The project is needed because the of current condition the percent of pinyon and juniper canopy cover in the grassland and sage-steppe community is too dense and not meeting the desired condition. The desired condition is for these communities to have conifer canopy cover of 10% or less. The stands proposed for treatment currently contain between 10 and 30 percent of phase 1/2 conifer cover. This "gap" between current and desired condition points to a need for management. Over the past several decades the west slope of the Pahvant Mountains has seen a gradual shift from sagebrush/bunchgrass communities to thick stands of Utah juniper and two-needle pinyon pine. In the current state, the treatment area is not effective in providing habitat for many of the wildlife species found there, also impacting livestock grazing. The increase in pinyon-juniper over-story also increases the risk of wildland fire, alters snow accumulation patterns, and increases overland flow and erosion during high runoff events. This will be accomplished through the implementation of mechanical bullhog work with skid steers, hand removal through lop and scatter work. Project will consist of working with the Fillmore Forest Service, UDWR, USFWS Partners Program and the Pahvant Ensgin Ranches. The project will address the need to reduce encroaching Pinyon and Juniper within a late phase II to early phase III stage. Loss of perennial understory of grasses, forbs and shrubs is present, targeting these areas will improve a large portion of Federal land that is critical to winter mule deer, elk, wild turkeys and grazing of domestic livestock. Areas of this project have been treated in the past and the need to prolong our investment has been identified by the Fillmore Forest Service. UDWR has high interest in this project as well, the need to increase mule deer winter range is continued by working with private landowner who value wildlife and the resource it bring to the state/communities. This area is critical and sustains large wintering amounts of mule deer, wild turkeys as well as elk. The need to complete this project is critical for improved wintering forage for wildlife along the Pahvant WMU.

Objectives of this project is to reduce fuel loading through the removal of pinyon-juniper trees within the Fillmore Forest Service and the Kanosh Grazing Allotment. Reduction of the pinyon juniper trees will help improve understory that is suppressed due to encroachment, returning the overall treatment back to a healthy plant community with grasses, forbs and shrubs, that should respond due to improved water availability. According to the Fishlake and Dixie National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMP) the following goals will be achieved: 1) Achieve and maintain species diversity 2) Improve or maintain the quality of habitat on big game winter range 3) Reduce conifer and pinyon-juniper encroachment stands, improve riparian zone vegetation. 4) Maintain or enhance terrestrial habitat for all wildlife species that presently occur on the Forest. 5) Maintain or improve current capacity of big game winter range 6) Provide diversity and forage for big-game animals. The desire outcome is to reduce the current condition of pinyon-junpier which is currently above 30% to 10% cover or less. Improving the habitat/thinning PJ in these areas will result in multiple benefits, which include but are not limited to, improving habitat for wildlife dependent upon these various ecosystems, improving native species diversity, reducing hazardous fuel accumulations, reducing the risk for large scale, uncharacteristic wildland fires, which in turn creates a fire resilient environment with less risk to public and firefighter safety.

This site faces a host of threats associated with increasing pinyon-juniper cover, including loss of grasses and forbs important to wildlife and cattle, increased risk of wildland fire frequency and severity, risk of invasive plant species such as cheatgrass replacing native and desirable introduced plants, increased risk of soil erosion, and lower quality and quantity of water due to continued decreases in watershed functioning. Nearly all of these are present to some extent and some and in much of the project area have combined to greatly limit many of the uses and benefits this section of land historically provided. All of these threats resulted from pinyon-juniper expansion altering the native sagebrush/bunchgrass community, and this project will address these risks by either restoring the site or at least improving it to a functional state close to the native sagebrush type. Another threat is the loss of the initial investment in the UDWR/Pahvant Ensign Ranches Chaining. Removal of the small PJ trees in the lop and scatter area is a cost-effective maintenance project allowing for Phase I trees to be reduced and prolonging the life of this project and the benefits it provides. Delaying treatment until trees are larger and more difficult to handle would greatly increase the expense of treatment and accomplish far less. Over the past several years doing work in this area and around the Central portion of the State we have seen the price of doing business almost double. Working with and partnering with the Fillmore Forest Service and the Private landowner will drastically reduce the cost of implementation. Having partnerships to share the added expense of labor, fuel and equipment cost makes this project a win win for everyone. No action on this project will allow for increased invasive grass species, pinyon-juniper encroachment and increased soil erosion with no productive rangeland conditions. Late Phase II to early Phase III Pinyon-Juniper reduces the native understory of browse, shrubs and herbaceous plants species. This project will focus on reducing pinyon and juniper encroachment, reducing soils and overland erosion, reduction of invasive noxious weed and grass species, reseeding efforts will allow for shrub, forbs and grasses species to respond favorably within the identified treatment sites. Overland flows create soil sheet and rills erosion, which account for loss of soil due to the lack of understory