers, increase forage availability, and thus improve habitat for the Avintaquin bighorn sheep herd. As golden eagles and several hawk species forage in open areas, removing encroaching conifers will also improve foraging habitat for these species. As pinon/juniper also leach the soil of water, this project would help retain water for more desirable vegetation that will aid the ecosystem in retaining water as a whole (especially on the north facing slopes of the project). Reducing the conifer encroachment will increase the amount of shrubs, grasses, and forbs which in turn, will reduce surface water runoff and debris flows(which causes soil erosion and poor water quality) and aid in retaining the moisture in the ecosystem. Conifer encroachment also contributes to large catastrophic fires (e.g. the Dollar Ridge fire of 2018). Removing these conifers will reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and increase the likelihood of fire suppression if a fire occurs. This type of project in the area of the catastrophic Dollar Ridge fire would likely have helped reduce the severity of the fire and would have also helped firefighters.

- This project is within a Focus Area and will help to maintain/improve habitat in this focus area for 25 years or more. - This project meets several strategies in the Goals and Objectives in the 2018 Statewide Bighorn Sheep Management Plan specifically: - Goal B, Strategy (d) initiate vegetative projects to improve habitat lost to natural succession, (a) identify valuable bighorns sheep habitat and work with land managers to enhance these areas; And Goal A, Objective 2, Strategy 3(f) improve suitable habitat for bighorn sheep to reduce stress - This project meets several strategies in the Goals and Objectives in the Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan specifically: - Habitat Objective Goal 1 strategies, (a) identify threats to habitat, (b) work with management agencies to manage deer habitats, and (d) mitigate losses to deer habitat; Habitat Objective Goal Objective 2 strategies (a) identify threats to habitat (b) identify habitat in need of restoration, (c) initiate projects to improve habitat with emphasis on encroachment of conifers in sagebrush. - This project meets several strategies in the Goals and Objectives in the Statewide Elk Management Plan specifically Habitat Objective Goal 1 strategies (b)properly manage elk habitat, (d) mitigate for losses of habitat; Habitat Objective Goal 2 strategies (c) identify elk habitat in need of restoration, (d) initiate project to improve winter habitat. - This project is also compatible and governed by the Ashley National Forest Plan, with the following goals, (a) to improve 500 acres of wildlife habitat annually (b) develop support from interest groups for funding of wildlife projects. - This Project will also accomplish Forest Service obligations outlined in the Migratory Bird MOU with the USFWS in accordance with the Migratory Bird Executive Order 13186 specifically (1) restoring and conserving habitat for F&WS birds of conservation concern such as the Brewers sparrow and sage sparrow. Habitat for these species will be conserved by removing encroaching conifers to maintain the habitat for these species. - This project is consistent with the "potential conservation action" addressing the threat of "inappropriate fire frequency" identified in the UDWR's Wildlife Action Plan. Action code 2.3.14 sates "Conduct upland vegetation treatments to restore characteristic upland vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings." Reducing conifer encroachment would help restore characteristic upland vegetation. - The Utah State Resource Management Plan has several applicable objectives and policies & guidelines: 1)The State promotes fuel breaks, thinning, chaining, prescribed fire and the selection of fire-resistant vegetation in green-stripping and burned areas. 2) The State will pursue opportunities to conduct and assist other partners with fuel reduction work including mechanical treatments and prescribed fire. 3) Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds. 4) Actively remove pinyon-juniper encroachment in other ecological sites due to its substantial consumption of water and its detrimental effect on sagebrush, other vegetation, and wildlife. 5) Protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state by 2025. - The Duchesne County Plan identifies conifer encroachment as a threat to water yield (Section 6 - Forest Management - Water Considerations in Forest Management), aspen (Section 6 Forest Management) sage-grouse (Section 22 Threatened, endangered, sensitive species), and as a contributor to fuel loading (Section 19 Fire management). This project would reduce those threats and reduce fuel loading by removing encroaching conifers.

Conifer encroachment also contributes to large catastrophic fires, such as the Dollar Ridge fire of 2018. This project will provide a direct long-term benefit by reducing the threat of large fires through reducing fuel loading. While, the initial removal of conifers will increase fuel loading; after the needles fall in 2 to 3 years and the loped trees begin to decay, the long term effect will be a reduction in hazardous fuel build-up. Additionally, removing encroaching conifers will reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and increase the likelihood of fire suppression if a fire did happen to occur.

