The growing and critical need to provide adequate winter range to support big game animals and increase mule deer and elk herd objectives, reduce fuel loading and the risk of catastrophic wildfire while minimizing crop depredation associated with private lands in Marysvale within the Beaver Wildlife Management Unit. This project will address the need to remove ~4,310 acres of encroaching pinyon and juniper trees associated within previously treated areas through lop and scatter methods. It is critical to treat these areas while the encroaching PJ trees are small and more economical to remove. In addition the opportunity to implant up to ~600 acres of late phase II early phase III pinyon-juniper through a bullhog mastication project which would include reseeding prior to implementation will increase the understory of grasses, forbs and shrubs that are lacking and critical to this big game winter range. This area is proved to provided critical habitat for wintering mule deer and elk, the opportunity to improve the overall watershed that falls within the City Creek and Beaver Creek Sevier River HUC's allows for future forage to be established and protect our past WRI investments. Both of the identified treatments will provide critical forage from new planted grasses, forbs and shrub within the bullhog treatment project, to continued forage from past treatments removing the small pinyon-juniper encroachment trees that compete for water across the landscape. Also a portion of a newly constructed pipe boundary fence is needed within the Oak Creek Allotment (1,800'). Labor, equipment and supplies will be provided by the Grazing Permittee and the Beaver Forest Service. Funding sources for the fence will be submitted through WRI, HC and External Permits as well as Sportsman's Groups and the Central Utah UGIP Program Manger (Tom Tippetts).

1- Restore and maintain approx. 4,310 acres of shrub-steppe vegetative community previously chained (1960's) and again treated with brush saws approx 15 years ago. 2- Expand shrub-steppe vegetative community by approx. 500-600 acres, out of 1,100 acres identified (after archeological surveys help determine precise treatment polygons) in Phase two and three P/J for seeding and bull-hog thinning. 3- Conserve cover for big game migration corridors and hiding in area while also conserving areas of old growth and cone producing trees for pinyon jays. 4- Reseeding bullhog mastication treatments with a diversity of grasses, forbs and shrubs, which will allow for improved understory of herbaceous cover to benefit wildlife species. 5- Project objective is to remove P/J in effort to reduce the risk of high severity wildfire by changing the amount and height of fuel available for wildfire. In addition to the above listed objectives the below goals/objectives are identified in the Mule Deer Plan for the Beaver Unit #22: Habitat Protection, Improvement and Maintenance - Work with public land management agencies to develop specific vegetative objectives to maintain the quality of important deer use areas. - Coordinate with federal and state partners in designing projects that will improve fire resiliency and protect areas of crucial habitat. - 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 reseed areas dominated by cheatgrass with desirable perennial vegetation. - Reduce expansion of Pinion-Juniper woodlands into sagebrush habitats and improve habitats dominated by Pinion-Juniper woodlands by completing habitat restoration projects. - Seek opportunities to increase browse in burned areas of critical winter range. In addition to the above listed objectives the below goals/objectives are identified in the Elk Statewide Plan: B. Habitat Management Goal: Conserve and improve elk habitat throughout the state. Habitat Objective 1: Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. Strategies: C. Habitat Improvement - a. Utilize Habitat Council, Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, Wildlife Conservation Permit funds, and other funding mechanisms to restore or improve crucial elk habitats. b. Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. c. Coordinate with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working groups to identify and prioritize elk habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration. i. Identify habitat projects on summer ranges (aspen communities) to improve calving habitat and summer forage. ii. Encourage land managers to manage portions of forests in early succession stages through the use of controlled burning, logging or other methods. Controlled burning in areas with invasive weed and/or safety concerns should be supported only when adequate planning and mitigation measures have been identified. iii. Promote Fire Use (let-burn) policies in appropriate areas that will benefit elk, and conduct reseeding efforts post wildlife. In addition to the above listed objectives the below goals/objectives are identified in the Turkey Statewide Plan: General Suitable habitat includes three key ingredients: trees, forbs and grass. Regardless of the type of environment, this combination must exist for turkeys to thrive. Trees provide food, daytime loafing and escape cover, and- --most importantly -- nighttime roost sites. Grasses and forbs provide food for adults and are especially important to poults as an environment in which they can efficiently forage for insects. Brood Rearing: During the first eight weeks after hatching, there are three essential components of brood rearing habitat. First - Poults need an environment that produces an abundance of insects. Second - Poults need habitat in which they can frequently and efficiently forage throughout the day. Third - Poults need an area that provides enough cover to hide, but allows the adult hen unobstructed vision for protection from predators. Therefore, the fundamental component of brood rearing habitat is herbaceous vegetation interspersed with trees. Herbaceous vegetation is key because it provides an ideal foraging environment for poults. Fall and Winter: Wild turkeys seek two imperative habitat ingredients in the fall and winter --food and roosting cover. Vegetation that turkeys utilize during the fall and winter is highly varied. Turkeys increase their use of forested cover during the fall and winter and decrease their use of open areas. Mast (pine nuts, acorns, berries) is the primary food source during fall and winter. Habitat value increases with higher proportions of mast-producing species in the forest and their degree of maturity. In mountainous environments, spring seeps are an important source of fall and winter food. Seeps provide invertebrates, mast and green vegetation. Because such water does not freeze, it provides a microclimate that allows foraging throughout the winter.

