Conifer tree species are advancing into sagebrush and mountain browse vegetation communities located on Forest Service land in the West-Northwest area of the Flaming Gorge District. Conifer displacement of these vegetation types impacts habitat type and structure for wildlife, alters watershed stability, increases wildland fire impacts, and decreases vegetation and wildlife species diversity. The results of conifer encroachment increases threats to native understory species, diminishes ecosystem function and resiliency, and diminishes brush-dependent wildlife species. Because of this shift in vegetation and the resulting ecosystem and increased wildland fire risks, there is a need to address this problem through removal of advancing conifer. This project will promote wildlife habitat values, native vegetation understory diversity, protect watershed values, minimize negative impacts of potential wildland fire intensity, and limit subsequent potential invasive vegetative species establishment and expansion. This project includes areas that are crucial yearlong bighorn sheep habitat, crucial elk winter habitat, crucial mule deer winter habitat, and crucial yearlong pronghorn habitat.

The objective of this project is to maintain bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk and pronghorn habitat values and also reduce hazardous fuels accumulation across 2,047 acres (Phase 3) and survey for cultural resources on 2,300 acres (Phase 5) as part of a larger multi-phased project (ten phases total). Specific Objectives: 1. Remove regrowth as a maintenance project before the expansion reaches a threshold where more intense restoration would be needed in the project area. 2. Decrease the present stems per acre to zero or near zero stems/acre (anything > 11 dbh will remain). 3. Maintain understory vegetation and sagebrush. 4. Maintain bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk winter and breeding habitats. 5. Reduce and minimize the increase in hazardous fuels to diminish the potential for a larger catastrophic fire event.

f the conifers continue to increase in cover and density, there is a substantial risk in diminishing the understory vegetation and browse which will ultimately affect bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer and elk that use the area as breeding and wintering habitat. When conifer (i.e., pinyon and juniper) reaches 40-50% cover, a threshold is crossed where understory grasses and forbs may not rebound (Chambers 2008). As the conifer cover increases, encroachment prevention turns into restoration which can lead to a substantial increase in cost to maintain the project area. It has been shown that when pinyon and juniper (PJ) cover increase overtime from phase I to phase III, forage AUMS can decrease by 60% which negatively affects both livestock and wildlife (McLain 2012, University of Idaho). The potential for more extreme fires will intensify as the density and cover of the conifer expansion increases, by reducing the hazardous fuel load we will be reducing the possibility for larger scale fire events. As Phase I conifer growth transitions into Phase II the fuel loads double and from Phase II to Phase III the fuel loads double again, thus risk of more intense fires exponentially increases as conifer cover increases. An extreme fire event could lead to a loss of crucial sagebrush habitat/understory vegetation and the potential for a noxious weed infestation. It would benefit the federal government to address the expansion now when the cost is minimal and the benefits are nearly immediate, versus a restoration scenario in the future where the cost to restore the habitat would be extremely high and the time to restore the habitat would increase exponentially. The following threats have been identified in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan: --Inappropriate Fire Frequency and Intensity: if left untreated this area will be more prone to a large-scale catastrophic fire event that would seriously impact the plant community and the species that live there, as well as soil and water resources. --Problematic Plant Species-Native Upland: The tree density has grown to the point that cover of shrub species is being or will soon be lost. This project will mimic the natural disturbance of a fire, allowing for new growth of shrub species while creating firebreaks that will help protect surrounding conifer areas. The potential for more extreme fires will intensify as the density and cover of the conifer increases, by reducing the hazardous fuel load we will be reducing the possibility for larger scale fire events. An extreme fire event could lead to a loss of crucial habitat and understory vegetation and the potential for a noxious weed infestation.

Project goals in relation to applicable management plans: Ashley National Forest- Forest Plan for Land and Resource Management Plan: *Manage fish and wildlife habitat to maintain or improve diversity and productivity. *Develop and implement habitat management plans that will include key ecosystems and maintain habitat for supporting T&E or sensitive plants and animal species and management indicator species. Utah Bighorn Sheep Statewide Management Plan: *Objective: Maintain or improve sufficient bighorn sheep habitat to allow herds to reach population objectives. *Initiate vegetation treatment projects to improve bighorn habitat lost to natural succession or human impact. Utah Statewide Elk Management Plan: *Population Objective 1; Maintain healthy elk populations at biologically and socially sustainable levels. *Habitat Objective 1; Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. *Habitat Objective 1, Strategy B(a); Coordinate with land management agencies and private landowners to properly manage and improve elk habitat, especially calving and wintering areas. *Habitat Objective 1, Strategy C(a); Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan: Population Objective, Strategy C; Support all habitat objectives and strategies in this plan to protect and improve mule deer habitat including energy development mitigation in crucial mule deer habitat. Habitat Objective 2, Strategy D; Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that have been taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats, ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs and browse species. The Utah State Resource Management Plan: *The State promotes fuel breaks, thinning, chaining, prescribed fire and the selection of fire-resistant vegetation in green-stripping and burned areas. *The State will pursue opportunities to conduct and assist other partners with fuel reduction work including mechanical treatments and prescribed fire. *Support the use of mechanical or chemical means or fire to alter or perpetuate forests and increase herbaceous yield where timber harvest is impractical, or demand does not exist. *Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds. *Actively remove pinyon-juniper encroachment in other ecological sites due to its substantial consumption of water and its detrimental effect on sagebrush, other vegetation, and wildlife. *Protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state by 2025. Daggett County Resource Management Plan: To ensure public lands are managed for multiple use, sustained yield, and prevention of natural resource waste. Further, these lands should be managed to prevent loss of resources and private property from catastrophic events and to protect the safety and health of the public. Multiple-use and sustained-yield management means that federal agencies should develop and implement management plans and make other resource-use decisions that: are designed to produce and provide the desired vegetation for the watersheds, water supply, timber, food, fiber, livestock and wildlife forage, and minerals that are necessary to meet present needs and future economic growth, community expansion, without permanent impairment of the land.

