The project goal is to improve the overall health of the Big Cottonwood Canyon watershed including riparian, stream, wetlands, and upland sites. To accomplish our landscape-scale goal, we have relied on coordination and planning between many stakeholders including landowners, government entities, and non-profit organizations. For over 100 years, the watershed has been degraded do to wildfire suppression, diseases and insect infestations, livestock overgrazing, overharvesting of timber and noxious weed promulgation. Restoration work is needed to return the watershed to more resilient ecological function. In addition to improving watershed health, the project area serves as an important destination for recreation in the region (e.g., skiing, hiking, fishing, camping, and hunting). A large part of the area's economy is driven by recreation and protecting this watershed will help preserve those sustainable uses. One hundred years of successful fire suppression has resulted in an accumulation of dead fuels on the ground raising the likelihood that in the instance of a wildfire, the effects would have prolonged negative effects to the watershed. This is concerning for residences of the town of brighton and all the other satelight comunities. The cost associated with property damage could be extreme, not to mention the potential risk to the lives of residents and firefighters. Additionally, the long-term effects from a catastrophic wildfire would have downstream consequences to water users in the Salt Lake Valley, as well as the associated infrastructure costs to reduce erosion, maintain potable water, and make the area safe again for recreators could be prohibitive. Efforts are needed to reduce fuel loads, build fire breaks, and create defensible space. This project will work to address and minimize these threats. Insect infestations from beetles and the non-native insect balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) in the conifers are of great concern, and the older age class of the watershed makes it more susceptible to these infestations. Removing mature and dying trees will improve the forest's resilience to insect infestations, while also mitigating wildfire risk. The aspen in this watershed are also beginning to die from disease, insect infestations, and are being out-competed by conifer trees. This project will work to improve the health of aspen components by thinning conifers stands, thereby improving wildlife habitat.

The project goal is to improve the watershed health in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The project has multiple objectives designed to address all of the Watershed Restoration Initiative's priorities and the National Fireshed Priority Ladscapes through a Shared Stewardship approach. 1. Protect the lives of residents and firefighters from catastrophic wildfire 2. Reduce fire risk to communities and infrastructure and reduce costs of post fire rehabilitation. 3. Improve forest health. 4. Reduce and eradicate noxious weeds from the watershed. 5. Improve fish and wildlife habitat, especially for boreal (western) toad and Bonneville cutthroat trout. 6. Improve water quality and increase water quantity 7. Address threats to species identified in the Wildlife Action Plan. 8. Addresses specific objectives identified in local, state, and federal resource management plans. 9. Increase forage for wildlife. 10. Increase and protect recreational opportunities such as skiing, hiking, fishing, and others.

By delaying this project, we risk crossing ecological thresholds that will take millions of dollars and decades for the ecosystem to recover. 1. The project area is one of the most at-risk areas in Utah for catastrophic wildfire that threatens human life and infrastructure. The forest condition is nearing an ecological threshold that makes it highly vulnerable to catastrophic fire. Every year that we do not treat the vegetation in the project area the threat and risk increase. 2. Catastrophic wildfire will damage the water quality in the watershed. The damage to streams (i.e., mudflows and sediment loading) would result in lost aquatic habitat and crucial Bonneville cutthroat populations. The damage to aquatic habitat would be severe, and for the Bonneville cutthroat trout, represent crossing an ecological threshold they could not recover from naturally. Previous efforts made by the Division of Wildlife Resources and sportsman's groups to improve trout habitat and populations are at risk. 3. Many wildlife species rely on healthy forests. The loss of habitat from catastrophic wildfire poses a major threat and risk and may lead to decreases in wildlife populations. While Recovering wildlife habitat under current conditions is difficult, but after a large wildfire would be even more prohibitive. 4. Managing noxious weed species (e.g., garlic mustard and myrtle spurge) before they have reached an ecological threshold and out-compete native vegetation is essential to maintain ecosystem function. Once noxious weeds have reached an ecological threshold, control may be impossible. 5. The threat and risk of post-wildfire debris flows in Big Cottonwood Canyon is significant. The cost of debris flows can result in major damage (i.e., millions of dollars) to Hwy 190, other roadways, utility corridor and infrastructure. 6. The streams in the project area are moderately degraded and are becoming more incised and losing riparian vegetation. Once these ecological thresholds are crossed in degraded streams, low-tech-process-based restoration cannot be effectively used to restore ecological function of streams. Healthy streams via riparian buffers often mitigate wildfire threat and risk, and can reduce the threat of a large fire occurring.