Primary threat is continual understory loss due to eventual and complete invasion by conifers and/or eventual catastrophic wildfire and loss of the preferred multi-age shrub-steppe community now in place. The previously treated "chainings" (4,310 acres) currently have well established sage-steppe vegetation, these efforts would extend this ecological condition by removing invading conifers at a time when most cost effective. Removal of P/J will also maintain and improve rangeland forage by preventing later stages of P/J expansion that out-compete browse and desirable grass species. Later stages of P/J expansion also help to facilitate the establishment of cheat grass communities which irrevocably alter habitat quality and the fire regime. Conversely, the phase II and III P/J woodland areas (1,100 acres) have already tipped ecologically over the threshold towards a woodland with very few shrub-steppe species left in the understory, see pics attached. The proposed 500-600 acre bull-hog and reseeding treatment in this community would restore and expand a rare and much needed healthy shrub-steppe community. Continued support from District UDWR Biologist (Mike Wardle) provided positive recommendations towards this project stating: The Beaver mule deer management plan sets a population objective of 14,000 deer. The most recent estimate in 2022 showed the population is significantly under objective at 9,200. GPS collars were first deployed as part of the Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative on the Beaver in 2019. UDWR deployed collars at two staging areas within the location of this project; one just West of Marysvale and another West of Circleville. Collar data shows significant mule deer reliance on these areas during the late fall, winter, and early spring months. (Attached screenshots in the Documents Tab). This area is also one where we have chronic conflict with private agricultural producers. Improving habitat on public land and providing alternate food sources to mule deer and elk is one tool to help alleviate that conflict. For the past 5 years, the Beaver deer population has consistently illustrated a pattern of low fawn recruitment. UDWR captured and collared adult mule deer during the years of 2019, 2020, and 2021 on the Beaver unit. Ultrasounds were conducted on adult does and overall the deer were skinnier than expected and lacked the internal fat reserves that we hoped for. Much of this area is dominated by mature conifer stands that provide little in terms of summer nutrition for deer and elk. Resetting the ecological succession of the plant community through fire will open that conifer canopy and help provide additional nutrition for mule deer in the summer months. Forbes and other summer food sources play a critical role in helping mule deer store the fat needed to survive through the harsh winter months. This is especially critical for newborn fawns who's survival and recruitment ultimately drive the overall population in an increasing or decreasing direction. The Beaver elk unit management plan sets a population objective that ranges from 1,150 to 1,350 elk. The population estimate in 2022 was 900. Aerial surveys conducted by UDWR in 2016, 2019, and 2022 have all showed a higher concentration of elk on the Northern half of the management unit. Large fires in the past 15 years that occurred North of US-153 shifted elk use North on the mountain and fewer elk have been observed in areas like the South creek drainage. Re-introducing fire into this drainage will increase available nutrition for elk and help re-distribute the population to the South. In 2023, as the Beaver elk committee met to revise the management plan a big focus of conversation was increasing elk use on the South end. It states specifically in the plan "The committee recognizes that in order to increase the elk population objective further, more habitat work will need to be completed. Specifically, the committee recommends a minimum of 15,000 acres be improved South of Highway 153 that will increase the carrying capacity of the range." This project significantly helps reach the goal of creating more elk habitat to allow for an increase in the elk population objective. With Statewide goals and objectives for mule deer and elk in place, the pressing need on the Beaver Unit is to maintain and improve wintering habitat on existing winter range areas the Beaver Forest Service has slated this project as a top priority within their work plan, they have identified areas to help bring fund sources and reduce the overall cost of this project from recent years. This project is moving closer to crossing the ecological threshold and will continue to become more expensive to treat, due to the cost of bullhog work rising throughout the State. Lop and Scatter companies are becoming increasingly more expensive due to work forces, US Work Visa's, equipment and material cost as well as travel cost. The time is now to complete this project and create additional habitat for mule deer, elk and wild turkeys in Utah.

