The Boulter Fire occurred on the east bench and foothill areas of the Tintic Range but remained out of the steeper slopes of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and is located approximately 25 miles west of Santaquin and 8 miles southeast of Vernon, Utah. The public lands are primarily used for cattle permittee grazing within the Boulter Wash allotment and for recreation, with evidence of extensive ATV/UTV use and dispersed camping sites as well. The fire occurred within crucial summer range and high-use migration corridor for mule deer and is entirely within Priority Habitat Management Area for greater sage-grouse. There are no known leks within the fire perimeter and the closest known lek is approximately 5.5 miles to the southeast. The integrity of the Boulter Creek drainage is at risk, due to loss of riparian vegetation or impacts from the fire effects including surrounding native trees, shrubs and perennial vegetation, all of which could contribute to an accelerated eroding landscape. Soil loss or movement downstream is of primary concern. Wind erosion is moderate and water erosion is potentially high if there are future instances of rapid runoff.

Even though most of the Boulter Fire burned hot and fast, it removed much of the live vegetation and ground cover needed to protect the soil and aid in infiltration of rainwater into the soil. The fire is roughly bisected by or flanks the Boulter Creek drainage. As is the case for all canyons in the Great Basin, these smaller drainages are just as susceptible to flash flooding and unmitigated debris flows due to heavy rainfall. The risk of flash flooding within a watershed increases substantially post-fire. Fire impacts watershed health by removing accumulated material and vegetation that provides protection to the mineral soil and holds sediment on hillslopes. Fire also alters infiltration by exposing soil to raindrop impact and enhancing hydrophobic soil conditions. Exposed hillslopes have increased raindrop impact, increased runoff with more power due to long uninterrupted flow paths and less surface roughness (due to removal of vegetation, litter, duff and coarse woody debris). Natural recovery of the vegetation and forest floor will take several years; a flashflood/debris flow during the post-fire recovery phase would result in significant impacts to everything below the burn area. This fire has created a disturbance opportunity for weeds. Areas subjected to wildfire are highly susceptible to entry of both noxious and invasive weeds. The proposed seeding is important to establish desirable perennial species to compete with these invasive and noxious weeds.

The cost of the investment in the aerial seeding applications are very small relative to the potential threats to the habitat by cheatgrass and other annuals if there were no treatment at all. In addition to public safety, the access roads and quite often those used within the burn area are at increased risk from flash flooding due to the impacts of the fire. Most of, if not all the seeded species are deep-rooted, which are effective in holding the soil in place and promoting infiltration over this burned area. Establishing a reliable stand of perennial seeded species on this burned area will significantly reduce the threat of flash flooding, which improves human safety and protects both wildlife species and water rights holders/users downstream in the watershed and below the burned area. Regarding drill seeding operations, the site has a strong presence of cheatgrass, but the cheatgrass stand is not dense with matted roots that make it very difficult for any seeded species to establish. This treatment will allow the new seedlings to provide favorable microsites throughout the burned area for seeding establishment. Should the seeding treatment succeed, this area will likely support a diverse plant community with a good mix of desirable perennials to hold the site for years to come.

These ESR treatments are consistent with the Pony Express Resource Management Plan (1990) in Tooele County, the Salt Lake Field Office Fire Management Plan Amendment (1998)-Alternative 2: Integrated Fire/Resources, the 2022 Salt Lake Field Office Invasive Species Management Plan (DOI-BLM-UT-W010-2018-0010-EA), and the 2010 West Desert District Normal Year Fire Rehabilitation Plan (WDD NFRP) (DOI-BLM-UT-W000-2010-0001-EA). The WDD NFRP supports: ▪The use of various methods to plant seed into the soil, including drilling and aerial seeding treatments, as part of this ESR plan. When established, these seedings prevent cheatgrass invasion, provide a protection from soil erosion, protect the burn area from large-scale incursion of non-native noxious and invasive weeds, and provide forage and nectar resources for wildlife. ▪The WDD NFRP and SLFO Invasive Species Management Plan also supports the use of herbicides to combat noxious and invasive plant species.

