On National Forest lands on the La Sal Mountains there has been a widespread decline in the aspen community type. Loss of aspen has impacts on wildlife habitat quality, forest and watershed health, and the potential for landscape-scale catastrophic wildfire. In the ponderosa pine forest on the Abajos, many stands are overly dense with heavy fuel loads. Prescribed fire is a tool used successfully by the Manti-La Sal National Forest in both forest types to regenerate aspen, improve the structure and diversity of the forest on a landscape scale and move towards a historic disturbance/fire regime. The current proposal is a bundle of 5 prescribed fire projects on the Moab/Monticello District of the Manti-LaSal National Forest. While prescribed fire is a valuable tool, successful implementation depends on favorable weather and fuel moisture conditions. These factors make it difficult to count on implementation for a specific project area in a given year. Therefore, this proposal includes 5 projects together with the intent that 1 or more will be within prescription in FY21 so that we can continue to restore important habitat and watersheds across the Forest on an annual basis. The proposal includes: The Lackey Basin Aspen Restoration project is a prescribed burn in aspen/mixed conifer forest on the South Mountain area on the south side of the La Sal Mountain range. Approximately half of the area was treated with funding from WRI project #2620. North Elk Ridge Forest Health Project includes several types of treatment (including aspen regeneration fencing in WRI projects #3004 and 3773). The current proposal would address health of the ponderosa pine forest component by prescribed burning in previously thinned areas to reduce fuel loading and improve herbaceous/shrub understory production. The Johnson Creek Hazardous Fuels project includes several types of treatment (including mechanical thinning WRI project #2265 and multiple prescribed burns). The current proposal would address health of the ponderosa pine forest component by prescribed burning in previously thinned areas to reduce fuel loading and improve herbaceous/shrub understory production. The Mormon Pasture Mountain Wildlife Habitat Improvement project also has several phases and previous funding through WRI (projects #3003 and 3774). Mechanical pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine thinning have been accomplished in the area. This proposal covers prescribed burning on 2200 acres of ponderosa pine and mixed conifer habitats. Burning is planned for fall 2019 and spring of 2020. The Shingle Mill Vegetation Management project also has several phases and previous funding through WRI (projects #4860). Mechanical pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine thinning have been accomplished in the area. This proposal covers prescribed burning on 6700 acres of ponderosa pine. Burning is planned for fall 2020 and spring of 2021.

To accomplish prescribed burning on the Moab/Monticello District. So far in 2020 several of the units with in these projects have been treated either by natural ignitions or prescribed fire. this proposal will carry those areas not burned into FY21. The Lackey Basin aspen restoration Rx (800 acres) remains the priority to treat. If it is not burned in spring 2020, it will be attempted again in FY21. As a stand-replacing fire in aspen/mixed conifer forest to stimulate aspen regeneration, it is more difficult to get into prescription than the ponderosa pine burns. Therefore if Lackey Basin is not available to burn during FY20, the proposal includes treatment in the North Elk Ridge, Johnson Creek, Mormon Pasture Mountain and Shingle Mill projects as backup projects. There are 7000 acres available for prescribed understory fire treatment on North Elk Ridge, Johnson 100 acres, Mormon Pasture Mountain 2,200 acres and 6700 acres on the Shingle Mill project. The project areas are within WRI Conservation Focus Areas due to their importance to watersheds and as wildlife habitats.

The Deer Creek-La Sal Creek watershed on South Mountain and the Johnson Creek watershed on the Abajo Mountains were identified by the Manti-La Sal National Forest as a high priorities for vegetation treatment projects during the Region 4 watershed assessment process. These watersheds are classified as Fire Regime III (infrequent surface/mixed regimes) rated to be in Condition Class 2 (moderate departure from the natural range of variability of vegetation characteristics, fuel composition, fire frequency, severity and pattern and other associated disturbances). Without disturbance, we are losing more of the aspen component of the forest every year. Prescribed fire in stands where the conifers are replacing the aspen will remove that competition and encourage sprouting of aspen. Stand-replacing fire, even when done under prescribed conditions, does have risks, but the project area was chosen for its natural barriers and the treatments completed in Lackey Basin phase I and II have reduced the risk of escaped fire. The ponderosa pine stands in the North Elk Ridge, Johnson Creek, Mormon Pasture Mountain and Shingle Mill project areas are Fire Regime I (frequent surface/mixed regime) in Condition Class 2 and 3 (high departure). There is a risk of losing key ecosystem components (e.g. native species, large legacy trees, negative impacts to soil) to landscape-scale wildfire if the forest is kept in the present condition. The Manti-La Sal National Forest conducts ponderosa pine prescribed burning on an annual basis, and the potential risk or adverse effects from these treatments are very low.

1) Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (1986) The 5 projects have been reviewed for compliance with the Forest Plan, and meet specific direction in the Plan to manage aspen and ponderosa pine, and improve wildlife habitat. * Manage aspen with commercial or noncommercial treatments to maintain or increase the percent of the Forest in the aspen type (III-2) * Provide an optimum cover:forage ratio for deer and elk habitat (III-19) * Maintain/improve habitat and habitat diversity for populations of existing wildlife species (III-22) * Manage aspen at the ecological stage that provides high herbaceous yield and cover (III-65) * Provide for timber stand improvement, reforestation and wildlife habitat improvement (III-25) 2) Conservation Strategy and Agreement for the Management of Northern Goshawk Habitat in Utah (1998) The project areas provide nesting habitat for northern goshawks. Surveys have been conducted following Forest Plan protocols. There are no active territories within the areas proposed for treatment in this phase of the project. * Under a proactive approach, manage for diverse forest cover types with strong representation of early seral tree species 3) La Sal and San Juan Deer Herd Unit Management Plans (2015) The projects meet habitat management objectives in the DWR deer herd management plans. * Continue to improve, protect, and restore summer and winter range habitats critical to deer, such as aspen Habitat projects that promote aspen and forb communities as well as a diverse age structure of the forest are recommended * Cooperate with land management agencies in carrying out habitat improvements such as ...controlled burns * Specifically in the San Juan Plan, proposed and recommended habitat project locations for summer range are: North Elk Ridge, Maverick Point and Mormon Pasture Mountain. 4) Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer (2014) The statewide mule deer plan specifies management objectives for important ranges including restoration of aspen communities to early seral stages. These projects are all in crucial deer summer (fawning) range. * Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on ...ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into aspen habitats. * Seek opportunities through WRI to improve aspen communities that provide crucial summer habitat * Manage portions of aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages 5) La Sal and San Juan, Elk Ridge Elk Herd Unit Management Plans (2016) The projects meet objectives for management of elk summer ranges, and have been developed cooperatively with DWR. * Summer Range - Maintain and improve summer forage availability on the La Sal Mountains through aspen regeneration and oakbrush thinning projects 6) Utah Elk Statewide Management Plan (2015) The projects meet several objectives in the statewide Elk Management Plan, which emphasizes the importance of aspen habitats to elk. * Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve elk habitat with emphasis on calving habitat and winter ranges * Seek opportunities to improve aspen communities on summer ranges which provides crucial calving habitat * Encourage land managers to manage portions of forests in early succession stages through the use of controlled burning and logging. Controlled burning should only be used in areas where there are minimal invasive weed and/or safety concerns. 7) Utah Black Bear Management Plan (2011) * Seek to prevent the loss of occupied and suitable unoccupied bear habitat and to improve existing bear habitat through 2023 * Target areas for habitat improvement projects that would benefit bears and other wildlife associated with aspen and hard and soft mast-producing communities 8) Utah Partners in Flight Avian Conservation Strategy (2002) * For Lewis's woodpecker, encourage prescribed burns to open the understory of ponderosa pine and mixed conifer habitats * For three-toed woodpecker, aspen should be maintained throughout the landscape to provide nesting sites 9) Wildlife Action Plan (2015) Prescribed fire in the proposed treatment areas would reduce threats from unplanned wildfire, and continue the process of restoring historic fire regimes in these areas. * Lewis's woodpecker - Reduce threat from inappropriate fire frequency and severity * Apply more fire in habitats/locations where fire was historically more frequent or intense * Reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings * Band-tailed pigeon have been documented in the project areas (Utah Natural Heritage database), and would benefit from treatments that increase shrub diversity and productivity (acorns, berries) over the longterm (Keppie and Braun 2000) WAP (pp26-28): - Condition - While the Aspen-Conifer physical (abiotic) habitat remains largely intact in Utah, coverage of aspen itself within that setting has declined greatly for two main reasons: (1) departure from natural fire regime (reduction in disturbance), resulting in widespread forest succession to conifer dominance; and (2) heavy ungulate browsing on young aspen stems, following disturbance. - Improving Condition - A good strategy for management may include the following elements: * Increasing disturbance from either prescribed or natural fire. Recent studies have shown that larger scale burns (e.g., 5,000 acres) that burn more intensely have been the most successful in terms of aspen regeneration. Higher-intensity burns stimulate higher numbers of young aspen per unit area, than lower-intensity burns. A larger treatment area distributes ungulate browse pressure, allowing most young aspen stems to reach a safe height. * Applying mechanical disturbance agents such as timber harvest. This can also be used to stimulate aspen regeneration and avoid or reduce resource losses to conifer beetles. As with fire, larger mechanical treatment areas serve to distribute browsing pressure and reduce damage to individual stems, increasing regeneration success. * Monitoring smaller, naturally-occurring or human-created disturbances for ungulate damage, and taking follow-up actions such as fencing, hazing, hunting, and/or domestic grazing management, may be required to prevent or reduce damage caused by domestic, wild, or feral ungulates. * Promoting policies that reduce improper browsing and grazing by domestic livestock and wildlife. 10) USFS R4 Focus Watershed Assessment (2010) The projects meet the following objectives from the Forests watershed assessment: * Use prescribed burning of aspen as a restoration opportunity in the Deer Creek-La Sal watershed * Treat vegetation to reduce fire hazard in the Stevens Canyon-North Cottonwood priority watershed