of native plant species. Improved seeded grass forb and shrub species will reduce sediment loss and re-establish the inter-spaces allowing for intact soil and herbaceous cover to establish. Past history of this area includes depredating wildlife issues with wild turkeys and wintering mule deer within the Pahvant Ensign Ranches. Winter turkeys have created a lot of issues, in feed lots, hay stacks and in residential landowners yards. The UDWR implemented fall hunting in this area to help deter damages and crop loss for the wild turkeys, in addition trapping and relocating turkeys has been done in the past. Increasing numbers of wintering mule deer migrate to this area as well, seeking winter forage. This project will allow for increase habitat for mule deer, and wild turkeys to continue to utilize valuable winter range along the Corn Creek and Dry Creek drainages reducing damages to crops, haystack and reducing time spent around residential homes in the area. In addition, UDWR was able to capture mule deer this year (2023) in the Corn Creek drainage and the Eight Mile Point areas of this project. Opportunities to evaluate the amount of wintering deer use is critical in the depleting habitat in this area. Monitoring of the amount of deer use through collar data will begin this winter, we should have good data moving forward for future project in the area that will benefit wintering mule deer. This project was the District Biologist (Mike Wardle) #2 Mule Deer project within the Pahvant WMU, and was the top #11 Mule Deer project in the SRO. This project also was the #1 Turkey project within the Pahvant WMU and the #2 overall Turkey project in the SRO. In Addition to all the information related to this "Why Here Why Now" Justification attached below are some cited literature that can back up the project treatments as well: Summer Range Projects: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1090116/full - Importance of having fat does (summer range nutrition). High fawn birth weight, high fawn growth rates, higher fawn survival https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742421000804 - This paper just highlights the summer nutritional needs of migratory vs resident deer. The district bios should know where units are more migratory or more residential. Basically, we need really high quality forage on migratory summer ranges to offset the costs of migration while also needing quality forage for residential summer ranges because they tend to have lower summer forage quality. Winter Range Projects: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.2811 - This is a good one for any projects focused on recovery of shrubs and forbs and/or removal/thinning of PJ. This study found that deer select for areas with low to intermediate tree cover with high shrub and forb availability. Water Projects: hhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3483670/#sec4 - Females are more likely to use multiple water sources than males are. Deer rely heavily on the water sources in the drought years and although bucks don't use the water sources as much in wet years, females still heavily use free water sources under any climatic conditions. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014019631500141X - Mule deer select for areas closer to water during all seasons. It supports drawing deer to underutilized habitat by providing them the water they need to remain in the surrounding area.

The pinyon-juniper and big sagebrush areas lie within the Lowland Sagebrush Steppe Habitat type which is one of the key habitats identified in the Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) The proposed projects will address some of the habitat management strategies outlined in the deer and elk management plans for herd unit 21B (Fillmore Pahvant Unit ) including: *Continue to improve and restore sagebrush steppe habitats critical to deer according to DWRs Habitat Initiative. *Maintain habitat quantity and quality at a level adequate to support the stated population objectives while at the same time not resulting in an overall downward trend in range condition and watershed quality. *Work cooperatively with land management agencies and private landowners to plan and implement improvement projects for the purpose of enhancing wildlife habitat and range resources in general. *The project also helps fulfill the state mule deer management plan section IV Habitat Goal: Conserve and improve mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. UDWR RESOURCE GOAL: Conserve, enhance and actively manage Utah's protected wildlife populations. **OBJECTIVE R1 Increase, decrease or maintain wildlife populations, as needed, to meet the objectives in our management plans. **OBJECTIVE R2 Maintain existing wildlife habitat and increase the quality of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state. ***OBJECTIVE R3 Increase our knowledge of crucial fish and wildlife habitats and migration patterns. ***OBJECTIVE R4 Decrease risks to species and their habitats through integrated implementation of the Wildlife Action Plan, species recovery plans, conservation agreements and other management plans (species, AIS, disease, etc.). ***OBJECTIVE R5 Manage sensitive species populations to prevent them from being federally listed as threatened or endangered, and work to delist those species that are currently listed. ***OBJECTIVE R6 Decrease vehicle collisions and dangerous wildlife encounters for people who live, travel and recreate in Utah. ***OBJECTIVE R7 Decrease the number of wildlife-related incidents -- including property damage, crop depredation and threatened or endangered species listings -- that negatively affect private property owners. *UDWR SR critical big game winter range are important browse communities that need to be enhanced and improved. The Division will employ a variety of methods to achieve this including prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, reseeding and seedling transplants, also mechanical treatments. Priority areas will include sagebrush-steppe and mountain browse communities. Falls within the rangeland focus area for WRI wildlife species for mule deer and