The human (power line) caused fire started August 24, 2024 and was declared contained August 30, 2024. Most of the acreage burned between the afternoon of August 24th and early hours of August 25th. The fire started on US Forest Service land adjacent to the railroad grade, west of State Route 36 near mile marker 9. High winds drove the fire north and east, jumping the highway and carrying the fire along the Boulter Creek drainage. The fire ran upslope from the point of origin (T9S R4W Section 34), propelled by strong south-westerly winds causing creeping, spotting and torching. At the heel of the fire, the landscape is hilly and dominated by Pinyon/juniper stands with sagebrush between stands. As the fire moved northeast, it reached a plateau dominated by sage brush and grasses. The strong winds created a long narrow fire perimeter with unburned islands. However, a shift in the winds blowing from north to south later in the evening on Saturday allowed both aerial and ground firefighting resources to halt the fire's forward progression. Fire severity was continuous and predominantly moderate throughout the burn area. The fire quickly transitioned from a Type 4 to Type 3 fire by late Sunday with observed fire behaviors of active, torching, wind driven runs, short-range spotting and isolated group torching. A local Type 3 team was ordered and stayed through the following week to assist with minimizing the fire size and intensity to protect greater sage-grouse habitat and big game winter habitat, limiting fire and suppression activities to keeping the fire within the roads throughout that were utilized for suppression logistics as it relates to dozer line where appropriate. It then transitioned back to local control.

The fire is roughly bisected by or flanks the Boulter Creek drainage, which experienced low to moderate fire burn severity occurring throughout. There are bands of small, unburned patches of Pinyon-Juniper and sagebrush within burn area. As is the case for all canyons in the Great Basin, they are susceptible to flash flooding and debris flows due to heavy rainfall. The risk of flash flooding within a watershed increases substantially post-fire. Fire impacts watershed health by removing accumulated material and vegetation that provides protection to the mineral soil and holds sediment on hillslopes. Fire also alters infiltration by exposing soil to raindrop impact and enhancing hydrophobic soil conditions. Exposed hillslopes have increased raindrop impact, increased runoff with more power due to long uninterrupted flow paths and less surface roughness (due to removal of vegetation, litter, duff and coarse woody debris). Natural recovery of the vegetation will take several years; a flashflood/debris flow during the post-fire recovery phase would potentially result in significant impacts to the landscape and access roads surrounding the greater Boulter Creek drainage area. A variety of seeding treatments are needed to stabilize soils, promote infiltration, and mitigate the potential for flash flooding threats.Without seeding, the potential for increased density and overall presence of cheatgrass, which was located within the burn area, could increase in this burned area if left untreated, and the invasion of several noxious weed species would also be a concern. Due to the significant threats posed by the Boulter Fire, as described above, an interdisciplinary team (ESR Team) met on site to discuss potential courses of action that could be taken to address the concerns and real threats to the burned area landscape. The members that provided input in that meeting and in the subsequent days were composed of individuals from the BLM who all provided their expertise and input to develop the Boulter ESR Plan. Subsequent conversations have also been held with staff from the Utah Department of Natural Resources -- Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), private landowner(s) and permittee(s) to address their concerns and convey our two-year non-use agreement expectations if the proposed treatments occur.

Vegetation management goals are to stabilize areas where existing perennial grasses/forbs cannot reasonably be expected to provide adequate soil and watershed protection within two years, areas where the need to establish a vegetative system of less flammable species, and areas that are susceptible to an invasion of pervasive annual species. All emergency stabilization practices discussed in the NFRP are consistent with the Pony Express RMP (1990) and the WDD Normal Year Fire Rehabilitation Plan (2010). The proposed ESR treatments are consistent with Utah's Standards for Rangeland Health. All seeded species were included in the analysis for the NFRP.

Many cost-saving treatments and methods have been employed on the Boulter ESR Plan. The ESR Team is confident that it's a well-designed treatment proposal and the proposed seeded species fit the needs of both the range and wildlife site, as well as the needed soil stabilization attributes. The ESR team considered various potential seed species for the seed mixes and application methods to design the customized treatments for the specific situation. Previous ESR seeding treatments in similar soils and weather conditions have proven to be very successful. Given the appropriate custom treatment design and the past successes on similar soils, the probability of success for this ESR project is good.

For the purposes of soil and site stability: 1. Obtain an average of 3 seeded plants per square meter by the end of the third year following fire ignition (by field season 2027). 2. Obtain 50% or greater perennial cover of the low potential perennial plant cover for the appropriate ecological site by the end of the third year following fire ignition. All potential ecological sites are listed under the soil map units available in the soil report and would be field verified. 3. Establish desirable species at 50 percent relative frequency within 3 years.

Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources Private Landowner(s) and/or Permittee(s).

Livestock grazing would not be authorized within the burn area for a minimum of two growing seasons after the seeding treatments occur in accordance with ESR policy. Once seeded natives become established, grazing and other current management would allow for the protection of those species. Recreation seems to be a common use of these lands and would not have significant impacts on the vegetation.

The overall probability for success of the proposed treatments is sufficiently high to result in an acceptable level of risk. Indications are that the proposed Boulter Fire treatments have a favorable chance of success, given that the project wins early support and can be carried out in the proper timeframe this Fall. The Salt Lake Field Office has experience using similar seeding applications and research has shown these treatments have the best efficacy to prevent/ameliorate overland flow for the first year following the fire.