This project complies with guidance and addresses objectives outlined in the following management plans: 1. The Boreal Toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) Conservation Plan (Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 2005) 3.1 Fire Management. 3.1.1 Protect habitats in forest stands adjacent to and within 2.5 miles of breeding sites. 3.1.2 Restrict burns to late fall through early spring during which time boreal toads are inactive in known occupied areas. 3.1.3 Determine impacts of fire through monitoring of known breeding sites. 3.2 Habitat Fragmentation. 3.2.1 Prevent further habitat fragmentation of breeding populations. 3.2.1.a Identify and preserve dispersal corridors. 3.2.1.b Identify and preserve metapopulation structure. 3.2.2. Restore historic dispersal corridors where possible. 3.2.2.a Identify where migration and gene flow among occupied habitats should be facilitated. 32 3.2.2.b Improve habitat conditions in degraded dispersal corridors where appropriate 3.3.1.c Minimize depletion of boreal toad prey base. 3.3.1.d Minimize degradation of bank conditions. 3.3.1.e Minimize degradation of water quality. 3.3.1.f Minimize depletion of emergent and riparian vegetation. 3.9.2 Minimize habitat loss and degradation associated with water management. 3.9.2.a Minimize stream channelization. 3.9.3 Create, restore, and maintain new habitats through water management. 3.9.3.a Create shallow shoreline margins in new impoundments. 3.9.3.b Deepen impoundments to maintain sufficient water levels through metamorphosis. 3.9.3.c Create new wetlands according to boreal toad breeding habitat requirements. 2. Deer Herd Unit 17a Management Plan 1. Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the unit by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts. 2. Seek cooperative projects to improve the quality and quantity of deer habitat. 3. Provide improved habitat security and escapement opportunities for deer Future habitat work should be concentrated on the following areas.: 4. Quaking aspen forests unit wide. We will be working in the quaking aspen stands to reduce conifer competition. 5. Anywhere along the front that would avert deer from entering cities. By improving the habitat condition up higher in the canyon we will hopefully keep deer from going down into the city. 3. Wildlife Action Plan 1. Under the threats, data gaps, and action section of the plan it identifies a list of Essential Conservation Actions. It states the need to restore and improve degraded wildlife habitats. species and others. 2. The habitat type that this project is located in as identified in the WAP is the aquatic scrub/shrub type, forested aquatics, and riverine. We will be improving the habitat in this key habitat and addressing the threats to this habitat type. 3. The plan identifies sediment transport imbalance as a medium threat to this habitat type and this project will help to reduce sediment transport by stabilizing the banks with vegetation and rocks. 4.It identifies channel down-cutting as a high threat and this project will help to remove the channels in the stream and make a more subtle gradient. This project will raise the water levels to restore the floodplain and reduce this channel down-cutting. 5. The plan mentions a management strategy that this project addresses to help improve this habitat type through 1.( restoring more natural water and sediment flow regimes) WAP Ch. 7-1; Mountain Riparian Habitat, criteria and score totals (ch. 7-8) 3rd highest priority statewide. Ch. 6-15; Western Toad; threat - 4. Statewide Moose Management Plan 1. Population Management Goal: Achieve optimum populations of moose in all suitable habitat within the state. 2. Habitat Management Goal: Assure sufficient habitat is available to sustain healthy and productive moose populations. 3. Recreation Goal: Provide high-quality opportunities for hunting and viewing of moose. 5. Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan Habitat Objective1: 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. 6. Statewide Elk Managment 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. 7. Salt Lake County Integrated Watershed Management Plan 1. Identifies stream restoration as a priority implementation task Pg. 10 This project through the BDA work will help to achieve this task. 2. It identifies Parley's Creek as a priority watershed. 