**MUNICIPAL WATERSHED PROTECTION AND FOREST HEALTH** This project seeks to mitigate the growing threat that catastrophic wildfire poses to the critical municipal watersheds in the Wasatch Front. A large, catastrophic fire in these watersheds could severely damage watershed function by altering the timing and intensity of streamflow, increasing sedimentation and turbidity, and altering water chemistry. These impacts could significantly impair local utilities' ability to treat and deliver clean water to over half a million people living in Salt Lake City and surrounding communities. Historically, the Wasatch Front consisted of fire-dependent watersheds that burned every 100 to 300 years, with mixed-severity fire effects (25% to 75% overstory mortality). This fire regime created complex patches of different tree species, stand structure, and vegetative successional stages, which limited the extent of high-severity (75% to 100% overstory mortality) fires that can have catastrophic effects on watersheds. Early pioneers extensively logged, mined, grazed livestock, and suppressed fires in the Wasatch Front watersheds since their arrival in 1847. These activities quickly degraded water quality, and in 1906, the Wasatch National Forest was established to restore and protect the Wasatch Front watersheds. Reforestation and regeneration of extensively logged forests, as well as a nearly 200-year absence of fire, have resulted in large areas of relatively homogenous forest conditions. Symptoms of poor forest health become increasingly apparent as conifer trees encroach into aspen stands and overcrowded forests of Englemann Spruce, White Fir, Douglas Fir, and Subalpine Fir exhibit signs of disease and insect infestations such as Spruce Beetle and Balsam Woolly Adelgid (BWA). Extended drought exacerbates these issues and sets the stage for large, destructive fires driven by heavy fuel loads of dead and diseased trees. This project is one of several within the Salt Lake Ranger District to help reduce this growing threat through a series of progressive, holistic treatments, including hazardous fuels treatments, riparian restoration, and invasive species control. **TREATMENT APPROACHES** **Hazardous Fuel Reduction** Hazardous fuels treatments will reduce the risk of catastrophic fire by removing conifer encroachment in naturally fire-resistant aspen stands and thinning, piling, and burning vegetation in mixed conifer forests to increase tree spacing and remove ladder fuels that contribute to crown fire. Gambel oak stands on the south side of Parley's Canyon that were selectively masticated in 2023 have regrown to 3-5 feet tall and will be re-treated by hand crews using brush hogs (~35 acres). This re-treatment will maintain a fuel break in high-risk zones along the highway (I-80) and on ridgelines, where the return on investment is greatest. The work proposed in this project will occur primarily in Big Cottonwood, City Creek (412 acres treatments), and Parleys Canyon, and builds on previous work done in Parleys Canyon, Lambs Canyon, and Millcreek Canyon to connect landscape-scale treatments that will reduce fire severity and/or aid in fire management efforts in the event of a large fire. **SURVEY AND TREATMENT OF INVASIVE PLANTS IN BURNED AREAS** In the 1,392 acres treated with cut-pile-burn in the last five years, invasive species have been found growing in the burn scars. It is possible that seeds have been brought in on equipment or blown in after, taking advantage of the local disturbance. Either way, these treatment areas need to be surveyed and treated for invasive species to ensure a native, biodiverse community becomes established. **RIPARIAN RESTORATION** Riparian restoration will focus on Low-Tech, Process-Based (LTPBR) methods such as Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs), Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS), and strategic tree felling. These cost-effective methods have been proven to reconnect floodplains, trap sediment from downstream transport, halt stream channel incision, and increase habitat complexity, which could help mitigate the effects of catastrophic wildfires on streams. In other watersheds in Utah, where streambed incision is severe following catastrophic fire, introducing large amounts of woody debris in the form of dead and burned trees has been successful at aggrading streambeds and increasing stream complexity by trapping eroded sediments and holding them in place. Healthy streams and connected wetlands create natural firebreaks. **BEAVER COEXISTENCE** Beavers are well established in this watershed and frequently interfere with road infrastructure and private property, leading to