elk. *This plan is consistent with the Fishlake National Forest Plan for wildlife habitat enhancement and fuels management to improve habitat, reduce fuel loading, and protect against catastrophic wildfire. *Other project have been completed by the Forest Service and UDWR in past years within the Corn Creek Canyon/Dry Wash HUC 12 area. *Project within the are also benefit the management plans objectives of the lower Sevier River Watershed, as this will reduced sediment run off and create a healthy rangeland communities. *Management Plans are also in conjunction with NRCS overall goals of healthy rangelands and communities, improving watersheds and reducing erosion and sediment. The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment *FFSL CWPP Process is a local Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is a collaborative plan created by the fire department, state and local forestry, land managers, community leaders, and the public. The planning process maps values at risk, and requires actions to reduce risk, such as prescribed burning, fuel reduction, or other measures that adapt a community to better confront their wildfire threat. Area is also part of the Millard RWPP FFSL Plan which was implemented in 2014, there are Wildfire Codes and Ordinances associated with this plan. Project would also be relevant to NCS Goals and supported through the FS National Cohesive Strategies. CAT FIRE Objectives and Strategies: In 2013, the State of Utah developed the Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy (CAT FIRE) in response to the severe 2012 fire season. Reducing the catastrophic wildfire requires attention to three interdependent goals identified in the National Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy -- Restore and Maintain Landscapes, Fire Adapted Communities, and Wildfire Response. These goals have been embraced throughout the development of the state's CAT FIRE strategy. Mitigation of hazardous fuels can change fire behavior making it easier to suppress. The effects of the mitigation, however, are not limited to life and property safety but will also affect forest health, water quality, vegetative species abundance, etc. As we continue to implement projects across the landscapes in Utah, the only way to truly be successful is to integrate existing programs, utilize local and federal partners and continue to educate the general public to create the desired shift towards more resilient communities and ecosystems. In addition to the above listed objectives the below goals/objectives are identified in the Mule Deer Plan for the Pahvant Unit #21: Habitat Protection, Improvement and Maintenance - Work with public land management agencies to develop specific vegetative objectives to maintain the quality of important deer use areas. - Coordinate with federal and state partners in designing projects that will improve fire resiliency and protect areas of crucial habitat. - Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat improvement projects. Protect deer winter ranges from wildfire by reseeding burned areas, creating fuel breaks and reseed areas dominated by cheatgrass with desirable perennial vegetation. - Reduce expansion of Pinion-Juniper woodlands into sagebrush habitats and improve habitats dominated by Pinion-Juniper woodlands by completing habitat restoration projects. - Seek opportunities to increase browse in burned areas of critical winter range. - Continue to utilize water sources that can benefit wildlife species where applicable, promoting year round water availability, seeps, springs, wetlands and mesic areas. In addition to elk populations on the Pahvant WMU are under objective, increased winter range forage is critical for elk use on the west side of the Pahvant Mtn Range. The FS has been proactive in treating several thousand acres over the last two years that will increase the wintering carrying capacity of elk in this area. The project will allow for an increase of over an additional 2,700 acres of winter range to be utilized by elk in the wintering months. The below goals/objectives are identified in the Turkey Statewide Plan: General Suitable habitat includes three key ingredients: trees, forbs and grass. Regardless of the type of environment, this combination must exist for turkeys to thrive. Trees provide food, daytime loafing and escape cover, and- --most importantly -- nighttime roost sites. Grasses and forbs provide food for adults and are especially important to poults as an environment in which they can efficiently forage for insects. Brood Rearing: During the first eight weeks after hatching, there are three essential components of brood rearing habitat. First - Poults need an environment that produces an abundance of insects. Second - Poults need habitat in which they can frequently and efficiently forage throughout the day. Third - Poults need an area that provides enough cover to hide, but allows the adult hen unobstructed vision for protection from predators. Therefore, the fundamental component of brood rearing habitat is herbaceous vegetation interspersed with trees. Herbaceous vegetation is key because it provides an ideal foraging environment for poults. Fall and Winter: Wild turkeys seek two imperative habitat ingredients in the fall and winter --food and roosting cover. Vegetation that turkeys utilize during the fall and winter is highly varied. Turkeys increase their use of forested cover during the fall and winter and decrease their use of open areas. Mast (pine nuts, acorns, berries) is the primary food source during fall and winter. Habitat value increases with higher proportions of mast-producing species in the forest and their degree of maturity. In mountainous environments, spring seeps are an important source of fall and winter food. Seeps provide invertebrates, mast and green vegetation. Because such water does not freeze, it provides a microclimate that allows foraging throughout the winter. Golden and Bald Eagles will benefit form this type of restoration treatment as well typically these eagles are found in open country, especially in mountainous regions. They feeds mainly on small mammals, especially rabbits, marmots, and