Gravel hauling onto Forest Service System Roads is the most cost prohibitive portion of road maintenance and improvement. Having a source, near the locations in need of gravel, would greatly reduce project costs and allow Forest Service personnel and contractors to increase amount of areas treated at the same cost. Creating gravel can reduce material costs by 50% and haul costs by at least that much, even after the cost of crushing.

Crush rock into gravel, mix with locally sourced fine materials and produce approximately 7,000 cubic yards of "dirty aggregate" near where it will be placed. *see map* This road surfacing will then be placed on access roads needed for Timber Sales (Roundy Basin, Near West, Far West and support of the Mill Hollow Area Timber sales - WRI Projects 4866, 4873), repair recreational (hunting, fishing) roads (Current Creek, Lake Creek, Mill Hollow), vegetation treatments (West Fork Duchesne drainage RxB and Corn Lilly Harvest) and improve road function for stream health on West Fork of the Duchesne. Dirty aggregate is a Forest Service specified material with high fine percentages to help bind and hold gravel in-place. This mixture is proven to make surface more durable and last longer, reducing maintenance return intervals and costs long term.

Much of the Central Wasatch has experienced beetle kill on pine and spruce tree, leading to a significant standing dead component of our forest. Removal of this fuel is paramount to reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfire. 3 methods of fuel reduction will be benefited by this project. First, timber sales will be expedited when road work burdens are removed from timber harvesters and returned to road building pro's. Second, mechanical removal of fuels will be easier as an enhanced roads system allows practitioners the ability to freely move larger equipment where needed. Third, RxB treatments require safe and functional roads for crews to move around and larger roads act as fire breaks to reduce risk of containment loss. Finally if wildfire occurs on the landscape a strong road system will allow for a stronger defense as crews fight the fire. All of these factors reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic wildfire or lessen it's impacts. The risk of catastrophic wildfire needs no explanation, on the Heber/Kamas RD we are actively trying to prevent the dramatic impacts of recent fires seen on other districts, such as Brainhead, Dollar Ridge and the Bald Mtn/Pole Creek complex.

Uinta Forest Plan - 2003 Land and Resource Management Plan, Uinta National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/uwcnf/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprdb5076960&width=full -Plan sites management of riparian areas (pg 2.2), management of aquatic species (pg 2.3), wildlife (pg 2.5), vegetation (pg 2.5) and Timber (3.20). CRCT Coordination Team. 2006. Conservation strategy for Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus) in the States of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Fort Collins. 24p. RANGE-WIDE CONSERVATION AGREEMENT AND STRATEGY FOR BONNEVILLE CUTTHROAT TROUT (Oncorhynchus clarki utah). Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Publication Number 00-19, Salt Lake City, UT. CONSERVATION AGREEMENT AND STRATEGY FOR COLUMBIA SPOTTED FROG (RANA LUTEIVENTRIS) IN THE STATE OF UTAH. Publication Number 06-01 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah. Boreal Toad (bufo boreas boreas) Conservation Plan 2005. UDWR publication. Identifies needs for habitat improvement -This project falls within the Western Uintas Management Area. Vegetation management activities in the project area center on trying to improve soil, water, and vegetation conditions within the Upper Provo Watershed to restore the overall watershed health; the proper functioning of physical, biological and chemical conditions. -Biodiversity/Viability Desired future conditions for Vegetation and Disturbance Processes for the Western Uintas Management Area (USDA Forest Service, 2003; 4-179) include: -Beaver Creek Area: Mechanical thinning of invading species (such as Juniper and Gambel Oak) followed by prescribed fire or mastication will be employed to maintain the unique Ponderosa pine component of the landscape. Gambel oak and mountain brush will be managed to increase age class diversity and reduce fuel loading adjacent to private property. Sagebrush will be managed to increase the diversity of age classes and decrease canopy cover of juniper, as a consequence increase grass-forb cover. Social (non-recreation) Desired Future Conditions for the Western Uintas Management Area include (USDA Forest Service, 2003; 4-190): -Risks to private property from unwanted fire will be reduced through close coordination with local communities. In the Soapstone and Weber River summer home areas, permit holders, The State of Utah Department of Natural Resources and private homeowners will work Cooperatively to provide fuel breaks and defensible space. -Forest-wide Subgoals (USDA Forest Service, 2003) that are applicable to this project and fuels/fire ecology are: -2h. Maintain and/or restore diversity, productivity, vigor, and regenerative capacity of native and desired non-native riparian and wetland plant communities to provide an amount and distribution of large woody debris characteristic of natural aquatic & riparian ecosystems; provide adequate summer & winter thermal regulation; and to help achieve rates of surface erosion and channel migration characteristic of those under which desired communities develop. -3d. Restore or maintain fire-adapted ecosystems (consistent with land uses, historic fire regimes, and other Forest Plan direction) through wildland fire use, prescribed fire, timber harvest or mechanical treatments. -3f. Maintain or restore species composition, such that the species that occupy any given site are predominantly native species in the kind and amount that were historically distributed across the landscapes. 4d. Reduce hazardous fuels (prescribed fire, silvicultural and mechanical treatments) with emphasis on interface communities (wildland/urban) and increase proactive participation of communities at risk. -Forest Guidelines and Desired Conditions applicable to this project and fuels/fire ecology include: -Minimize the amount and impact of smoke from "fire use" activities by identifying smoke-sensitive areas, using "best available control measures," monitoring smoke impacts, and following guidance in State smoke management plans. -Manage vegetation for properly functioning condition at the landscape scale. Desired structure and pattern for cover types of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest are as follows except in the Wildland Urban Interface, where vegetation structure and pattern should be managed to reduce threat of sever fire to property and human safety. =(G3.1A-1) Timber harvest, vegetation/fuel treatments, prescribed fire, and wildland fire use are allowed only for the purposes of maintaining, improving or restoring riparian and aquatic habitat to desired conditions or to protect property in the wildland urban interface -(G3.1W-1) Vegetation/fuel treatment, prescribed fire, and wildland fire use are allowed for the purposes of maintaining, improving or restoring watersheds to desired conditions, and to protect property in the wildland urban interface. -(G3.2U-1) Vegetation/fuel treatment, prescribed fire and wildland fire use are allowed for the purposes of maintaining, improving or restoring terrestrial habitat, for hazardous fuel reduction, and to protect property in the wildland urban interface. Wasatch County Resource Management Plan: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Cn80Wzst8eoa0o_BqoTBHOPfPm8M6MIe Pgs: 300, 314, 315, 320 address the County's desire for road access, wildlife, fisheries, Timber and fire prevention.