There have been several large fires around and near the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Reducing the hazardous fuel arrangement, fuel height and fuel loading we will be reducing fire behavior; thus, reducing the possibility for larger scale fire events. With less fire behavior expected in the event of wildland fire event there are more tactics available and less aggressive tactics can be deployed. As conifer expands within sagebrush vegetation systems; diversity and composition of plant species decreases; thus, decreasing resistance and resilience to the vegetation system. Increasing the resistance and resilience to a vegetation system will benefit the system when a disturbance (including fire) occurs. A healthy vegetation system before a disturbance will result in a healthier recovery post disturbance. An extreme fire event could lead to a loss of crucial habitat/understory vegetation and the potential for noxious weed infestations. Values at Risk if a fire did occur: As identified by the Ashley National Forest and Region there are several structures that could be at risk within 1.5 miles of the proposed project areas if a fire were to occur. These values include: Recreation sites: Infrastructure Sites: Multiple fences, transmission lines, Structures: Wildlife Habitat: within 3.1 miles of an active greater sage grouse lek. A large fire could quickly take out a large portion of sagebrush habitat, which could be detrimental for that portion of the population. This project also includes areas that are identified by UDWR as crucial yearlong bighorn sheep habitat, crucial elk winter habitat, crucial mule deer winter habitat habitat.

Conifer can have a major impact on hydrology. The distribution and quantity of water that reaches the soil and other vegetation can be altered by the presence of conifer through many different avenues such as conifer canopy interception of precipitation, evapotranspiration, transpiration, and competition with understory vegetation for nutrients and water (Thurow and Hester 2015). This competition with understory vegetation can increase the amount of bare soil, which can lead to an increase in runoff, soil loss and erosion (Thurow and Hester 2015). Erosion can lead to a reduction in soil productivity and can also increase non-point source water pollution, thus having the potential to affect water quality within a watershed over time (Thurow and Hester 2015). By reducing the risk of large-scale fire, which would result in soil erosion and impacts to water quality, this project will help protect water quality in the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and associated streams. Also, as conifers are removed, more snow will be able to reach the ground. In addition, competition for water is reduced, freeing up resources for shrubs and forbs and may increase soil moisture.

NEPA has been completed on this project and for all ten phases of the project. Archeology has been completed for phase 3 of the project.

I am requesting funds to implement phase 3 of this larger scale, multi-phase project (2,047 acres) using the lop and scatter treatment method to accomplish this phase of the project and archeology surveys on phase 5 of the multi-phase project (2,300).

Photos plots will be established before and after the project is implemented. Monitoring of regrowth after the project is completed every 3 to 5 years will help determine whether follow-up treatments are needed for the project area. UDWR has trend monitoring sites in and near the project location, for trend monitoring over time and implements big game population monitoring in the project area. See Wildlife Tracker document for maps of bighorn and mule deer use of the area within and around the project area. In addition, Allen Huber the Ecologist at on the Ashley NF has xx monitoring sites in the Phase 3 polygon that he monitors at least every 5 years. Per the Wildlife Tracker data there is substantial use of the proposed project areas by both collared Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and mule deer. This project was designed to increase habitat values for big game especially bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk.

USFS and DWR biologists identified the areas for possible treatment and communicated through the NEPA process. The USFS conducted the archaeological clearance on Phase 1 and USFS personnel completed the NEPA for the project area. I am also requesting money through the USFS Shared Stewardship program which is a collaboration of many partners to improve forest health and resiliency across management jurisdictions. I am coordinating with SITLA (Ethan Hollows) to incorporate the SITLA lands that are adjacent to phases 3. These pieces will be looked at this summer and if warranted, incorporated into the implementation of phases 3. I will also verify if there is any private lands that could be incorporated into the project as well.

Monitoring of the project area will determine the need for follow-up treatments or project maintenance, possibly to include lop and scatter of missed trees or weed spraying. The majority of Phase 3 is within established grazing allotments. Grazing rotations/use will continue as per the grazing permits in those allotments.

It is anticipated that this project will increase forage available to wildlife and livestock. Improving habitat conditions and increasing forage for wildlife species will help maintain hunting opportunities in the Flaming Gorge Reservoir area. The Flaming Gorge Reservoir is intensively used by recreationalists. By reducing the risk of a catastrophic fire we reduce negative impacts on the use of the Gorge and the scenic views of the gorge for recreationalists. The project may increase wildlife viewing opportunities as well.

10/24/2024

11/23/2024

2025

Two, 12-man lop and scatter crews worked on the project using chainsaws on and off for about a month to complete the project. Trees that were greater than 11 DBH were left standing in the polygons. The total acreage that were cut was 2,047.

Lop and Scatter: The lop and scatter portion of the project began on Friday, October 24, 2024, and was completed on Saturday, November 23, 2024. There was a several week break in the middle of the project due to snow. I met with the crew at the onset of the project implementation and made sure they knew about the project area and what was expected. I spot checked the crew throughout the project duration and did a final evaluation on Saturday, November 23, 2024. The total acreage that were cut was 2,047. Archeological Surveys:

Regrowth of the trees will be monitored every 3-5 years. Several photo points are located within the project area polygon.