potential lethal removal. Beaver removal reduces watershed fire resilience, and the habitat values their dams provide for other wildlife. To maintain the benefits beavers already provide to the watershed and reduce the frequency and severity of human infrastructure/beaver conflicts, methods of beaver coexistence or flow devices will be implemented at key sites. **NOXIOUS WEED & INVASIVE SPECIES CONTROL** The invasive weed, Myrtle spurge (E. myrsinites), has spread along the Wasatch Front foothills and up into the canyons. Myrtle spurge is an exotic invasive that outcompetes the native vegetation, on which many wildlife species, especially big game such as mule deer, depend. Previous projects in Parley's Canyon effectively treated Myrtle spurge with herbicide. This project proposes expanding Myrtle spurge herbicide treatment to Dry Creek Canyon, Emigration Canyon, Millcreek Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon, and Little Cottonwood Canyon to contain its spread and eradicate this weed before it gets further out of control. Garlic mustard (A. petiolata) is a European biennial herb that arrived in the Wasatch a little over a decade ago and has steadily increased its footprint in forest understories and riparian zones, displacing native vegetation, altering soil nutrient levels, and degrading water quality and wildlife habitat. Listed as Class 1B by the State of Utah for Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR), this species represents a growing threat to water quality and vegetation health of the forest understory. Its preference for forest understory and riparian areas, often near water sources, limits treatment options, making rapid response essential before populations expand beyond management capacity. Phragmites (P. australis), a highly invasive grass species that prefers wetlands, is becoming established in the Central Wasatch canyons. It has been found and mapped in City Creek, Parleys, Millcreek, Big, and Little Cottonwood canyons. Due to watershed ordinances, treatment methods are limited to manual control, and containing the spread is essential. This project plans to brush-cut stems before they can produce seed and to manually remove stolons to limit their spread. **ACTIVE REVEGETATION** In severely degraded habitats where invasive weeds have dominated for years, removal alone does not restore resilient plant communities. Without active revegetation, treated sites frequently experience reinvasion by the same invasive species or colonization by secondary invaders such as cheatgrass. Establishing competitive native plant communities is essential to maintain treatment effectiveness and improve long-term ecosystem function. **WILDLIFE BENEFITS** The project will benefit many wildlife species, including mule deer, elk, moose, golden eagles, Bonneville cutthroat trout, many small mammals such as bat species, mountain cottontails, squirrel species, snowshoe hare, and more (see wildlife tracker data for examples of big game). Hazardous fuels reduction treatments reduce conifers and increase aspen, which benefits mule deer, elk, moose, and other wildlife by allowing understory growth that can create forage and cover for small species, including pollinators like the western bumblebee. Openings are also created that allow for vegetation growth but also create flyways for various bat species in the canyon (e.g., little brown myotis, big brown, silver-haired bat, hoary bat, long-legged myotis, long-eared myotis, and others). The mosaic landscape created after vegetation recovers in the area would most likely restore and enhance habitat for migratory bird species as well, since many use varying types of habitat or successional stages, but the project area hasn't experienced the typical disturbance regimes to create those habitat types. The changes in vegetation types will also benefit pollinator species such as the western bumble bee, as new openings will allow for forbs and flowers to grow and compete. Aspen-conifer habitat is second to riparian habitat in wildlife species diversity and abundance, thus it is a key habitat type to improve and restore. Riparian restoration will create greater habitat diversity for Bonneville cutthroat trout in addition to many other wildlife species. Removing myrtle spurge will help protect native vegetation within areas that are used by bighorn sheep, mule deer, and elk. With current conditions of the stands in this canyon, these treatments are expected to overall create a mosaic habitat that is healthier and more resilient to high-severity fire, insect outbreaks, and disease, which will benefit a variety of wildlife species that use this area now and into the future.