Roundy et. al. 2014 found that mechanical tree reduction increased soil water availability. As pinon/juniper leach the soil of water, this project will help retain water for more desirable vegetation that will aid the ecosystem in retaining water as a whole. Reducing the conifer encroachment will increase the amount of shrubs, grasses, and forbs which will reduce surface water runoff and debris flows (which causes soil erosion and poor water quality) and aid in retaining the moisture in the ecosystem. The project will also occur on some north facing slopes where water retention potential would be the greatest. Additionally, the potential reduction in soil erosion/sediment loading may improve the water quality in the perennial stream (Avintaquin Creek) that is down slope from the project. Roundy B. A. Roundy, K. Young, N. Cline, A. Hulet, R. F. Miller, R. J. Tausch, J. C. Chambers, and B. Rau. 2014. Pinon-juniper reduction increases soil water availability of the resource growth pool. Rangeland Ecology & Management 67(5) September 2014.

Archaeology/Cultural Clearances have already been attained for this project. NEPA is complete for this project with a NEPA Decision signed in 2018. This project complies with the Ashley Forest Plan and moves towards attaining the Forest Plan Amendment goal of improving wildlife habitat.

This project would be handled under a contract. Removal of encroaching conifers will be done with hand crews using chainsaws. Cut materials will be left on the site or lopped and scattered. There will be no piling, slashing,or burning of cut materials. Treatments will occur from mid-summer to fall. Existing roads will be used to access the project area. Further access will be by foot. No new roads would be constructed.

Wildlife will be annually monitored within the project area. This will be done by bird point counts, big game counts, and big game pellet transects. The vegetation is being monitored through long term vegetative plots that have been established in the project area. The completion report for this project will be completed and monitoring results will be available as the monitoring is completed.

During the NEPA process we scoped the public, non-profit organizations, and other agencies for input. We did not receive any comments on the project, but these types of projects are generally get positive support from the local Counties and agencies. At an estimated cost of $70/acre, the cost to treat 896 acres is estimated at $62,720. The Forest Service incurred expenses in completed NEPA and will incur more expense in flagging the project (approximately $9,000 of in kind contribution). The Forest Service is asking WRI funds of $62,720 to cover the cost of contracting the project. Several partners of WRI (MDF, RMEF, SFW, BLM, and Forest Service) have contributed funds available to WRI projects, and these partners have shown a high interest in this type of project and have all contributed funds in the past to complete this type of work. In the past the Ashley NF Resource Advisory Committee (RAC funds) has helped fund these types of projects, including implementation in calendar year 2016. However, this committee does not have any funds available for calendar year 2019. The project area is near private lands. These Forest Service has coordinated with land owners in doing similar treatments on their lands for the common goal of reducing hazardous fuels and maintaining the shrub and grass communities. Additionally, permittees that are permitted to run livestock on the Ashley NF are in favor of this type of project as it benefits livestock.

This is phase one of a multiphase project, and only one phase of more than a decade long effort of the Ashley NF to remove encroaching conifers from sagebrush/mountain brush and grass/forb communities. Future management will continue to maintain these communities for sage brush/mountain brush and grass/forb obligate species. This management is in compliance with the Ashley Forest Plan and would have a life of approximately 25 years, at which time another treatment to remove encroaching conifers may be needed. Post treatment monitoring will be conducted and follow-up treatments will be considered, if needed, to ensure the effectiveness of the project. This project is consistent with and follows several management plans (see relation to management plans section).

Material left on the ground will aide nutrient cycling as well as provide some valued nesting habitat for birds. Several bird species have been documented using this slash material. A current grazing management plan has been completed for the allotment wherein the project resides. This project will maintain forage and grazing conditions for both wildlife and livestock by deterring the encroachment of conifers into these communities. Grazing regimes are not anticipated to be changed as a result from this project, but rather maintained as forage is maintained by implementation. Permittees that are permitted to run livestock on the Ashley NF are in favor of this type of project as it benefits livestock. A monitoring plan is also in place to measure the success of this project (see monitoring section). As this project improves habitat for high interest big game species (e.g. deer, elk, and bighorn sheep), it will thus improve hunting and wildlife viewing opportunity (recreational benefit).

07/13/2020

07/26/2020

2021

The Forest Service flagged the perimeter of the project areas, which took approximately a full work week and encompassed 896 acres. A solicitation for the work to be completed was sent out. The contract was awarded and the Forest Service worked with the contractor through project completion. The contractor sent a hand crew of 14 workers who operated chainsaws to cut the encroaching trees. The crew worked five days, then went to a nearby project to finish that project, and then came back and completed this project in one more day.

The Forest Service partnered with UWRI in funding this project. This project removed encroaching conifers in 896 acres of sagebrush/mountain brush and grass/forb communities, thus maintaining these communities. This improved habitat for elk, mule deer, Brewers sparrow, and other sagebrush/mountain brush obligate species. All pinon/juniper and Douglas fir trees were cut inside the flag line. The crew worked fast and cut the trees to specifications. The crew took about 5 days to complete the work. The project went well and there were no concerns or problems.

The treatments will last approximately 30 years and will be monitored over time. Treatment may be needed again after 30 years. Monitoring is accomplished through vegetation monitoring (including long term photo points) as well as breeding bird surveys and elk and deer counts.