The Range Fire burned approximately 3,450 acres of DWR and USFS owned land. The fire occurred on steep sloped hills above homes and infrastructure that are at risk of erosion and flooding post fire. The Timpanogos WMA was almost completely burned which provides crucial winter range for big game species. We need to reseed with native plants to try and outcomplete non-native species like cheatgrass from dominating the property.

1. Reduce post fire erosion. 2. Reduce risk of flooding of homes and infrastructure. 3. Protect watershed and water infrastructure for Lehi City. 4. Prevent cheatgrass and other weeds from establishing. 5. Reduce future fire risk.

By not doing this project we risk allowing cheatgrass and other invasive species from establishing. This will cost more in the future to remove with chemicals.

This project addresses the following Plans: B. Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan C. Deer Herd Unit 17A Management Plan D. Statewide Elk Management Plan E. Statewide Turkey Management Plan Specifically, the plans address the listed goals and objectives: C. Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan Habitat Objective 1: Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2019. D. Deer Herd Unit 17A Management Plan Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the unit by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts. 3. Seek cooperative projects to improve the quality and quantity of deer habitat. 4. Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat improvement projects. Protect deer winter ranges from wildfire by reseeding burned areas,creating fuel breaks and vegetated green strips and reseed areas dominated by cheatgrass with desirable perennial vegetation. E. Statewide Elk Management Plan 1. Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. 2. Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock.

Seeding will reduce annual grasses and fire fuels for future fires.

This project will improve water quality in the watershed by reducing erosion

No ground disturbance is planned with State equipment.

We will aerially broadcast triticale or similar type annual grass this September 2020 in hopes of getting it to grow this Fall and be established by next Spring to help keep soil stable and reduce flooding and erosion. We will then do a secondary flight in late October or November with a combination of grass, forb, and shrub seeds to help have a longer term restoration of desirable plants. No ground disturbance will occur because of steepness of slopes.

A photo point could be established to monitor the success of the seeding.

Forestry Fire and State Lands, NRCS, Orem City, USFS.

The land is mostly Timpanogos WMA and is designated for wildlife. No livestock grazing will take place.

No livestock grazing occurs currently in this area. But there will be benefits to wildlife with improved understory vegetation.

11/13/2020

11/16/2020

2021

We developed a custom seed mix through the GBRC that focused on shrubs and forbs with some grasses. See the seed section for the mix. Once the mix was completed we hired a helicopter company to come and fly the seed on 1,966 acres. The seed was flown on before we had significant snow in November. We also did some minimal drill seeding with just an atv drill seeder to plant antelope bitterbrush and fourwing saltbush. We don't have a shapefile for the drill seeding area but it was within the same area that was aerially seeded.

The Range Fire burned in the late summer of 2020. It burned several thousand acres of the Timpanogos WMA. This WMA provides critical winter range for mule deer and elk. It also is located above many homes and infrastructure. In order to speed up recovery, benefit the big game winter range, and reduce threats of erosion we reseeded the fire.

We will continue to monitor the establishment of our seeded species and any weeds. We will do follow up seeding andplanting. Also, we will spray weeds with herbicide. Hopefully, our efforts will pay off and we will see good establishment of native plants.