**Goal 1: Enhance Stream and Riparian Function** Objective 1.1 - Increase channel complexity and reconnect floodplain habitats by implementing two low-tech, process-based restoration projects (BDAs) in Mill D South and Mill D North (Big Cottonwood Canyon). Objective 1.2 - Increase the water table and transient storage capacity of headwater streams to ensure sufficient water flows for trout all summer. Objective 1.3 - Increase uptake of non-lethal beaver management practices by providing implementation of pond-levelers and culvert protectors at three sites within the watershed. **Goal 2: Reduce Catastrophic Wildfire Risk and Improve Forest Health ** Objective 2.1 - Mitigate the catastrophic fire potential in the Wasatch Front through: A. Remove up to 50% of dead, diseased, and unhealthy trees on slopes less than 50%. B. Increase canopy spacing to prevent crown fires. C. Remove lower limbs of trees and other ladder fuels to prevent crown fires. D. Increase native forb communities to slow fire growth and spread potential. E. Remove conifer encroachment in aspen stands. F. Treat Gambel oak regrowth in Parley's Canyon using brush hogs and hand clipping to maintain fuel breaks established during 2023 mastication, prioritizing the I-80 corridor and ridgelines. G. Establish a system of fuel breaks in City Creek that will enable fire managers to safely conduct future broadcast burns, further reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire Objective 2.2 - Reduce wildfire risk to City Creek Canyon's sole access road for employees, visitors, and emergency responders. Objective 2.3 - Burn slash piles from previous fuels reduction projects in coordination with USFS and state partners to complete treatment objectives. **Goal 3: Restore and Expand Priority Habitat** Objective 3.1 - Create/expand and improve aspen habitat for upland wildlife that could be occupied immediately after treatment. Objective 3.2 - Improve ecosystem resiliency and meet habitat objectives defined by the Salt Lake Ranger District Resource Management Plan by increasing aspen, perennial grass, and forb cover by >10% and >5% respectively by 5 years post-treatment. Objective 3.3 - Increase pollinator habitat by promoting forbs that flower at different times within the growing season. Objective 3.4 - Create flyways for Goshawk feeding and habitat by reducing tree density. **Goal 4: Reduce Invasive Plant Dominance and Revegetate Treated Areas** Objective 4.1-Implement integrated treatments for priority invasive weeds using contractor services, conservation crews, and volunteers: A. Myrtle spurge (E. myrsinites): herbicide application and manual removal. B. Garlic mustard (A. petiolata): manual and herbicide treatment with EDRR surveys. C. Phragmites (P. australis): mechanical control and herbicide treatment outside protected watershed. Objective 4.2 -- Revegetate Myrtle spurge-treated sites through pothole planting/broadcasting with native seed mix at four trial sites using volunteers and staff. Objective 4.3-Monitor restoration outcomes to document changes in percent cover, species richness, and frequency at baseline and post-treatment (minimum two years). Objective 4.4- Build community stewardship through volunteer event implementation, educational opportunities, and recognition programs that foster engagement.

The Wasatch Front contains some of Utah's most critical municipal watersheds, providing drinking water to over half a million people and supporting economically important recreation for over 9 million visitors annually. Catastrophic wildfire, stream degradation, and invasive plant dominance threaten watershed function, wildlife habitat, and water supply reliability. A century of fire suppression has created homogenous forests susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks. Extended drought compounds these vulnerabilities. As of January 2026, Jordan Basin snowpack stands at 49% of the median -- the lowest since 1981 (NRCS 2026). While recovery remains possible, this deficit underscores troubling trends: precipitation falling as rain rather than snow, prolonged droughts punctuated by extreme precipitation events, and extended fire seasons that compound stress on already vulnerable watersheds. Invasive plants degrade ecosystems across the Wasatch Front. Species such as Myrtle spurge and Garlic mustard displace native vegetation, increase erosion risk, and reduce wildlife habitat. Cheatgrass alters fire regimes by creating easily ignitable, continuous fine fuels that can increase fire frequency. In wetlands and riparian zones, Phragmites displaces native vegetation, fills in wetlands, and degrades water quality. These invasive plant species concentrate along trails, roads, disturbed areas, and riparian corridors, where they spread rapidly without treatment. Early detection and rapid response protocols combined with restoration efforts are critical while populations remain manageable; delayed action allows infestations to reach scales where eradication requires exponentially greater resources. The US Forest Service has identified the Wasatch as a priority landscape. This project helps meet active management goals of reducing the risk of destructive wildfire through cross-boundary mechanical treatments to reduce risk to private property and infrastructure in the WUI, creation or strengthening of strategic fuel breaks using Potential Operational Delineations to facilitate prescribed fire, increase opportunities for beneficial wildfire use, and assist with suppression actions on unwanted fires, and mechanical and prescribed fire forest and watershed restoration treatments to reduce fuel loading and build resilience to future disturbances. Gambel Oak Retreatment areas in Parley's Canyon were selected