ground squirrels, but it also eats insects, snakes, birds, juvenile ungulates, and carrion. This chaining project will allow for increased open space for hunting small mammals and other pray due to the reduction in pinyon and juniper woodlands. The increased of understory of grasses forbs and shrubs should increase small mammals and other prey species for the Bald and Golden Eagles to prey upon. Utah Milk snake and the Soroan Mountain Kingsnake occupy a variety of habitats, including farmland, disturbed areas, meadows, river bottoms, bogs, rocky hillsides, and coniferous and deciduous forests. To support these snakes, these habitat types must have plenty of cover and a healthy rodent population. Information on the limited due to the survey work of UDWR, some survey work was conducted by Jimi Gragg in 2019 stated: "On the maps - we have positive-occurrence data only for these species. We have a distribution-modeling project that'll start in the fall, but we will begin with higher priorities. It will be a few years until we get around to those 2 (although they are pretty ideal candidates - from a technical standpoint - to model, I think). As far as value of habitat - I've tried to address that before. Basically, *all* snakes are predators. These 2 feed exclusively on vertebrates - lizards primarily, and small mammals to a lesser extent. That prey base depends on a landscape that isn't excessively dominated by woody plants, and which also isn't depleted of its herbaceous component. Basically, there needs to be enough seeds and bugs - same story as for so much small wildlife. The location, objectives, and methods of this proposal are well aligned to benefit these 2 snake species. Hope this is helpful". With the reduction of pinyon and juniper woodland, and the increased cover from spoil piles of trees and limbs from the treatment we expect to increase the foraging range for these two predatory snakes and the availability of small mammals and insects across this treatment. Thus improving habitat for the Utah Milk Snake and Sonoran Mountain King Snake. In addition this project would likely benefit the Fringed Myotis, as additional opportunities to forage and consume insects, moths and spiders within this treatment. In addition to this treatment the White Sage Flat Phase II treatment consisted of chaining over 800 acres of pinyon and juniper that would open additional opportunities for the Fringed Myotis to forage. As well as allowing opportunities at foraging over open water associated with Duel Springs that is within this project boundary.

Implementation in the project area will result in reducing hazardous fuel accumulations and breaking up the continuous fuel bed of pinion/juniper that currently exist along the foothills of the Pahvant range. This treatment will promote a fire resilient environment that reduces the risk for large scale, intense wildland fires, with less risk to public and firefighter safety. The District Forest Service Fuels have implemented several prior projects Kanosh Bench, Dammeron Valley, etc. that has help reduce the likelihood of wildfire in the area and adjacent to this project, these projects consisted of reseeding along with Mastication. State and Private Landowners have been very proactive in implementing projects in the project area. The project will help to reduce the risk of large landscape catastrophic wildfire and help to protect valuable infrastructures to multiple watersheds including (Dual Springs, Dry Wash and Widemouth), Kanosh Indian Reservation, Kanosh Town, high voltage power lines, homes, cabins, outbuildings, hay sheds, livestock corrals, Hwy 133 and Interstate 15 all are located within and adjacent to the project area. It will have a major effect on Interstate 15 and Hwy 133 both have been shut down in the past due to the Milford Flat Fire, Meadow Creek Fire and other misc. fires in the area. A high percentage of human caused fires are started on roadways thus spreading further into the wildland, this project is located adjacent to I-15 and Hwy 133. By implementing this project, it will help reduce the risk of the fires from I-15 and Hwy 133 getting established on FS, BLM, state, or private lands. It will help to reduce the risk of large landscape size catastrophic fires not only to USFS, state lands but to private land, cabins, structures located within the USFS lands. This project will reduce fuel loading by removing the pinyon-juniper trees with a phase I lop and scatter treatment. Currently cheatgrass is minimal throughout the project, by treating and seeding this area the risk of catastrophic fire will be decreased significantly. Lower elevations (PJ dominated) on the Pahvant range are known for being taken over by cheatgrass after catastrophic fires. This project will reduce the risk of this happening. Treatments like this have been proven to prevent wildfire from spreading following an ignition event, and this treatment will create several barriers or buffers between treated and non-treated areas that will be critical for controlling or containing wildfires. The majority of this project is within fire regime III -- 35-100+ year frequency and mixed severity (less than 75% of the dominant overstory vegetation replaced); The Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) is estimated to be both moderate (FRCC 2) and high (FRCC 3) departure from the central tendency of the natural (historical) regime. The central tendency is a composite estimate of vegetation characteristics (species composition, structural stages, stand age, canopy closure, and mosaic pattern); fuel composition; fire frequency, severity, and pattern; and other associated natural disturbances. The majority of this project would be in FRCC 3. This project will improve the fire regime condition class to FRCC 1 I giving us some good ecological integrity in the treatment with improved understory and shrub components. Existing wildfire risk index in the project area ranges from extreme to moderate. We have uploaded the FFSL Risk Assessment in the documents tab for additional information on the fuel loading, flame length, water resource concerns, and at risk fire potential.