The treatments in this proposal would reduce fuel loads and the continuity of vegetative crown and ladder fuels, serving to modify fire behavior, reduce fire intensity and therefore reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and damage to natural and cultural resources. In addition, these treatments would build resistance to climate related stressors (drought, wildfire, insects and disease) and increase the adaptive capacity of the ecosystem. The treatments will encourage a mosaic of vegetative conditions (species, age, density), help restore fire occurrence to historic intervals and intensity, and promote improved health of forest stands. The Shingle Mill treatment would directly impact the Monticello WUI area the other treatments would not directly impact WUI areas or communities at risk, but the Lackey Basin/South Mountain area and La Sal Creek are an important watershed for the community of La Sal. Johnson Creek watershed is important for the community of Blanding. Reducing the risk of unplanned wildfire in this area is beneficial to residents, firefighters, irrigators and recreationalists. The project areas on North Elk Ridge are more remote, although the Forest Service Guard Station at Gooseberry is in the middle of the project area, and there is a private in-holding with structures adjacent to the Mormon Pasture Mountain project area. All of the areas are important wildlife habitat for big game, bears wild turkey and migratory birds. The Shingle Mill project area is an important watershed for the community of Monticello and other small communities in the area. Much of the Shingle Mill area is important wildlife habitat for big game, bears, wild turkey, migratory birds and birds of prey.

Three of the project areas are in priority watersheds identified for treatment in the Forest Watershed Assessment. The overall purpose of the Lackey Basin project in the La Sal Creek watershed is to move aspen forests to a more healthy condition -- meaning all characteristics of the aspen ecosystem, while dynamic, mimic historic conditions and are resilient or able to sustain natural disturbances. Aspen forests are also considered a benefit to watershed conditions compared to conifer forest, with studies in Utah documenting higher snow water equivalents and greater potential water yield (Burke and Kasahara 2011, LaMalfa and Ryle 2008). The Johnson Creek project area is part of the area identified in the City of Blanding's Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the Southeastern Utah Regional Wildfire Protection Plan as the city's municipal watershed. As well as contributing water, it includes pipeline and collection structures. A major fire event in this area could damage municipal watershed values and critical collection systems, therefore the project has been designed and approved under HFRA to reduce the risk to municipal water supplies while securing favorable conditions of water flow, maintaining water quality and soil productivity, and reducing soil erosion and sedimentation. These treatments also have the objective of reintroducing fire to the ponderosa pine forest in the area, moving towards more natural conditions and reducing the risk of unplanned, severe wildfire in the aspen, aspen/mixed conifer, and ponderosa pine stands in the project areas. While high severity wildfire has adverse effects to soil such as water repellency and increased erosion, low severity fires themselves have little effect on hydrologic functions but may result in increases in streamflow from the watershed (Neary et al 2005). Treatments in the Stevens Canyon/North Cottonwood watershed would reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and thereby reduce the risk of adverse effects to soils, including hydrophobicity (a problem to water infiltration especially on sandy soils as in the North Elk Ridge and Mormon Pasture Mountain project areas) and erosion. An improved herbaceous understory post-treatment reduces the potential for run-off and soil loss. The Shingle Mill project area is part of the area identified in the City of Monticello's Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the Southeastern Utah Regional Wildfire Protection Plan as the city's municipal watershed. As well as contributing water, it includes pipeline and collection structures. A major fire event in this area could damage municipal watershed values and critical collection systems, therefore the project has been designed and approved under HFRA to reduce the risk to municipal water supplies while securing favorable conditions of water flow, maintaining water quality and soil productivity, and reducing soil erosion and sedimentation. These treatments also have the objective of reintroducing fire to the ponderosa pine forest in the area, moving towards more natural conditions and reducing the risk of unplanned, severe wildfire in the aspen, aspen/mixed conifer, and ponderosa pine stands in the project areas. While high severity wildfire has adverse effects to soil such as water repellency and increased erosion, low severity fires themselves have little effect on hydrologic functions but may result in increases in streamflow from the watershed (Neary et al 2005).