based on the 2023 mastication that now requires maintenance. Photographic monitoring over the last three years shows oak regrowth reaching 3-5 feet in height, approaching a threshold where manual treatment still remains feasible but will become more difficult if we wait. The treatment zone is strategically positioned between the I-80 corridor, from which previous fires have spread south towards dense conifer fuels. Pile Burning: Slash piles in Lambs Canyon and at Parley's Summit were created during summer 2025 and spring 2024 mechanical fuels treatments and require burning to complete those project phases. Stream Restoration Site Selection: SLCDPU partnered with USFS, Sageland Collaborative, DWR, and Trout Unlimited to identify potential solutions for sediment issues in the Mill D South drainage. The region has experienced more frequent extreme precipitation events, leading to increased sediment in runoff. A significant precipitation event in 2019 rendered water from Big Cottonwood Creek untreatable at the drinking water treatment plant for one week due to elevated fine sediment levels, resulting in substantial costs to the utility. The source of that fine sediment was narrowed down to the Mill D South drainage. Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS) and strategic tree felling in the Mill D South drainage will help improve water quality by trapping sediment, reducing downstream transport, and promoting aggradation of the incised stream channel. Project Timing Opportunity exists now to engage in restoration before catastrophic wildfire occurs, invasive plant infestations expand beyond manageable scales, or stream degradation further compromises watershed function. This project connects and extends previous restoration and wildfire mitigation work on adjacent lands, creating larger treatment areas that enhance effectiveness. Proactive treatment now will reduce future fire suppression costs and protect water supply and recreation opportunities for communities dependent on these watersheds.

1) State of Utah Resource Management Plan Wildlife *Conserve, improve, and restore 500,000 acres of mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. *Protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state by 2025. *Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands. Noxious Weeds *Establish immediate revegetation or rehabilitation after treatment. The state of Utah supports prevention as one of the best methods of managing noxious weeds. T&E Species *Work with stakeholders and partners to continue to implement recommendations from the Utah Wildlife Action Plan 2015--2025 to conserve sensitive species and their habitat. *Restore 75,000 acres of critical habitat for sensitive species each year through the Watershed Restoration Initiative and by partnering with other government and nongovernmental entities. Water Quality and Hydrology *Cooperate in the protection, restoration, enhancement, and management of water resources in the State of Utah to the extent of each agency's authority, expertise, and resources. 2) 2017 Salt Lake County Resource Management Plan Land Use *Encourage public land management agencies to restore damaged areas. *Encourage coordination between federal agencies and local governments, public land managers, and private landowners. *Fuel reduction techniques such as conifer reduction, grazing, prescribed fire, and chemical, biological, and mechanical treatments may be acceptable, given site-specific variables. *Work with the private landowner(s), federal, or state agency, in cooperation with Utah Forestry Fire & State Lands to remove fuel load buildup by prescriptive grazing, silviculture prescriptions or mechanical means. Wildlife *Forest and range health are managed to provide more forage for both livestock and wildlife. *Cooperation between livestock owners and wildlife agencies occurs to manage the lands to the benefit of all species. *Funding increases for the increased quality of habitat for all species. *Promote hunting and wildlife photography in the area. T&E Species *The county supports finding local solutions to protect sensitive species in an effort to prevent federal listing. *Salt Lake County participates in the management of watersheds on public and private lands to optimize quality and quantity of water. *Preserve our watershed and ensure that reclamation occurs on areas destroyed by fire. *Support projects and policies that maintain and improve soil ecology and vegetative cover in uplands. *Salt Lake County will participate in the management of watersheds on public and private lands watersheds to optimize quality and quantity of water. *Where water resources on public lands have diminished because grasses have succeeded to woody vegetation, a vigorous program of mechanical treatment should be applied to promptly remove the woody vegetation and stimulate the return of grasses. These efforts would be intended to provide a watershed that maximizes water yield and water quality for wildlife, and human uses. *To identify and control noxious weeds and invasive plant species, beginning at the head of each natural drainage area of the watershed. Noxious Weeds *Remove noxious and invasive vegetation along rivers and streams, followed by revegetation. *Control noxious weeds and poisonous plants in cooperation with public land users and state and local agencies. *Continue to encourage, coordinate with, and participate in public land management agency projects to implement an aggressive noxious weed and invasive species control operation on all of the lands they manage. Promote the use of good science to establish data used in rangeland decision-making. *Where rangeland health has suffered for any other reason, a vigorous program of mechanical treatments such as chaining, logging, seeding, lopping, thinning, burning, and other vegetative treatments should be applied to remove woody vegetation and stimulate the return of the grazing forage for mutual benefit. 