3. The plan identifies improving habitat as a priority. Pg 80 8. Big Cottonwood Creek Management Plan 1. Pg.15 Goal: Improve Riparian Habitat through Control of Invasive Plant Species and Restoration of Native Plant Communities 2. Action: Initiate invasive plant removal/control efforts in city-owned riparian corridor areas, beginning upstream and working downstream, utilizing an integrated weed control strategy. 9. Salt Lake or UFA County Code: SOMETHING LIKE (A) (A): Fire Protection Fuel Breaks/Vegetation Manipulation: Hazardous fuels in the form of native vegetation will be cleared around structures and around the perimeter of the development to assist in wildfire prevention measures. This fuel break is not intended as a complete vegetation clearing firebreak. 10. Summit County General Plan: Goals: (1) Preservation of open space, view corridors and scenic mountainsides, (2) preservation of Critical Lands (as defined in Section 10-4-3 of the Code) natural resources and the environment, including clean air and water. Community Vision: (1) Open Space, (2) Recreation, (4) Wildlife, (6) Critical Land Protection, (7) Water Conservation and (11) Natural Resource Preservation. Policy 5.22: Wildfire Management. Policy 5.23: Wildlife 11. Utah Administrative Code R68-9 (Utah's Noxious Weed Act): Utah Noxious Weed Act and the Summit County Code, Title 4, Chapter 4. The Act states that local governments are directed to take the necessary steps to manage the noxious weeds within their jurisdiction and provides specific authorization for local enforcement. 12. Utah Forest Action Plan 2016: Distribute materials to community members, individual landowners, public officials, interagency partners and media for further dissemination and outreach. Increase participation in state and national programs including Utah Living with Fire, Ready, Set, Go!, Firewise USA and Fire-Adaptive Communities. Use all available management tools, including forest industry, to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems. 13. Treatments lie within Central Region UPCD/UWRI focus areas. 14. UDWR Strategic Management Plan Objective R2 Maintain existing wildlife habitat and increase the quality of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state. Objective R4 Decrease risks to species and their habitats through integrated implementation of the WAP, Objective C6 Increase hunting and fishing opportunities 15. Utah Shared Stewardship Agreement (May 2019) - Project is within Shared Stewardship priority areas. Meets objectives to reduce hazardous fuels. Forest Wide Goal Wasatch Cache NF 1. Watershed Health Maintain and/or restore overall watershed health (proper functioning of physical, biological and chemical conditions). Provide for long-term soil productivity. Watershed health should be addressed across administrative and political boundaries. Sub Goal's 2b, 2i. Objective to Desired condition 3.b, 3.c. 2. Biodiversity & Viability Provide for sustained diversity of species at the genetic, populations, community and ecosystem levels. Maintain communities within their historic range of variation that sustains habitats for viable populations of species. Restore or maintain hydrologic functions. Reduce potential for uncharacteristic high-intensity wildfires, and insect epidemics. To achieve sustainable ecosystems, meet properly functioning condition (PFC) criteria for all vegetation types that occur in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Focus on approximating natural disturbances and processes by restoring composition, age class diversity, patch sizes, and patterns for all vegetation types. Sub Goal's 3.d, 3e, 3n, 3s. Objective to Desired condition 3.b, 3.c. 3. Fire and Fuels Management Wildland fire use and prescribed fire provide for ecosystem maintenance and restoration consistent with land uses and historic fire regimes. Fire suppression provides for public and firefighter safety and protection of other federal, state and private property and natural resources. Fuels are managed to reduce risk of property damage and uncharacteristic fires. Sub Goal's 4a,4d. Objective to Desired Condition 4.a.