This project is consistent with the Fishlake National Forest Plan (1986 as amended) for wildlife habitat enhancement, and fuels management. This project is part of a larger effort by the Forest Service, Beaver District to improve sage grouse habitat, big game habitat, conserve sage-steppe, improve watershed condition, water quality, reduce fuel loading, and protect against catastrophic wildfire. Utah's WAP and other planning documents emphasize the importance of maintaining and improving current sage grouse and potential habitat. Both the Utah Statewide deer and elk plans identify conserving and improving available winter range through removal of P/J and providing adequate and high quality winter range to support herd objectives for the Beaver Unit #25. Deer and elk population levels are considered to be at or just under plan objectives (personal communication with Mike Wardle, DWR) Beaver County's Draft Resource Management Plan, adopted June 2017, states "Land management agencies shall take actions to control and eradicate harmful and invasive noxious weeds and aggressively treat pinyon-juniper encroachment on habitats which benefit wildlife.", on page 128 under "Wildlife... Objectives". Please see letters of support from Beaver City and Beaver County attached. Utah's Wildlife Action Plan (WAP): The WAP identifies the following key habitats to be addressed by the South Beaver Watershed Improvement Project: Aquatic Forested, Mountain sagebrush and Aspen-Conifer. The WAP lists Inappropriate Fire Frequency and Intensity a high level threat for BCT and Aspen-Conifer Ecosystems with the following as potential conservation actions. 2.3.14 Conduct upland vegetation treatments to restore characteristic upland vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings. Fishlake Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP): 5. Reduce hazardous fuels 6. Identify and improve habitat for sensitive, threatened, and endangered species including participation in recovery efforts for both plants and animals (LRMP IV-4). 7. Improve or maintain the quality of habitat on big game winter ranges (LRMP IV-4). National Cohesive Strategy: This project is in line with the strategy. By means of prescribed fire and mechanical thinning at a landscape scale, the resulting mosaic of early and late successional forests will work toward the goal of restoring and maintaining resilient landscapes. State of Utah Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy: The Beaver East Enhancement Project aligns with the mission of the State of Utah's Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy. The project reduces the risk of a catastrophic wildfire occurrence negatively affecting property, air quality and water systems. The Mission: Develop a collaborative process to protect the health and welfare of Utahns, and our lands by reducing the size and frequency of catastrophic fires (pg. 4). Under number 5. Adopt Key Recommendations from the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (pg. 15); Encourage federal land management agencies to expedite fuels treatments. (pg. 15) Prioritize landscapes for treatment (irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries) (pg. 15). This proposed treatment will bring potential canopy fire to the ground and allow for greater likelihoods of successful fire suppression or wildfire utilization for resource benefits. Grazing Allotment Plans: The amount of forage available to livestock within the affected allotments in the Beaver East Project area is expected to increase significantly as a result of this project. With the removal of pinion/juniper, the amount of grasses, forbs and sagebrush is also expected to increase significantly. With increased forage, ungulate distribution is expected to improve. Strategic Management Plan for Wild Tukey-Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR 2014). Grasses provide food for adults and are especially important to poults as an environment where they can effectively forage for insects. Poults need an environment that produces insects and in which they can efficiently forage. Poults need an area that provides enough cover to hide them but allows the adult hen unobstructed vision for protection from predators. Phase III treatment will help improve the sage brush and grass/forb vegetation types by removing pinyon/juniper. Richfield Field Office RMP (2008) pg 76 - Manage for a mix of vegetative types, structural stages, and provide for native plant, fish, and wildlife habitats. -Sustain or reestablish the integrity of the sagebrush biome to provide the amount, continuity, and quality of habitat that is necessary to maintain sustainable populations of Greater sage-grouse and other sagebrush-dependent wildlife species. MANAGEMENT ACTIONS: a. Treat areas determined to need reseeding with a variety of plant