All five projects comply with direction in the Manti-La Sal Forest Plan, and have been through the NEPA process. All project have had BA/BE reports, archaeological clearance and SHPO concurrence. The Lackey Basin Aspen Restoration Project Decision Memo was completed Nov 19, 2012. The North Elk Ridge Forest Health Project EA and Decision Notice/FONSI was completed Nov 18, 2014. The Johnson Creek Hazardous Fuels project EA and Decision Notice/FONSI was completed Sept 27, 2010. The Mormon Pasture Mountain Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project Decision Memo was signed February 23, 2016. Shingle Mill Vegetation Management Project Decision Memo was signed June 13th 2019.

First priority for the funding would be to complete the aspen/mixed conifer prescribed burning in the Lackey Basin project. This treatment is a prescribed fire vegetation regeneration and fuel reduction treatment. The treatment consists of prescribed burning (aerial ignition) within the 1,500 acres remaining to be treated, resulting in 20-50% of the area effectively burned. A mixed severity (moderate to high intensity) prescribed fire will be used to kill aspen ramets and encroaching conifer competition to stimulate root suckering and regenerate aspen in a mosaic within the project area. Only areas of aspen with overtopping or dense understory conifer trees that provide adequate fuel for spread of fire and potential to stimulate aspen suckering will be ignited. These ignition areas should generally occur on slope areas that are 30 percent or greater. This combined with the extent of treatment in the project area should discourage and disperse ungulate browsing allowing adequate numbers of suckers to survive and restock effectively burned areas. Treatment will generally avoid direct ignition of clones that are free of conifer encroachment, are on slopes < 30%, or are in riparian/wetland buffer areas. Fire may spread into these areas naturally, but this spread will not be directly encouraged. Burning of gentle slope (< 30%) could encourage browsing by livestock and wild ungulates. A late spring/summer burn is the expected timing for implementation in aspen regeneration prescribed burn areas. If conditions are not suitable during FY20, the funding would be used to conduct prescribed burning in the Mormon Pasture Mountain, Johnson Creek North Elk Ridge and Shingle Mill project areas. The areas ready for prescribed burning have already been thinned, and there are 7,000 acres available for burning on North Elk Ridge, 100 acres on Johnson Creek, 2,200 acres at Mormon Pasture Mountain and 6,700 acres on the Shingle Mill project. This burning would be conducted by Forest Service crews on the ground with drip torches or by aerial ignition. These treatments are generally conducted in the spring, but can also occur in the fall if proper conditions exist.

As part of project development, we established aspen regeneration transects in the Lackey Basin project area and collected pre-treatment data. We also have 5 years of migratory bird breeding season point-count surveys (2010-2014). The area has been extensively surveyed for northern goshawks, and surveys will continue in relation to this and other projects in the area. The Decision Memo authorizing the project has a detailed Monitoring Plan, which includes implementation monitoring and effectiveness monitoring with silvicultural stocking surveys, aspen regeneration transects (trees/acre and level of browsing) and photo points. Other monitoring includes soil assessments at 1-2 years post-treatment and annual weed monitoring on roads and trails in the project area. The bird point-count transect will also be re-read post-treatment. On North Elk Ridge, Johnson Creek, Mormon Pasture Mountain, and Shingle Mill there would be implementation and effectiveness monitoring associated with prescribed burning/fuels treatment. This type of monitoring involves photo points pre- and post-treatment. An inspection and implementation report has been produced for the Mormon Pasture Mountain project phase I and entered into the WRI database. There are Abert's squirrel density plots in the North Elk Ridge project area which are read annually by Forest Service personnel. Northern goshawk territory monitoring is performed annually within the Johnson Creek project area. Pre and post photo's of areas that represent the treatment and areas that are successfully burned or treated will posted to the WRI project site.

