The purpose of the larger phased project is to improve forest health, forest resiliency through stand composition and structure, watershed resiliency and wildlife habitat at a landscape scale throughout the West Fork Bear River Watershed (36,509 acres) by regenerating aspen in conifer encroached stands, creating landscapes with multiple age classes of trees and reducing hazardous fuel loads resulting from the mountain pine beetle epidemic. Prescribed fire and mechanical and/or hand treatments will be used to move the landscape closer to properly functioning conditions (e.g. a mosaic of patch sizes, species composition and seral states), thus increasing resilience and reducing the risk of large, high intensity/severity fires and widespread insect and disease outbreaks. The project area has been significantly impacted by a recent mountain pine beetle epidemic that resulted in up to 90% mortality of lodgepole pine. Resulting downed or standing dead trees significantly increase surface fuel loads and severe wildfire risk. Prescribed fire and mechanical treatments will be used to reduce fuel loads to create conditions that allow for more fire management options in the event of a future uncharacteristic wildfire. Habitat resiliency and game forage availability are expected to increase with more diverse canopy cover and stand age structure resulting from these treatments.

1. Improve wildlife habitat, with particular focus on existing aspen stands.

2. Manage the risk of hazardous fuel accumulations to minimize the potential for large, high intensity/high severity wildfires adjacent to and within the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI).

3. Manage for future forestry practices, and current forest health concerns, by creating resiliency through means of managing stand composition and structure to create multiple age classes and species diversity.

4. Maintain or improve water quality and watershed functions.

A No-Action management alternative would result in continued decline of aspen in the project area. If the action is delayed, existing mixed aspen-conifer stands in the project area could cross a threshold where conifers further dominate, reducing the overall North Slope aspen population. Conifer competition in aspen leads to higher canopy closure and negatively impacts understory plant species richness and diversity. Soil moisture in this snow-dependent system may decrease as conifers increase because conifer canopy intercepts more precipitation before it reaches the forest floor, reducing groundwater infiltration and increasing evaporative loss. Aspen to conifer succession is a concern for the North Slope. Aspen are frequently clonal reproducers and adapted to disturbance such as fire to initiate sprouting. Aspen of this ecotype are more successful over the long term when fire intervals are short enough to suppress dense conifer growth and promote aspen regeneration. If timely disturbance is not reintroduced into existing mixed aspen-conifer stands, conifers will eventually outcompete shade-intolerant aspen. Likewise, wildfire with potential to severely damage stands, soils and seedbanks needed for regrowth is more likely to happen if no treatments are pursued. Finally and importantly, reduction in wildfire potential will provide additional protection for nearby WUI infrastructure, including two large summer cabin complexes and a recreation area owned by Hill Air Force Base.

1. 2003 Wasatch-Cache Forest Plan: - (Sub-goal 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.

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. (G3.1W-1)

- for the purposes of maintaining, improving or restoring terrestrial habitat, for hazardous fuel reduction, and to protect property in the wildland urban interface. (G3.2U-1)

- to mimic historic conditions and to restore ecosystem functioning. (G4.2-1)

Timber harvest, vegetation/fuels treatment, road construction, prescribed fire and wildland fire use are allowed:

- to mimic historic conditions and to restore ecosystem functioning as compatible with the backcountry recreation opportunity and natural setting desired. (G4.3-1)

- to maintain or improve forage production or for hazardous fuel reduction. (G6.2 -1)

Timber harvest, road construction, vegetation/fuel treatment, prescribed fire, new recreation development, and new trail construction are allowed for the purposes of providing public enjoyment, safety, and protection of site investments. (G4.5-1)

Use prescribed fire in wilderness only to meet wilderness management objectives. The objective of prescribed fire management in wilderness (FSM 2324.21) is to reduce, to an acceptable level, the risks and consequences of wildfire within wilderness or escaping from wilderness. (G37)

Prior to use of prescribed fire and wildland fire use, investments made for timber production, such as road systems and silvicultural improvements, and the value of the timber for wood production receive consideration. (G5.2-)

BR4 will help address UWC Forest Plan Objective 3.b., "stimulate aspen regeneration and reduce other encroaching woody species in aspen by treating (fire use and/or timber harvest) approximately 3,200 acres average annually for a 10- year total of 32,000 acres."