species that are desirable for wildlife habitat, livestock, watershed management, and other resource values while maintaining vegetation species diversity. b. implement additional treatments to achieve Standards for Rangeland Health and desired vegetation condition. Vegetation treatments conducted up to 1,472,000 acres over the life of the plan. These acreage figures include all vegetation and fire fuels treatments. The proposed projects will address some of the habitat management strategies outlined in the deer and elk management plans for Herd Unit #22 (Beaver) *Continue to improve and restore sagebrush steppe habitats critical to deer according to UDWRs Habitat Initiative. Maintain habitat quantity and quality at a level adequate to support the stated population objectives while at the same time not resulting in an overall downward trend in range condition and watershed quality. *Work cooperatively with land management agencies and private landowners to plan and implement improvement projects for the purpose of enhancing wildlife habitat and range resources in general. *The project also helps fulfill the state mule deer management plan section IV Habitat Goal: Conserve and improve mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. *The proposed projects will address the following goals and objectives of the Division of Wildlife Resources most recent strategic management plan: *Resource Goal: To expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. Objective 1: protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state. Objective 3: conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered. Constituency Goal: Achieve broad-based support for Division programs and budgets by demonstrating the value of wildlife to all citizens of Utah. Objective 2: improve communication with wildlife organizations, public officials, private landowners, and government agencies to obtain support for Division programs. *UDWR SR critical big game winter range are important browse communities that need to be enhanced and improved. The Division will employ a variety of methods to achieve this including prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, reseeding and seedling transplants, also mechanical treatments. *Priority areas will include treatments to improve sagebrush-steppe and mountain browse communities. *Falls within the rangeland focus area for WRI wildlife species for mule deer and elk. *Richfield Field Office RMP - Manage for a mix of vegetative types, structural stages, and provide for native plant, fish, and wildlife (including SSS) habitats. *SITLA Management Plans: Correspond with the Utah Code Title 53C Chapter Five Section 101, 102 and 103 in accordance with Management of Rangeland Resources **I have also included in the documents tab County Resource Plans from Beaver and Piute as well as information pertaining to the Utah Statewide Plan.

Treating the vegetation in these areas will result in multiple benefits, which include but are not limited to, improving and protecting current habitat for wildlife dependent upon these various ecosystems, improving native species diversity, reducing hazardous fuel accumulations and breaking up the continuous fuel bed of pinion/juniper that currently exists in areas on the east side of the Beaver Ranger District. This treatment will promote a more fire resilient environment that reduces the risk for large scale, intense unwanted wildland fires, with less risk to public and firefighter safety. Fire risk would be reduced to multiple watersheds including the Tenmile drainage that contains Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. Existing wildfire risk index in the project area ranges from moderate-high to very-very low, however given the recent fire history in the area and looking at fire modeling results, an unwanted wildfire in this area at the 97th percentile weather, would quickly spread into high risk areas and threaten multiple watersheds, private lands and numerous other values not only wildlife habitat, but structures, culinary water systems, and utility corridors to name a few. The majority of this project is within fire regime III -- 35-100+ year frequency and mixed severity (less than 75% of the dominant overstory vegetation replaced); The Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) is estimated to be both moderate (FRCC 2) and high (FRCC 3) departure from the central tendency of the natural (historical) regime. The central tendency is a composite estimate of vegetation characteristics (species composition, structural stages, stand age, canopy closure, and mosaic pattern); fuel composition; fire frequency, severity, and pattern; and other associated natural disturbances. The majority of this project would be in FRCC 3. This project will improve the fire regime condition class to FRCC 1 and FRCC 2.