The current condition of much of the project area is Phase III pinyon-juniper stands with little to no understory of grasses, forbs, and shrubs. Meeting the project objectives would reduce bare ground, increase vegetative cover, increase infiltration, reduce overland flow, and ultimately increase stream flow and reduce sedimentation and phosphorous loading into the water supplies of the nearby town of Kanosh and Meadow. These benefits have been documented by research done in similar ecosystems (Deboolt et al, 2008). I found a webinar by the NRCS where the presenter mentions through her study that 130 pinyon and juniper trees she sampled within an acre (33% pinyon, 9% juniper and 58% inter-space) over a twelve month period would utilize and estimated 280,000 liters of water per acre per year or approximately 23% of an acre foot. And while the Quality of water will not be overwhelming the first year after treatment it becomes significant over time. This type of treatment will benefit the soil over the long term, due to increasing plants that will utilize the excess water, overland flows of rills will be filled in, chance for overland flooding will be minimized allowing for springs and seep to start appearing and improved rangeland conditions will benefit overall. Information from the Millard County Resources Plan addressing water Quality and Quantity: DESIRED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 1. Access for municipal water and secondary water development, quality management, or infrastructure construction or maintenance on federal public lands must be granted as soon as possible in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of citizens. 2. Develop improved methods to reduce and remove sediment in storage reservoirs and continue stream bank stabilization efforts. 3. Where water resources on public lands have diminished because grasses have succeeded to pinyon-juniper and other woody vegetation, a vigorous program of mechanical treatments should be applied to promptly remove this woody vegetation and biomass, stimulate the return of the grasses to historic levels, and thereby provide a watershed that maximizes water yield and water quality for livestock, wildlife, and human uses. 4. Millard County will participate in watershed management on public and private lands to optimize quality and quantity of water. 6. Support projects to increase water quality and quantity in the county. 7. Maintain and improve our fresh water supplies and watersheds, and increase our watershed production capabilities. 8. Conserve and preserve water for agricultural uses in the county. 9. Millard County shall protect ground, spring, and surface water quality. 19. The county encourages actions by individuals, groups, and local governments that are aimed at improving water quality and supporting the hydrology of the county. Deboodt, T.L., et al., 2008, Monitoring hydrological changes related to western juniper removal: A paired watershed approach: Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds, p. 227-232. Also the addressing of the TMDL from the Lower Sevier River Watershed Plan states that through water and overland flows we can have high amounts of phosphors in the system that can drain into the Sevier River watershed. The implementation of this project would seem to help control it as we will be reseeding grasses, forbs and shrubs that would help control the overland flow slow down the sediment discharge in to the Lower Sevier River and reduce sediment, phosphors and other nutrient load by reducing the pinyon-juniper trees and improving the uplands. Researchers such as Kormas et. al, Roundy, Deboolt, etc. have well documented the correlation of Pinyon and Juniper removal to water quality and quantity. In our project area we expect to see these results through decreased erosion and increased infiltration rates. This will be evidenced by increased flows and lower sedimentation in Corn Creek, lengthened seasons and reaches on intermittent streams such as Dry Wash, Widemouth and Corn Creek, and raised water tables and benefits to the associated vegetation at Duel Springs.

