Mechanical Shrub Transplanter
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Project ID: 6115
Status: Completed
Fiscal Year: 2023
Submitted By:
719
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Project Manager: Danny Summers
PM Agency: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
PM Office: Salt Lake Office
Lead: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
WRI Region: Salt Lake Office
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Description:
Purchase a power harrow to modify to drill holes for planting projects with volunteers. This will increase the efficiency of planting.
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Location:
Statewide
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Project Need
Need For Project:
Restoring sagebrush ecosystems after fire disturbance or as part of habitat improvement projects is a recurring and vast undertaking in the intermountain region. In a variety of circumstances, we have been unsuccessful in establishing sagebrush communities via direct seeding. In these cases, we look to an alternate option of establishing sagebrush through transplanting sagebrush plants. Annually hundreds of thousands of sagebrush seedlings are grown and hand planted in the intermountain region with reasonable survival success. Challenging aspects of transplanting and areas where improvements may realize benefits include limited labor availability, planting inconsistency, high per plant planting costs and small individual project volume.
Objectives:
By mechanizing the planting process, we hope to increase survival success by improved planting consistency, reduced transplanting costs, and speed the planting process to coincide with optimal conditions. We anticipate these successes will foster larger scale and recurring transplanting projects that will build a stable nursery industry. In the future, we envision automated wildland transplanters to be as commonly used as rangeland drills.
Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?):
None. Development process will require no risks.
Relation To Management Plan:
None. Once developed it is anticipated this equipment will assist with habitat restoration projects.
Fire / Fuels:
None. Once developed it is anticipated this equipment will assist with habitat restoration projects including fuels reduction projects.
Water Quality/Quantity:
None. Once developed it is anticipated this equipment will assist with habitat restoration projects that will improve water quality.
Compliance:
No ground disturbance at this time. Any testing of equipment will occur on projects with all necessary compliance.
Methods:
Purchase a power harrow to modify. Power harrows are similar to tillers, but with vertical blades rather than horizontal. The blades will be removed and modified to drill holes where plants can be placed.
Monitoring:
The equipment will be thoroughly tested and monitored to determine uses and success. Once designed and fabricated the equipment will be monitored on multiple projects for multiple years.
Partners:
Scott Jensen, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station
Sportrsmen for Fish and Wildlife
Future Management:
Once developed, it is anticipated that this equipment will influence numerous projects.
Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources:
Once developed, it is anticipated that this equipment will provide a valuable tool to restore and maintain natural resources.
| Budget | WRI/DWR | Other | Budget Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Item | Description | WRI | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment Purchase | Purshase power harrow and components for modifying it. | $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2023 |
| Funding | WRI/DWR | Other | Funding Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Source | Phase | Description | Amount | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sportsman for Fish & Wildlife (SFW) | S027 | $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2023 |
Species
| Species | "N" Rank | HIG/F Rank |
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Habitats
| Habitat | ||||
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| Lowland Sagebrush | ||||
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| Lowland Sagebrush | ||||
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| Mountain Sagebrush | ||||
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| Mountain Sagebrush | ||||
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| Mountain Sagebrush | ||||
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Project Comments
| Comment | 08/11/2023 | Type: 3 | Commenter: Alison Whittaker |
| Did Jesse use a function code when he was working on this project so we can capture his contribution towards the equipment? | |||
| Comment | 08/14/2023 | Type: 3 | Commenter: Kevin Gunnell |
| That was my oversight. I just had Jesse and Ron charge to our typical equipment coding because there was no PS funded in the project. Should have thought about the in-kind, sorry. We estimate they spent ~150 hrs total (2 employee's x 75 hrs each) on building the transplanter. | |||
Completion
Start Date:
01/11/2023
End Date:
06/30/2023
FY Implemented:
2023
Final Methods:
A power harrow was purchased and modified for transplanting.
Project Narrative:
State purchasing was used to purchase a power harrow in January 2023. Additional parts and metal were purchase to modify the harrow to create holes to assist with transplanting. A plate and hydraulic motor were also designed and fabricated to allow the new transplanting machine to be mounted and used on a Bobcat skid-steer to allow for use in more rugged terrain.
Future Management:
This equipment will be tested and improved as it is used on future projects.
Map Features
N/A
Project Map
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