Perennial and ephemeral streams in the project vicinity drain into the Sevier River then into Piute Reservoir which currently has a TMDL for total Phosphorus loading and low dissolved oxygen (LIMNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY, Utah Division of Water Quality, 2008). These impairments to beneficial uses are interrelated as elevations in nutrient levels result in increased algal biomass production and transport which increases biological oxygen demand (BOD) and decreases dissolved oxygen levels. The TMDL identifies that non-point sources are the primary cause for elevated total phosphorus levels including: cattle in riparian areas and stream channels and forest land management. The TMDL notes that overutilization of riparian areas can lead to increased erosion and sediment transport, which ultimately can cause an increased nutrient load and elevated nutrient transport. Similarly, other management on NFS lands that increase erosion and runoff are implicated in elevating phosphorus levels in Piute Reservoir. The TMDL calls for stabilizing slopes, installing vegetative buffer strips along stream channels, reestablishing vegetation in critical riparian areas and restricting cattle access to stream channels. The water quality assessment for the reservoir tiers to TMDL and water quality management plan for the upper reaches of the Sevier River, dated 2004. The benefits of healthy riparian vegetation and connected floodplains and wetlands to water quality, as well as water storage and release are well documented. Riparian vegetation buffers can trap sediment during overbank flow events and prevent sediment from overland runoff from reaching stream channels (Belt, O'Laughlin, & Merrill, 1992). Fine sediment input to streams can lead to an associated increase in nutrient loading, decreased dissolved oxygen and an increase in waterborne diseases. Stream bank stability is instrumental in preventing excessive erosion. Willow-sedge communities are among the best for maintaining stream bank stability (Winward, 2000). As discussed elsewhere in this proposal improving uplands to have more grass, forbs, and shrubs in the understory can also improve water quality by leading to less generation of sediment during overland flow events and thereby delivering less sediment to a riparian area and stream. This project proposes to remove pinyon and juniper from sagebrush grass lands, mountain scrublands and riparian areas, which should result in immediate decreased sediment generation via lop and scatter from treatment covering bare ground (Cline et al. 2010). In the long-term mastication and lop and scatter treatments have been shown to increase the density and diversity of grasses and forbs reducing runoff and erosion (Ashcroft et al. 2017). Some research indicates that pinyon-juniper removal in mountain sagebrush can increase soil water availability (Roundy et al. 2014). The amount of soil water availability increases with the stage of PJ succession (i.e. Phase I removal results in the smallest increases, and Phase III removal results in the largest increases). This project proposes to remove Phase I-2 PJ from sagebrush grass lands and mountain scrublands areas over 4,000 acres. The PJ removal activities should have a net positive effect on increasing water yield/availability. Treatments will considerably lessen the risk of catastrophic large scale high severity fires that could result in long-term watershed degradation. By maintaining watershed function, long-term water quality will be maintained or enhanced. By removing PJ it is anticipated that water quantity will be enhanced (seeps, springs, bogs--improved) in the short and long term. PJ removal activities should have a net positive effect on increasing water yield/availability as fewer conifer trees use water. In a study from 2008, Deboodt, et. al (2008) mentions that juniper trees can use up to 30 gallons of water a day, when adequate moisture is present. It also states that Vegetative modeling has shown that 9 to 35 trees per acre can utilize all the precipitation delivered to a site in a 13-in annual precipitation zone. In their study researchers monitored two watersheds 12 years prior to treatment (cutting). After the treatment analysis indicated that juniper reduction significantly increased late season spring flow by 225%, increased days of recorded groundwater by an average of 41 days , and increased the relative availability of late season soil moisture to soil depths of .76 meters. It was also noted that managing vegetation for water yield may be obtainable at a much lower precipitation threshold than what was previously understood. Baker, et. al (1984) found a 157% increase in stream flows over a 147 ha pinyon and juniper treatment. Roundy, et. al. (2014) has shown that mechanical treatments to remove pinyon and juniper increase time that soil water is available. Even four years after treatment, treated areas showed from 8.6 days to-18 days additional water availability at high elevation sites. Roth, et. All (2017) stated snow pack is deeper and last longer in the open site at the low and mid sites (4-26 and 11-33 days, respectively). 