NEPA assessment inventories have been addressed on this project under the Pinyon-Juniper Categorical Exclusion that was signed July, 2017, as it pertains to the Fillmore Forest Service Property. We are still required to address the Culture Resource inventories as it pertains to the Forest Service and UDWR Properties before we can proceed with the bullhog mastication portion of this work. Contractors will be contracted to survey both UDWR and Federal Lands and consultation with SHPO will occur prior to Habitat Restoration work beginning. UDWR will continue to work with the Federal Forest Service Agency on this project, UDWR and Project Manager will work close with Arie Leeflang (UDWR) to ensure survey contracts are in place and finalized before implementation is to take place.

Methods Overview: Fillmore Forest Service Property - Bullhog Mastication 687 Ac UDWR Property -Bullhog Mastication 346 Ac Private Property -Lop and Scatter 420 Ac Methods would include implementing one type of restoration project on the Forest Service portion we are implementing a Bullhog Mastication project that will use skid steers on 687 acres within the Kanosh Grazing Allotment. Equipment will be provided along with the labor by the Fillmore Forest Service Fuels Program. UDWR will partner with them providing fuel and funding to complete the bullhog work on USFS and UDWR Properties. Lop and Scatter portion on the Private (420 Acres) will be done using State Contracting working with State Purchasing to hire a suitable company to complete the project. With lop and scatter trees will be cut as close to the ground as practicable, and no live branches will remain on the stump. Within the lop and scatter area, cut conifer will be lopped to 48" and left on site with no piles to decompose naturally and provide seed source protection and ground litter. Preferred method will be utilizing contract crews for the lop and scatter/hand thin. We have had great success with this type of project and are seeing great results. The Joseph project which was funded in FY21 and completed March of 2021 has had an excellent response in a short amount of time. We are already seeing native grasses coming back. I will include pictures of the results. Contract Specification that may be included within the scope of work as an EXAMPLE are: Cutting: This is a "lop and scatter" contract, within this project there will 100% removal. Within the all pinyon, rocky mountain juniper, Utah juniper (Cedar), shall be cut. 100% Removal of all live and dead trees is expected. Trees shall be completely severed from the stump(s) where no live limbs shall be left on the stump of cut trees. All main branches or stems shall be cut from the trunk of the tree to meet scattering requirements. Additional treatment specifications: 1.Leave all deciduous trees and shrubs including bitterbrush, cliffrose, mahogany, aspen and oak untreated. 2. Do not exceed stump height of 8" (inches) within rocky areas; all other stump heights will be 4"- 6" measured on the uphill side. 3. Lop and scatter cut material so that slash height does not exceed 24" (inches) above the ground. 4. Cut material left on site shall not exceed 48" (inches) in length. 5. Leave cut debris below crossings or culverts where possible to dissipate the energy of water flow. 6. Use established roads and trails for all motorized travel to minimize damage to patches of sagebrush and other browse plants. 7. Thinning will occur only on 50% slope and less. 8. Browse species and oak will not be cut. 9. All cut trees shall be completely severed from the stump and have no live limbs remaining on the stump. 10. Trees identified as bearing trees, or any tree blazed or tagged to mark the line of any Government survey, shall not be cut or destroyed under penalty of the law. Trees with reference tags will be left uncut. Depending on project specifications, NEPA Agreements, Culture Clearances, Landownership habitat type and Restoration Techniques any and all specifications may change. The overall perspective is to do what is good for the watershed, overall rangeland health, wildlife species involved and the goals and objectives of the project.