2. Wilderness Act 1964: -Section 4(d)(1) Within wilderness areas designated by this Act the use of aircraft or motorboats, where these uses have already become established, may be permitted to continue subject to such restrictions as the Secretary of Agriculture deems desirable. In addition, such measure may be taken as may be necessary in the control of fire, insects, and diseases, subject to such conditions as the Secretary deems desirable.

-Section 4(b) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, each agency administering any area designated as wilderness shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character of the area and shall so administer such area for such other purposes for which it may have been established as also to preserve its wilderness character. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, wilderness areas shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use.

3. Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan: -Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat in ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into aspen habitats.

-Seek opportunities through WRI to improve aspen communities that provide crucial summer habitat for mule deer.

-Encourage land managers to manage portions of aspen/conifer forest in early successional stages using various methods including timber harvest and managed fire.

-North Slope (Deer Mgmt Unit 8) is a habitat restoration priority area for mule deer in Utah.

4. Utah Statewide Elk Management Plan -Identify habitat projects on summer range (aspen communities) to improve calving habitat.

-Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat

-Encourage land managers to manage portions of forests in early successional stages through the use of controlled burning and logging. Controlled burning should only be used in areas with minimal invasive weed and/or safety concerns.

5. Utah Moose Statewide Management Plan: -Initiate prescribed burns and other vegetative treatment projects to improve moose habitat lost to ecological succession or human impacts.

6. Utah Bighorn Sheep Statewide Management Plan: -Encourage land management agencies to use fire as a management tool to improve bighorn sheep habitat. When possible allow fires that can have beneficial effects for bighorn sheep to burn.

-Initiate vegetative treatment projects to improve bighorn habitat lost to natural succession or human impacts.

7. Northern Goshawk of Utah: Habitat Assessment and Management Recommendations: -Early and mid-seral species should be increased using both mechanical means and fire.

-Policies should be adopted to manage for the production of large early seral species through clearings, thinnings, and weedings, using mechanical means or fire.

-Fire or mechanical treatments or both should be used to create conditions favorable to lodgepole pine and quaking aspen.

8. Guidelines for Aspen Regeneration on National Forests in Utah: - Much of the loss of aspen-dominated acreage is attributable to encroachment and overtopping by conifer. It has often been presumed that this encroachment i.e., the natural succession process for seral stands, is the result of fire suppression.

9. Utah Black Bear Management Plan: Successional replacement of aspen stands by conifers can significantly reduce bear-food production in aspen communities. Both fire and selective logging of conifers can be used to maintain aspen vigor.

10. UDWR Wildlife Action Plan: - 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.

- Increased disturbance from either prescribed or natural fire over a large treatment area helps distribute ungulate browse pressure. Mechanical disturbance can also be used to stimulate aspen regeneration and improve disease resilience. As with fire, larger mechanical treatment areas serve to distribute browsing pressure and reduce damage to individual stems, increasing regeneration success.

11. State of Utah Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy: Rather than just reducing fires, the ultimate goal is to return landscapes to a condition of health and resilience that allows for wildfires to burn without becoming catastrophic to either human or natural systems.

12. Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Colorado River Cutthroat Trout in the State of Utah: Natural climatic events such as flood, fire and drought may threaten specific populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT); Small, isolated populations are more susceptible to catastrophic loss and impacts from demographic stochasticity.

13. Bonneville cutthroat trout Rangewide Agreement and Conservation Strategy - State of Utah. The Bear River GMU: There are 10 stronghold populations and 5 metapopulations within the GMU. Conservation strategies of "Protect" (28% of habitat), "Restore Population" (27% of habitat), and "Restore Habitat" (32% of habitat) were identified as primary needs for the GMU using Trout Unlimited's CSI. GMU Goal 1: Maintain all populations within GMU

14. Utah Forest Action Plan 2020: Use all available management tools, including forest industry, to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems. Utah's forested resources are used to meet public needs while being appropriately managed to provide sustainability for future generations.

15. Manorlands Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2013 Goal 3 Action 1 Decrease available fuels

Action 1- Decrease available fuels

- Remove dead and insect infested trees and spray non-infested trees.

Action 3 - Implement fuel modification projects on private land

16. Uintalands Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2004 Goal A - Decrease fuels to reduce wildfire intensity and impact in and around the community.