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. Reducing pinyon and juniper trees, according the available research should increase snow pack, and time that snow pack is on the ground, increase spring flows, and increase soil moisture. It is expected that similar results will happen in this area after the treatment takes place. By maintaining watershed function, long-term water quality will be maintained or enhanced. Both the potential increase in herbaceous vegetation and the masticated or chained tree material should help stabilize the soils by reducing erosion and protect the water quality throughout the watershed. By removing PJ this should allow for more precipitation to contact the soil and increase biomass on the ground. In areas where hand thinning will be used there should be adequate vegetation to avoid soil erosion but this should increase the amount of water into the system instead of evaporating before it reaches the ground. Wet meadows and upland plants benefit by utilizing the increase soil moisture, providing for better resiliency during drought years. This provides for an increase in water quantity for herbaceous plants on sites where PJ is removed. Treatments on this project will be occurring in sagebrush and mountain mixed brush ecological communities. Restoring uplands within all of these ecological communities will reduce impacts from future wildfires along with reducing risks of future impairment to the watersheds. Where water resources on public and private lands have diminished because grasses have succeeded to pinyon-juniper and other woody vegetation, a vigorous program of mechanical treatments should be applied to promptly remove this woody vegetation and biomass, stimulate the return of the grasses to historic levels, and thereby provide a watershed that maximizes water yield and water quality for livestock, wildlife, and human uses.

*Forest-wide P/J EA (signed 2019) includes the bull-hog suggested polygons in this proposal and many others the entire length of the Beaver District from Sevier County on the north, through Piute, and into Garfield County on the South. For the Beaver District, this decision did not include ground disturbing mechanical archeological clearances. *BLM EA# J-050-01-048EA *UWDR will utilize State Purchasing and Arie Leeflang (UDWR) to help with the contracting of the Archeology for the Bullhog Mastication portion of this project. UDWR and the Fishlake Forest Service Beaver Field Office will work closely on the arch survey work.

Lop and scatter portion in previously chained and maintained areas (4,310 acres). Hand cutting methods are anticipated, the trees cut with a chainsaw will be left on-site to decompose naturally and provide seed source protection and ground litter. Preferred method will be utilizing contract hand crews to lop and scatter tree material. Lop and Scatter Project Contact Specifications as an EXAMPLE may be in accordance with the information enclosed: This is a "lop and scatter" contract, within this project the BLM and FS sections removal is 100%. All pinyon, rocky mountain juniper, Utah juniper (Cedar), shall be cut. 100% Removal of all live and dead trees is expected. Trees shall be completely severed from the stump(s) where no live limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees. All main branches or stems shall be cut from the trunk of the tree to meet scattering requirements. State contracted Archeological surveys to be conducted for 1,100 acre area to identify 500-600 acres of bull-hog treatable Phase II and III Pinyon-Juniper. A tree diameter threshold for pinyon will be utilized at the contract level to conserve older, cone producing and food source trees for pinyon jays primarily in a mosaic pattern likely avoiding gullies and canyons for hiding and migration cover. USFS will need to continue to follow-up with prior survey work associated with Pinyon Jays. Timing of this project will be in the fall/winter of the year to take advantage of winter moisture as seed will be required on the bullhog portion of this project. Bullhog Mastication Project Contact Specifications as an EXAMPLE may be in accordance with the information enclosed: Mulching: 1. All Pinyon Pine and Juniper trees within the designated treatment areas are to be removed, with 2 exceptions. a. 4-5 trees per acre shall be left standing and arranged so that there are randomly placed clumps of leave trees as well as randomly placed individual trees across the project area upon completion. b. Large trees having a diameter at root collar (DRC) >24" shall not be cut 2. All* live and dead standing Pinyon Pine and Juniper trees, shall be chipped, shredded, or mulched and completely severed from the stump(s). *See exceptions a.& b. above 3. No live limbs shall be left on the stumps of cut trees and stump height shall not exceed 6 inches measured on the uphill side. 4. All parts of the tree shall be mulched. 5. All surplus vegetation and slash shall be mulched or cut, such that no woody piece is greater than 3 feet in length. 6. Any tree or sapling that cannot be removed by bull hog machinery must be removed by a hand crew utilizing chainsaws or loppers. 7. Mulch depth shall not exceed six (6) inches. If mulch exceeds six inches in depth, the Contractor shall spread the mulch either mechanically or by hand. 8. The Project Inspector will make tests to determine the uniformity of the Bullhog operation. Contract of the Lop and Scatter portion as well as the Bullhog Mastication portion and all Culture Resource Surveys will be conducted through State of Utah Purchasing utilizing State Purchasing Agents along with preferred site tours for contractors. Contract Specifications are not developed and will be determined once funding is allocated. Specifications will be developed by USFS and BLM moving forward to meet agency goals and objectives. Construction of a new pipe fence is proposed within this project, the pipe fence will be made of steel pipe tubing construction. Construction of this fence will be in the Oak Creek area of this project and be constructed by the grazing permittee and the Beaver Forest Service. Specifications of the fence are still being worked out but will be uploaded when they are finalized.