The Dammeron Deer Plot Range trend study (21B-12) is located within the project area and will be used to measure changes in vegetation over time. We also have the Range Trend Plot 21-R-11 which is the Kanosh Lop and Scatter Project that shows increase pinyon and juniper coming back in on the site from a 2008 treatment This location can be retreated removing young trees from the previous treatment location. Monitoring plans will also include UDWR and USFS bi-annual big game classifications used to monitor production and subsequent survival of area deer and elk herds. Fillmore Forest Service Wildlife Biologist will also conduct mule deer pellet count data associated with the project. Also, the Project Manager will establish a set of vegetation and photo points within a transect to collect pre and post treatment data. UDWR may ask for the GBRC Range Trend Crew to set a permanent vegetation transect for future monitoring of this project that will be read or surveyed for vegetation data every five years depending on their workload, in which this data can be uploaded in the proper forms. We will also be monitoring the chaining aspect on the private portions of this project out three-seven years and removing all whips that may be left during the treatment, The Fillmore Forest Service will enter into a AOI agreement with the Grazing Permittee before the project is implemented. The livestock permittee will look to keep the pipeline and trough located in Duel Springs in good working condition within the Kanosh Allotment as it will benefit them and their livestock during the grazing seasons. As re-seeding efforts of grasses, forbs and shrubs are associated with the chaining aspect of this project, the overall need to monitor the establishment is critical. We will work with Pahvant Ensign Ranches to monitor this treatment as we defer cattle from this area for at least two growing seasons. As with any disturbance on the landscape, comes questions and concerns about invasive grass species, and noxious weeds. We anticipate that we will see a influx of cheatgrass and some noxious weeds as the seeding is becoming established. The opportunity to address these invasive species will come from the aggressive seed mix that will include native and non-native plant species. We anticipated in the next phase of this project we would likely address a chemical herbicide treatment, possibly the opportunity to use Plateau or Rejuvra to help control invasive grass species if they are present. The UDWR will monitor the Lop and Scatter portion of this project, following up with if necessary to remove encroaching pinyon trees that may have been missed by the contractor. Overall, when the lop and scatter crews are working we will be on site to make sure contract specifications are being met. Ensuring that the pinyon/juniper trees are being cut within the identified areas of the project. We will be monitoring for these two snakes Utah Milk Snake and the Mountain King snake within our treatments. Mike Golden (USFS Snake Exert) as value of habitat - I've tried to address that before. Basically, *all* snakes are predators. These 2 feed exclusively on vertebrates - lizards primarily, and small mammals to a lesser extent. That prey base depends on a landscape that isn't excessively dominated by woody plants, and which also isn't depleted of its herbaceous component. Basically, there needs to be enough seeds and bugs - same story as for so much small wildlife. The location, objectives, and methods of this proposal are well aligned to benefit these 2 snake species. We are hope we can catch one this year, last year was tough on the Red Canyon Project, they slithered away. In December of 2023, UDWR District Wildlife Biologist (Mike Wardle) along with a capture crew was able to net gun and conduct overall body condition health exams on several adult mule deer. They were equipped with radio GPS collars and released. One location was on UDWR Property located in the mouth of Corn Creek just east of our proposed treatment and Eight Mile Point, which is west of our treatment location. Information data will be available soon and we should have collar data as mule deer start to use past and proposed treatments in the area. To follow up with the captures from 2023 we have attached in the Documents Section a heat map from Wildlife Tracker showing the collared data from mule deer using the treatment areas associated with this phase III project. We would anticipate the treatments associated with this phase III project will continue to support and benefit mule deer, elk and turkeys within the White Sage Flat Treatments.

Partners for this phase II consist of the Fillmore Forest Service, UDWR, and the Pahvant Ensign Ranches along with USFWS Partners Program (Clint Wirick). All partners are supportive of this project and are willing to commit a lot of time and effort towards making this project a success. This includes resting the treatment areas from grazing for two growing seasons. In addition to the local general public and sportsman's that enjoy hunting and recreating in this area, they too will also benefit from the Habitat Restoration Work that will be completed, the improvements made will last for many years to come. We have been working with and including all Federal and State Partners, as well as the Private Landowners who graze livestock within the treatment area in this effort. Contact with the private landowner's has been well received and they are willing to implement Habitat Restoration work on their private property during this phase of the project. We are seeing the results of past successful restoration methods that have been completed on other areas of the Pahvant Mountain, and feel that those restoration methods will work across property boundaries. Partnerships are import to the success of the projects we implement and to showcase them is important to our success. As we move forward cooperation with Federal, State and Private Landowners is critical to achieving long term restoration goals. All partners were involved with the planning and design of the White Sage Phase 1 and 2 projects. Phase 1 of this project included and includes cross boundary implementation of USFS, State and Private land. Partnerships within this scope of work includes all Federal, State and local County Agencies, they are in support of doing follow-up type of work within these areas. This lop and scatter treatment will maintain and help conserve or initial investment that took place in 2009. In addition to the treatment of older stands of Phase II to Phase III pinyon and juniper with reseeding of herbaceous grasses, forbs and shrubs is a great benefit for wildlife species. County Commissioners from the Six County Areas, showcase these types of projects each year as we conduct annual tours of habitat restoration work that has been completed in their counties. Local and state chapters of the MDF, NWTF, SFW, RMEF, FNAWS, UBA, and SCI have all been big supporters of these types of projects and funding each year come from them at a local level to help complete and fund this work. In addition UGIP have partnered in the past through grazing permittees to take part in this work as well. Doing this type of maintenance will allow for future reduction in cost as it pertains to the longevity of the overall project. All partners involved have a need and are willing to commit to making restoration enhancing projects a priority on their districts in the future. Areas identified within this project have been funded through WRI or other funding sources associated with or though the WRI Program.