The purpose for this project is largely fuel reduction projects (stream crossing improvements and recreational access being the other goals). Timber sales, mechanical fuels projects and RxB will all benefit by these road improvements. Large equipment will be able to access fuels for removal or conversion (Timber sales, mechanical). Crews will be able to access RxB treatments with increased ease and safety. Fuel breaks can be better defined and defensible. If wildfire does break out in the area, suppression will be easier for all the above reasons and crew safety will increase.

Two TMDLs would benefit from roads work in this area: Deer Creek (receive waters from Lake Creek, Mill Hollow and Wolf Creek areas) and Duchesne River (receive waters from Duchesne River, West Fork Duchesne and Current Creek) both are listed for TDS. Projects are planned in all of these HUC's. Roads are often the leading source for increased dissolved and suspended solids, and stream crossing work and surfacing are key to reducing road impacts to streams.

Equipment will be inspected for noxious weeds prior to being allowed on the Forest. No other compliance's are required for this project.

A rock crushing contract consists of a large machine that grinds native or provided rock to a specified size. This gravel is then mixed with other materials to produce the desired final product as desired. No materials will have to be imported to this site. A loaded is provided as part of the contract to mix and stockpile the finished material. Materials will then be used as needed for timber sale roads, rec roads and stream crossing improvements.

USFS Engineers will document where this material is placed and I will report that information on the database; including matching cost for transport and placement, and purpose of road improvement.

Timber Harvesting Industry - This material will be part of replacement of "Roads Packages" in timber sales, removing road building burdens currently placed on Timber Sales purchasers and allowing Timber crews to harvest rather than build roads. Moneys saved on road packages will return to the Unita Wasatch Cache NF through KV funds, perpetuating the cycle. Wasatch County - Currently maintain some of these roads, will be able to use this material when needed to improve the problematic areas of road surfaces UDWR - USFS and DWR are working to improve the fishery and brood stock in West Fork Duchesne, road improvement (sediment reduction) is a big first step in this process and working on big game vegetation treatments in West Fork, Currant Creek, Wolf Creek and Strawberry.

USFS will continue to manage these roads for usage needs at any given time. Right now we need to ramp up road improvements and stream crossing efforts to provide access for vegetation treatments and reduce fuels loading. As needs change through time the FS will adapt as best it can to provide the public with what they want on their lands while protecting those lands' integrity and value for future generations.

Road betterment will provide a longterm benefit to Timber production, recreation (hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, ATV'ing. etc), make future biomass projects more desirable and provide benefit to livestock growers through better access (may save them money on delivery) and as fuel reduction is realized, forage levels will increase through opening of over-story and removal of ground fuel loads.

07/01/2020

06/30/2021

2021

USFS let a contract to hire a rock crusher to take native material from the Lake Creek pit and create dirty aggregate - a USFS special mix of gravel and fine particulate material (clay) that is specially designed for high elevation roads.

Initially the goal was to create some 10,000 cubic yards of gravel for various road resurfacing projects. For this WRI contributed around $100,000. Later the Forest Service was able to leverage that grant with internal funding and increase the contract to about $250,000 with internal funds. Over 23,000 cy of dirty aggregate was created and there was also around 2,000 yards of boulders created as by product.

This material was used to resurface the Mill Creek road to improve hunter, angler, recreational and timber harvest access. Also, the road improvement portion of WRI#5241 was completed with this material. 10,000 to 12,000 cy of the created material is still stockpile at the pit and will be used for future road improvements that will benefit all the above mentioned user groups.