The combination of an essential watershed, high recreation use, and a high to extreme wildfire risk rating according to UWRAP designated Big Cottonwood Canyon a priority area for WRI and the Shared Stewardship program. In these high priority areas, fire has been suppressed to such a degree, the resulting stand dynamics is dominated by disease and insect infestation full of dead and down and dying conifers that are prone to catastrophic wildfires This is extremely concerning for people who live in communities in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Town of Brighton, and satelight communites. Hwy. 190 along with utility corridor provide access to and from Salt Lake City during summer months and coincides with the eastern boundary of the project. Billions of dollars in commerce, infrastructure, and private property damage could occur. In the instance of a wildfire, both public and firefighter lives would be at risk. This project will begin the process of thinning the forest and reducing the fuel loads in order to reduce the fire danger and make it safer for fire fighters, communities and commerce to occur or pass through the project area. This project will also pave the way for future fire risk reduction efforts including possibly controlled burns through the USFS. The BDAs and stream restoration will also help increase riparian wet areas and green vegetation which will act as green strips or fire breaks to slow and stop catastrophic fire spread.

There is evidence that healthy riparian corridors can serve to halt the spread of wildfires. In-tact, healthy riparian corridors are more resilient to wildfires because riparian vegetation such as willows and cottonwoods thrive after disturbance. In-tact root systems in riparian corridors stabilize streambanks and are more resilient to flooding (i.e., down-cutting and incision), if and when post-fire rains erode into waterways. Conversely, degraded riparian corridors are not resilient to wildfire; they will require extensive efforts to restore vegetation and hydrologic function (i.e., deep incision and down-cutting). Riparian habitats can be resilient to wildfire and generally do not require extensive restoration (Halofsky and Hibbs 2009). A dense stand of degraded vegetation along a streambank could result in high fire severity burning, severely impacting the ability for natural recovery.

The first phase of this project will fund the surveys on USFS lands and supported compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Forest Management The project includes lop and scatter, cut, pile, and burning of dead or dying conifer in strategic areas that have been impacted by infestation and disease, mostly targeting species in areas of high use or travel corridors. Most of these activities will be done on USFS lands. Weed Control Best management practices for garlic mustard include an integrated pest management strategy of both chemical and manual control, combined with active monitoring, and persistent surveillance. Plants are self-pollinating and germinate throughout the growing season, therefore requiring constant monitoring and at least two chemical applications per season, with manual control of bolted flowering plants prior to seeding. Chemical applications to rosettes include a mix of metsulfuron and 2,4-D, and should be applied in both the spring and fall. Best management practices for myrtle spurge include both manual removal and chemical control in the early spring prior to seed dispersal. In areas where plants are growing on steep slopes and where manual removal could increase erosion, chemical control is preferred using a mix of 2,4-D and dicamba with a surfactant. If the plants can be removed manually with limited disturbance to soils, best management practices include removing at least four inches of the root with care not to get the sap in the eyes or on skin. Manual removal will be a preferred form of management, given that myrtle spurge if often found growing under, around, and interspersed with scrub oak and other native plants. Additionally, removal of burdock will be a goal, and will be performed with contractors to spray with herbicide. Low-tech, Process-based Stream Restoration Low-tech structures (i.e., beaver dam analogs and post-assisted log-structures) will be constructed using the methods described in Low-tech, Process-based Restoration of Riverscapes (Wheaton et al. 2019). Untreated wooden fence posts approximately 3-4" in diameter will be used in construction. Posts will be driven into the stream bed with a gas or hydraulic post pounder. The posts will extend approximately one meter above the channel bed and be spaced approximately 0.5 - 0.8 meters apart, and driven to a depth of approximately one meter into the streambed. Then, native vegetation, rocks, and mud will be weaved between the posts to create a structure that will resemble a beaver dam. The structure will slow water flow, but allow fish to pass through. The structures will be placed 10-30 meters apart within the stream reaches. After a year the health of the stream will be evaluated, and future actions can be planned. Additionally, willows or other native plants may be planted at the restoration sites to improve the establishment of riparian vegetation.

Monitoring of the treatments and expectations will be in a future proposal. A colloborative effort by goverment and for, non profit agencys is expected.

USDA Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources (DWR),Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL) Wasatch Front Area (WFA),Unified Fire Authority (UFA), Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City Public Utilites, the town of Brighton and multipule HOA's.

This project is part of a multi-year effort to improve watershed health. We will continue to monitor the outcomes of this project in the long-term to evaluate results and inform future management. We will continue to monitor Noxious Weeds, insect infestations, and the success of stream restoration efforts to reach objectives and will make any future repairs or adjustments as needed to ensure their success. The Forest Service will follow the understory treatments with an overstory treatment of dead and dying conifers, once piles from the understory treatments are burned. The Forest Service is also building future areas of lop and scatter work. USFS will continue to work with the UDWR to build upon these improvements to benefit the habitat and reduce fire intensity in this area. There may be further work to introduce boreal toads as well as other native species in future initiatives depending on the results of surveys and the overall effectiveness of planned actions.

This project will improve many sustainable uses of the area. As outlined in the description of what sustainable uses are it also identifies recreation as a sustainable use. This project will greatly benefit recreational uses such as hunting and fishing by increasing opportunity for these activities. It will also benefit the experience that mountain bikers, hikers, snowshoers, cross country and downhill skiers will have by ensuring its resiliency to fire, infestation and disease. The overall experience will be improved beyond it simply remaining accessible. There will be an increase in forage availability by reducing the canopy cover and allowing more light to enter the forest floor. Additionally, BDAs will increase forage and disperse water. This project will also combat garlic mustard from spreading and reducing forage quality. This will largely be a grazing benefit for wildlife since most of the project area is in a protected watershed where livestock grazing is not allowed. A large part of Utah's economy is driven by this recreation, and protecting this watershed will help preserve those sustainable uses and continue to support the economy.