Past use of prescribed fire on the North Slope has been very limited and most wildfires have been suppressed. The last large-scale fire was the East Fork Fire near Bear River which burned 14,200 ac in June 2002. The majority of the project is within fire regime IV (35-100+ years) and V (> 200 years) with a condition class of 2. One of the objectives of this project is to manage hazardous fuel loading, continuity of hazardous fuels, and to minimize the potential for large, high intensity/high severity wildfires. According to fire statistics, the number of large fires across the West appears to be increasing since 1980. This project will help the North Slope move to historically functioning conditions (composition, stand structure, age classes, and patch size). It will promote aspen regeneration and recruitment and reduce conifer encroachment. Aspen stands typically have less volatile fuels and higher soil and vegetative moisture than dense conifer, able to act as 'green fuel breaks' at moderate fire intensity thresholds. Fuel loads will be reduced and aspen regeneration will occur within the proposed project area, which would help protect Uinta, Manor lands and Monviso subdivisions in the event of a catastrophic wildfire.

Runoff and erosion rates associated with high intensity/severity wildfires are much higher than those associated with prescribed burns. After severe and intense wildfires, soils become hydrophobic, increasing runoff and decreasing the soil moisture content in the ecosystem. Runoff negatively impacts water quality by introducing large quantities of erosive sediment, ashes and other chemical contaminants into the river system. Intense/severe wildfires can cause riparian areas to be denuded of vegetation, increase water temperature, decrease dissolved oxygen, and lead to eutrophication and poisoning of aquatic organisms. Forest managers can mitigate wildfire effects on water quality by using prescribed fire and mechanical tools to reduce hazardous fuel loads. The project area encompasses several ecological communities; lodgepole, aspen, aspen-conifer, spruce-fir, Douglas fir, and the tributaries that flow through these forest communities. By implementing these treatments the Bear River and its tributaries would be better protected against catastrophic wildfire effects.

Archaeology clearances on Federal lands were completed during phase I of the project in FY 21. SHPO has concurred with the project. Consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been completed and concurrence letter received. NEPA completed December 2020. For FY24 Archaeology will be needed for mechanical treatment on private lands consisting of 84 acres.

Phase 4 will consist of hand cut and pile starting where the phase 3 project ended along the North Slope Road up until the Mill Creek Road breakoff, mastication near the Lost Dog Drainage and cut and deck on forest land along the Whitney Road, it will also include archeological clearances for mechanical cut and deck on private land. The Mule Deer Foundation will provide a Project Manager for oversight of contract implementation.

Pre-treatment of photo plots have been performed by Forest Service employees. Planned post-treatment monitoring will occur 1, 3, and 5 years after treatment. Monitoring data will be uploaded to the UWRI website for public access.

The Mule Deer Foundation will conduct the bulk of contracting & project oversight, including unit layout, proposals and in-field adjustments and compliance. UWC staff have the lead on compliance and forest management direction from multiple programs. UDWR will be an integral part of this project through WRI and advice and collaboration on areas to target for big game habitat improvements. District staff will work with permittees to ensure safety of livestock. Forestry, Fire and State Lands will be working with private landowners adjacent to Federal Lands for work carried out in Phase 4.

This proposal is Phase 4 of multiple phases that will continue to implement project restoration efforts. Phases will likely include more mechanical treatments such as lop and scatter, cut and pile, as well as prescribed burns. Follow-up treatments may be pursued if initial treatments are deemed unsuccessful. Invasive and noxious weeds may be treated where appropriate and allowable. Opportunities for in-stream, riparian and wet meadow restoration treatments will be sought to improve local hydrology and water quality. Usage categories within the project area are not expected to change over the long-term; public access, motorized and non-motorized use, timber and grazing opportunities and other current uses should not be negatively affected. Recreationalists should find easier access once the standing dead and down component is decreased and long term benefits should be realized as fish, big and small game populations respond to improved habitat availability.

Post-treatment conditions would promote wildlife forage availability, decrease impediments to wildlife movement and human travel, increase available surface water and soil moisture, and produce more productive stands with greater aspen cover.

The broad goal is to create forest conditions that are resilient to common disturbances across multiple private ownerships and the UWC National Forest. The BR4 phase of the project will directly impact over 650 acres through the combined resources of WRI funding and partner contributions.

Bear River Resilience Phase 4 addresses multiple resource concerns while providing mutual benefits. It integrates complementary priority issues of multiple management plans while dovetailing and supporting several existing WRI projects, which are a collaboration of UDWR, USFS, MDF, UFFSL, and private landowners. The Bear River Watershed Priority Area will be significantly improved by the reduction in hazardous fuels, increased aspen regeneration, improved watershed function, improved fish and wildlife habitat, and decreased fire risk that will result from this project's treatments.