There is significant interest in these projects from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands (FFSL), local sportsman groups have previously contributed to this project. DWR has been a key partner in the North Elk Ridge project, utilizing targeted late season cow elk hunts in the area. Within the Johnson Creek project, the National Wild Turkey Federation contributed in a joint Stewardship project with the USFS. The Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) has already contributed to previous phases of these projects. The affected livestock permittees have also been engaged in the successful implementation of previous phases of these projects. Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands are working with us to conduct Prescribed Fire across agency boundary's on the Shingle Mill Project. Within many of the other Prescribed Fire projects opportunities don't exist to allow treatments to cross agency or land ownership's.

At Lackey Basin, the treatment units are infrequently grazed by permitted cattle due to slope steepness and distance to water. It is not anticipated that changes to livestock grazing management will be needed, but monitoring will inform post-treatment management. Options available for grazing management include changes in length, timing or season of use, number of livestock, placement of salt and nutritional supplements, temporary electric fence or rest as outlined in the Lackey Basin Aspen Restoration Project Decision Memo and Monitoring Plan. The area is within the South Mountain Inventoried Roadless Area, so no road construction or motorized use will occur. The area will continue to be managed under the Forest Plan for its wildlife, recreation and watershed values, using adaptive management related to livestock and big game. At North Elk Ridge, the project area is in non-use status relative to livestock grazing, which will be continued for several more years. The aspen restoration treatments (fencing, cutting, prescribed fire) which have begun will continue, as will additional ponderosa pine thinning and underburning in the 17,740 acre project area. The North Elk Ridge Forest Health Project Decision Notice authorizes one maintenance underburn following initial treatments at a 5-10 year interval to maintain fuels at low levels and restore historic fire regimes. Johnson Creek project area will have future maintenance prescribe burns to maintain historic fire regimes and fire return intervals for the vegetation types in the area. No changes in current management are expected at the Mormon Pasture Mountain project. The area is grazed by livestock on a deferred rotation basis. Shingle Mill area will have future maintenance prescribed burns along with being grazed by livestock. Project will improve forage conditions for livestock. Seeding is not necessary for any of these treatments, as adequate understories and few invasive weeds are present in these vegetation types and elevations.

The prescribed fire treatments will improve herbaceous forage production in the understory of the aspen/mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests. Although most areas are currently lightly used by livestock, they are within open allotments and have the potential to support additional use or be used as a grass bank. At Lackey Basin, use by livestock will be discouraged until aspen sprouts are tall enough to withstand grazing (6 ft tall and 2" DBH). Much of the Pondeosa Pine forests proposed (North Elk Ridge, Mormon Pasture Mountain, Johnson Creek and Shingle Mill treatments would aid in future timber harvests and sustainability.

10/01/2020

01/01/2023

2023

Prescribed burning was limited in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID and drought. Funds were rolled over and USFS crews were able to carry out approximately 1,749 acres of prescribed burning on the Shingle Mill Project southwest of Monticello in FY22. Additional RX line prep work was completed by USFS crews in FY23 to set up for the next phase of prescribed burning on Shingle Mill. Additionally, pile burning of approximately 112 acres was completed on the West Slope project on the La Sal mountains above Moab.

The objective of the La Sal/Abajo RX project is to reintroduce fire into these forest ecosystems. By conducting prescribed burning on the La Sal/Abajo project, we were able to reduce the threat of wildfire, insects, disease, and drought to the watershed as well as increase the forage and water production within the treated areas. This improves wildlife habitat and timber stand health while also reducing the risk of a catastrophic wildfire and associated risk to firefighters, the public, and infrastructure.

The USFS and DWR will continue to carry out prescribed burning on the La Sal/Abajo mountains to help restore fire into the ecosystem and improve wildlife habitat. Another 1000 acres are planned to be burned on the Shingle Mill project in 2023 or 2024. Pile burning of an additional 500 acres on the West Slope of the La Sal's will continue as conditions allow. Additionally, up to 10,000 acres of wildlife related prescribed burning are planned on the North Elks and Mormon Pasture on the west side of the Abajo's in the next 5-10 years.