10/10/2023

07/31/2024

2025

The Salt Lake Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is planning to conduct future fuels management for reducing risk of catastrophic wildland fires and improving wildlife habitat in the Big Cottonwood Canyon project area (hereafter Project Area). HWA Wildlife Consulting, LLC (HWA) was contracted to aid in identifying areas where threatened, endangered, or sensitive (TES) plant species may occur within the Project Area to inform the crews on where treatment areas should be avoided in effort to protect sensitive plant species. Activities were planned to start during the winter of 2023/2024 and 2024/2025. In fall of 2023, HWA conducted desktop analyses and ground truthing of habitat for the list of TES plant species that was provided by the US Forest Service (USFS). Please see the 2023 summary report found in Appendix A in the documents section. Surveys to identify presence/absence of TES plant species occurred in summer of 2024. According to the USFS, 13 TES plant species have the potential to occur within the Project Area (Appendix A). Surveys in 2024 focused on surveying for these 13 TES plant species during the bloom period. During 2024, ground surveys were scheduled to occur within potential habitat for the 13 TES species prior to the June 15, 2024 end date stated in the scope of work. In order to conduct ground surveys and prepare a report prior to the end date, we scheduled surveys as late in May as possible. We attempted to conduct rare plant surveys from May 27 to June 7, 2024, however upon arrival at the field site, conditions were not adequate for rare plant surveys. Due to the snow conditions at the site and the timing for phenology of the plants (very limited amount of plants available due to wet and cold conditions), we worked with the USFS to postpone surveys. USFS approved postponing surveys until early July, when conditions would be adequate and plant species would be in bloom. Due to the limited budget remaining following the May survey, we worked with the USFS to identify priority areas for rare plant surveys in July. From this discussion, we learned that USFS activities would not occur within 25 feet of any wet area and therefore placed a 25-foot buffer on any water feature found within the project area. We added this wet area avoidance buffer to the non-habitat polygons created from the 2023 surveys. Furthermore, we were provided with a polygon shapefile, Wasatch Front Watershed Restoration LS WRI 2025, that contained features for lop scatter activities, which was a priority for the USFS. We used these polygons to focus field surveys in July. Following surveys within these polygons, we focused surveys within potential habitat areas within the features the USFS plans for treatment piling (Figure 1). Steep areas such as talus slopes or cliffs were not surveyed since these areas were not planned for USFS fuels management activities. Results- While ground truthing and visiting known rare plant locations, we opportunistically documented 3 Utah state listed noxious weeds. We located 11 locations of noxious weeds that included myrtle spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites), leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), and houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale) (Figure 1). Leafy spurge is a class 2 noxious weed, which is considered a species for high priority for control. Houndstongue is a class 3 noxious weed, which is focused on containment. Myrtle spurge is considered a class 4 noxious weed, which is prohibited. The locations of the leafy spurge and houndstongue were found near campgrounds in areas that were highly disturbed. The locations of myrtle spurge were found near a housing development alongside the access road. During July 8-13, 2024, the two priority areas were surveyed for TES plant species. Areas slated for lop and scatter and treatment piling by USFS were searched for rare plants. Ground crews focused efforts within the best suitable habitat during surveys, spending more time in high likelihood habitats. No rare plants were found within the lop and scatter or the treatment piling polygons. We do note that we found a site with slender draba (Draba albertina), which is quite similar to the rare plant, Wasatch draba (Draba brachystylis). We collected specimens and documented the location of the slender draba plants (Figure 1). The location was found among mixed aspen/conifer along the Silver Fork trail adjacent to the Silver Fork stream (UTM Zone 12: 44966660N, 447667E). Plants were found in shaded, moist sandy soils at the bottom of a rocky slope. Associated plants included rose (Rosa sp.), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum), and Fendler's meadowrue (Thalictrum fendleri).

The Salt Lake Ranger District of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is planning to conduct future fuels management for reducing risk of catastrophic wildland fires and improving wildlife habitat in the Big Cottonwood Canyon project area (hereafter Project Area). The purpose of this project was to fund the botanical surveys to help complete the NEPA process so that fuels treatments could be conducted sooner.

Since this project was completed, it helped with the NEPA permitting process. Cut and pile and lop and scatter treatments will begin in Big Cottonwood Canyon mush faster than otherwise would have happened. Treatments will likely begin in the spring or fall of 2026.