The USFS will work with Pahvant Ensgin Ranch to implement a rest rotational grazing system on the bullhog mastication portions of the project that is consistent with the Fishlake National Forest Management Plan. Grazing will also be suspended for two growing seasons post treatment to allow the grass and forb species to establish. This will be written into the Annual Operating Instructions signed by the permitees each spring prior to grazing on the Forest. UDWR, USFWS Partners Program, Forest Service and the Phavant Ensign Ranches are strongly committed to improving habitat through restoration efforts to meet overall regional goals and objectives for wildlife and livestock grazing in this area. Success will be determined by the Management Plans of the Forest Service, Pahvant Ensgin Ranches and UDWR through proper grazing systems that allow for healthy rangeland communities. The Forest Service grazing permit states that the allotment will be managed to: a) provide for livestock grazing while maintaining rangeland in properly functioning condition. b) maintain healthy, sustainable rangeland ecosystems and restore degraded rangelands to meet Utah's Standards for Rangeland Health and to provide a wide range of public values... c) integrate livestock use and associated management practices with other multiple use needs and objectives to maintain, protect, and improve rangeland health. d) monitor and evaluate grazing allotments to maintain or improve rangeland productivity. This particular Forest Allotment has been productive but with improvement made through these treatments additional forage is expected. The permitees are very motivated and committed to management that will ensure productivity and maximize the useful life of this project. Working with the Pahvant Ensign Ranches they will enter into a Cooperative Agreement with UDWR and USFWS Partners Program as to the in-kind work that will be done on their property as well as some within the Forest Service. This agreement will be signed before work is to take place and move forward. Pahvant Ensign Ranches have Ranch Management goals and objective for livestock grazing as well as the present CWMU that they manage. The CWMU is critical to the ranch and they value the need to have wildlife on there property. Within the CWMU they have mule deer, elk and turkey permits available to the public for hunting opportunities. UDWR and USFWS Partners Program has provided services and help partner on habitat restoration work and fire rehab efforts. Working with the Pahvant Ensign Ranches in the past has helped them increase habitat and forage for livestock and wildlife over the last 12 years. Together they have improved over 20,000 acres within the ranch through habitat type projects and water developments. Other Future management goals will include following up with restoration treatments and the need to do maintenance projects such as removing smaller pinyon-juniper whips out of the treatments, improving shrub components through hand seeding of Bitterbrush or Cliffrose in specific areas. We will continue to partner and increase winter habitat in critical areas of the Pahvant WMU for mule deer, wild turkeys and elk as well as opportunities for livestock grazing to be increased and forage production across Private, State and FS Property.

This project will increase the understory of the treatment area dramatically, allowing for increased feed for grazing livestock on the Forest Service grazing allotments. Pinyon Juniper trees are very dense and little to no understory is present. This project will increase grasses, forbs and shrubs species for livestock due to native and non-native seeded species included in the mix. The chaining aspect will open up areas to sunlight, reducing overall pinyon-juniper stands and allow of the establishment of seeded species to occur. Domestic livestock will be grazed on a rotation type system after two to three growing seasons, improved distribution can and will occur due to the improved herbaceous understory. The lop and scatter portion of the project will consist of working within the Fillmore Forest Service land use plan to address rotational grazing within the lop and scatter treatment as livestock grazing will not have to be deferred. Completing this treatment will allow for prolonged restoration work that will prepare us for the future benefits in the years to come. The FS properties will also become more productive and improved rangeland health due to the scheduled lop and scattered efforts throughout this project. Over the past two years the Pahvant Ensign Ranches have been enrolled in the NRCS EQIP Program, in which they have benefited their property by installing several miles of pipeline and adding new watering troughs that will allow for increased water and storage across these treatment areas. These treatments and project will sustain the natural resources and distribute cattle across the allotments, as well as provide a water source for wildlife. Other sustainable uses towards this project will be the use of additional firewood that will be available, cutting of cedar post, cedar fence stays and access to additional hunting opportunities for big game such as mule deer and elk. Additional opportunities will be opened up for turkey hunting and upland game hunting as well. With the Millard County ATV Jamboree each year, riders from across the country enjoy riding trails in this area and enjoy camping and recreating within the Corn Creek and Adelaide Camp Ground.