Monitoring work is already in progress and being evaluated. In and around the project area are located approximately 7 DWR long term trend studies (22R-3, 22R-1, 22-2, 22R-24, 22-3, 22-4, and 22R-8), with half of these on Forest system lands. The Deer Flat transect (22R-1) was treated prior to 2018 by lop and scatter and is seeing a resurgence in vegetative productivity. Google Earth historical imagery documents the chaining maintenance discussed over the last 15 years, along with adjacent BLM treatments contributing to an improved landscape for wintering big game. We conduct annual Migratory Bird surveys (Oak Basin) and assist with deer and elk census and classification that UDWR oversees that will continue in this area; thus documenting any changes in seasonal use patterns. Big game pellet group transects are conducted annually to estimate general days used per acre on these winter range areas and have been collected the past 10 years in the Deer Trail Bench, Oak Basin, Birch Creek East, and Ten-mile areas. The days use trends by deer and elk are highly variable depending on winter severity, but are as high as 27 elk days use per acre and 11 days per acre sometimes for deer. Pre/Post treatment photos will be taken and analyzed to determine if the project objectives are met in 1,3,5,and 10 years. Repeat photo points and range site survey locations consisting of nested frequency sites recording vegetation and percent cover already exist within the proposed project area. Vegetation surveys consisting of macro-plots or transects will occur following treatment and five years after treatment. Vegetation plots will either be established in the project area or re-read for monitoring locations already established within the treatment area. These tools for assessing potential for conifer encroachment and invasive plant establishment, as well as a qualitative site condition assessment, will be completed in accordance with existing monitoring protocols and with seasonal time included as part of the proposal. Weed control will occur as determined necessary by the District Range Conservationist. In addition to the information attached below is information from the GBRC Range Trend Study Summery of the Beaver East Project: PERMANENT RANGE TREND SUMMARIES The condition of deer winter range within the Beaver management unit has continually changed on the sites sampled since 1998; the active Range Tend sites within the unit are considered to be in very-poor to good condition as of the 2018 sample year (Figure 1.10, Figure 1.10). The sites considered to be in good condition are Deer Flat, Rocks Reseeding, and South Creek: high amounts of preferred browse and significant perennial grass cover contribute to the high rankings of these sites. The Marysvale WMA and Piute Reservoir site is considered to be in fair-good and fair condition, and the Beaver Table study is classified as being in poor-fair condition. The lack of preferred browse and high annual grass cover are primary reasons that these sites were categorized as being in very poor condition.

