The cultural area has had previous hazardous fuel reduction treatments. The project area contains crucial winter and summer sagebrush habitat for mule deer and elk, and is within a GHMA for Greater sage-grouse as well as a SGMA. The proposed treatment is part of the larger design of a fuel break. The fuel break has been planned in an area where if there was a fire to occur the BLM would have more suppression tactics available to control the burn before crucial habitats are lost.

Goal for the project is to complete Class III surveys in areas where mowing, mastication and seeding treatments will occur. The objectives of the treatment is to maintain vegetation health through the management of fuel types, protecting existing habitat and reduce fire frequency by not allowing larger fires to convert the current vegetation to invasive species (cheatgrass).

The class III surveys are necessary to complete the process necessary to allow the BLM to complete the treatment. Without the surveys the mowing, mastication and seeding can not be completed. Cheatgrass is highly prolific and a competitive winter annual weed. Cheatgrass has a tendency to displace native vegetation quickly, which can cause a decrease in important habitat and quality forage for wildlife and livestock. When cheatgrass starts displacing native habitats, for example the sagebrush steppe, local economies and over 350 species of plants and animals that rely on the sagebrush for food, forage and shelter are negatively impacted. Fire and invasive plant species are one of the primary threats to greater sage-grouse and their habitats. Cheatgrass can affect fire regimes because of the continuity of the fine fuels it creates. The fire return intervals are shortened because of the fine fuels, which does not allow for complete recover of perennial vegetation before the next fire. The shortened fire return intervals allow the cheatgreass to outcompete native vegetation and spread rapidly, promoting lager and more frequent fires. Fire does destroy the cheatgrass plant, but usually does not harm the thousands of cheatgrass seeds in the soil, thus the cheatgrass seedbank outcompetes native plants and can destroy native ecosystems quickly. Due to the presence, and potential expansion, of cheatgrass in the project area, fire frequency and intensity is likely to increase, which would further damage the area and reduce its value for greater sage-grouse and other wildlife and livestock that utilize the area if the fuels reduction treatment is not implemented.

The Utah Elk Statewide Management Plan has the following applicable objectives and strategies: Habitat Objective 2, strategy d -- Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve elk habitat with emphasis on calving habitat and winter ranges. Habitat Objective 2, strategy h -- Emphasize improvement of upper elevation winter ranges to encourage elk to winter at higher elevation than mule deer. The Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan has the following applicable objectives and strategies: The Vernal RMP ROD directs that vegetation should be managed to attain an ecological stage that will benefit wildlife, livestock grazing, livestock use, and ensure high species diversity. The Green River District Vernal BLM Fire Management Plan aims to achieve a desired mix of seral stages for all major vegetative types. This project will help create diversity of vegetative types in the area. Utah Wildlife Action Plan identifies Mountain Shrub as a key habitat type as well as several threats to species that will benefit from this project. See the Threats/Risks section for details on how this project relates to the WAP. The Utah State Resource Management Plan has several applicable objectives and policies & guidelines: -- 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. State's sage-grouse plan as well as the BLM's ARMPA.

This project will reduce the fuels and help protect the area from invasive annual grass conversion. Similar projects have been completed in the area and have shown positive results. If left untreated these areas have a high probability of more intense and larger fires which would result in the area being converted to a mono-culture of invasive grass, which will increase fire frequency.

Low elevation fires have a high risk of invasive species cover increasing post-fire. The increase in annual grasses also increases the potential for more frequent fires. Fires may be more prominent and burn more often in low elevation sites that have been invaded with annual grasses, especially cheatgrass. By treating the area to reduce the fuels, and reducing the risk of increasing the cover of annual grasses, the risk of more frequent fires is decreased which will result in less soil erosion and impacts to water quality. The improvements would be at a local site scale .

An EA is being prepared to address impacts from the treatment methods (mowing/mastication/seeding). After the Class III surveys are completed, the BLM will complete all necessary consultations.

DNR will administer a contract for the Class III surveys.

Prior to treatment activities pre and post pictures will be taken.

GRD Fuels and DNR will partner for the project. DNR will administer the contract with the treatment planned for the beginning of September 2024. BLM will complete all necessary consultations and NEPA for the treatment. SITLA has been notified and supports the project.

After the treatment occurs the area will continued to be monitored for the presence of invasive species. Future treatments may include herbicide treatment for invasive species and possibility of more seeding.

The class III surveys will allow the BLM to move forward with the treatment. The treatment will maintain the quality of vegetation and protect crucial big games habitat as well as the PHMA and habitat within the SGMA for Greater sage-grouse.