The Utah Division of Wildlife has helped in the long term planning for treatments on the Beaver District and BLM Richfield Field Office, reviewing focus areas and crucial habitats. Our NEPA workload is aimed at proposing projects in the DWR's WRI Focus Areas to promote the tenets of the program as well as satisfy the Fishlake Forest Plan. Discussions with local DWR biologists and SFW Beaver Chapter members resulted in their verbal support for removing P/J mechanically verses burning, to conserve bitter brush/cliffrose on site. The BLM has treated and maintained adjacent prior P/J dominated lands involving the WRI program starting in 2009 to present with millions of dollars invested. Grazing allotments in the area have been co-managed with grazing permittees and discussions about treating P/J on uplands are frequent and their approval unanimous. Piute County have been integral partners in managing fuels, water resources and wildlife habitat on the east side of the Beaver District. Partnerships within this scope of work includes all Federal, State and local County Agencies. They are in support of doing follow-up type of work within these areas. This type of lop and scatter treatment will maintain and help conserve or initial investment of the projects. In addition to the treatment of older stands of Phase II to Phase III Pinyon and Juniper with reseeding of herbaceous grasses, forbs and shrubs is a great benefit for wildlife species. County Commissioners from the Six County Areas, showcase these types of projects each year as we conduct annual tours of habitat restoration work that has been completed in their counties. Local and state chapters of the MDF, NWTF, SFW, RMEF, FNAWS, UBA, and SCI have all been big supporters of these types of projects and funding each year come from them at a local level to help complete and fund this work. In addition UGIP have partnered in the past through grazing permittees to take part in this work as well. Doing this type of maintenance will allow for future reduction in cost as it pertains to the longevity of the overall project. All partners involved have a need and are willing to commit to making restoration enhancing projects a priority on their districts in the future. Areas identified within this project have been funded through WRI or other funding sources associated with or though the WRI Program.

Future range management in this area will largely be dictated by Allotment Management Plans tiered from the Forest Plan, with focus on reducing and controlling wildfire risk. Motorized travel is somewhat limited here due to big game winter range, and prescribed fire will be minimized in these important sage-steppe areas to conserve sagebrush and cliffrose. Should our monitoring detect unforeseen impacts such as over grazing or increased unauthorized vehicle use, the District plans to utilize parameters of grazing AMP's and enforcement of the travel plan to remedy. As of now, we see no reason to totally rest from grazing given recent past patterns of utilization and the assumption that an increase in woody debris from this project should contribute to grass and forb/seed protection and more favorable growing conditions. As habitat is improved for ungulates (deer, elk, cattle, sheep) and additional forage becomes available, the USFS expects the flexibility and management of ungulates will improve; hopefully with less controversy. Maintaining healthy populations of wildlife while also responding to the needs of livestock permittees is expected to become easier. As future PJ expansion occurs, maintenance/re-treatment of this project via hand thinning of new PJ growth/whips is expected to be implemented to maintain the integrity of this project and the anticipated continued PJ expansion. Increased pace and scale of restoration type projects in this area is currently underway. Multiple projects have been, and are currently being implemented and more are being planned in this area.

Grazing and recreation are the primary uses, along with commercial and private christmas tree harvesting. Timber resources occur much higher in elevation and are limited due to roadless designation and limited access. Big game hunting and motorized recreation are very popular in this area, with SR-153 being a major corridor from Piute County to the high country and the Paiute ATV trail. A motorized travel plan for the Forest is in existence along with the permitted livestock use in the area following the parameters and guidelines as outlined in the Fishlake NF Forest Plan for sustainable uses of the resources in this area. Other opportunities allow the public to benefit from harvesting fire wood, fence stays and cedar posts prior to the project being implemented. Increased recreational opportunities such as camping, and hiking will also be enjoyed in these areas. Piute County supports responsible public land recreation and tourism. The county views recreation and tourism as an additional economic opportunity. The county will also continue to support and work in partnership with agencies, entities, and interest groups to promote recreation and tourism. Participate as an active partner with public land management agencies to ensure that public land recreational resources are managed in ways that contribute to the protection of resources, the overall quality of life, and the recreational experience of county residents and visitors. With the removal of PJ, the amount of usable grasses and forbs in the and sagebrush is expected to increase significantly. With increased forage, ungulate distribution is expected to improve. Many areas that are currently unproductive due to overgrowth will soon become desirable for future uses by ungulates. Implementation of this project would eventually improve overall livestock performance (e.g. increased cow weights, increased calf crops, increased weaning weights, etc) and improve the economic stability of the permittees due to an increase in the quantity and quality of grasses and other herbaceous forage which are important to livestock grazing.