3) Utah Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan (2019) *Habitat Goal: Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges * Habitat Objective 1: Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts *Work with local, state and federal land management agencies via land management plans and with private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning, wintering, and migration areas *Work with local, state and federal land management agencies and ranchers to properly manage livestock to enhance crucial mule deer ranges *Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 700,000 acres of crucial range by 2026 *Work with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working groups to identify and prioritize mule deer habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration (Figure 6). Emphasis should be placed on crucial habitats including sagebrush winter ranges and aspen summer ranges *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. *Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinyon-juniper woodlands and aspen conifer forests in early successional stages using various methods including timber harvest and managed fire *Protect, Maintain, and/or improve deer habitat through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives *Work with private landowners and federal, state, and local and tribal governments to maintain and protect critical and existing ranges from future losses and degradation *Work with federal, private, and state partners to improve crucial deer habitats through the WRI process. 4) Utah Elk Statewide Management Plan (2015) Habitat Objective 1: Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. *Coordinate with land management agencies and private landowners to properly manage and improve elk habitat, especially calving and wintering areas. *Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat *Coordinate with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working group Recreation Management Goal: Enhance recreational opportunities for hunting and viewing elk throughout the state. *Maintain a diversity of elk hunting opportunities. *Increase opportunities for viewing elk while educating the public concerning the needs of elk management and the importance of habitat 5) Utah Wild Turkey Management Plan (2014) Goal A. Maintain and improve wild turkey populations to habitat or social carrying capacity Objective1. Stabilize populations that are declining outside of natural population fluctuations; especially through catastrophic events (i.e. following fires, severe winters, etc.). Strategy c: Conduct habitat projects to address limiting factors. Objective 2. Increase wild turkey habitat, quality and quantity, by 40,000 acres statewide by 2020. Strategy d: Conduct habitat improvement projects in limiting habitat(s). 6) Utah Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025 This project proposes to increase the amount and/or improve the condition of two of the thirteen key habitat types in the state: aquatic scrub/shrub ("riparian"), and riverine ("lotic" or flowing water). 7) National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Where wildfires are unwanted or threaten communities and homes, design and prioritize fuel treatments to reduce fire intensity, structure ignition and extent. Where allowed and feasible, manage wildfire resources objectives and ecological purposes to restore and maintain fire-adapted ecosystems and achieve fire-resilient landscapes. Use and expand fuel treatments involving mechanical, biological, or chemical methods where economically feasible and sustainable, and where they align with landowner objectives. 8) USFS Active Management to Reduce the Risk of Destructive Wildfire Create cross-boundary mechanical treatments to reduce risk to private property and infrastructure in the WUI. Create or strengthen strategic fuel breaks utilizing Potential Operational Delineations to facilitate prescribed fire, increase opportunities for the use of beneficial wildfire, and assist with suppression actions on unwanted fires. Create mechanical and prescribed fire forest and watershed restoration treatments to reduce fuel loading and build resilience to future disturbances, focusing on critical watersheds. 9) Revised Forest Plan Wasatch-Cache National Forest -- Forestwide Goal 4 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. Subgoal 4a. Increase the active use of fire to return fire dependent ecosystems to proper functioning and to reduce hazardous fuels. Subgoal 4b. Increase public understanding and support of the active use of fire to improve watershed and habitat conditions and reduce fuels. Subgoal 4c. Take timely actions to restore proper functioning of ecosystems after wildfire. Subgoal 4d. Reduce hazardous fuels (prescribed fire, silvicultural and mechanical treatments) with emphasis on interface communities (wildland/urban) and increase proactive participation of communities at risk. The cut/pile and lop scatter treatments proposed by this project helps meet the goals of reducing hazardous fuels and managing fuels and fire to reduce uncharacteristic fire. 10) Brighton and Big Cottonwood Canyon Wildfire Preparedness Plan The purpose of wildfire preparedness planning is to... Motivate and empower local government, communities, and property owners to organize, plan, and take action on issues impacting the safety and resilience of values at risk Enhance levels of fire resilience and protection to the communities and infrastructure Identify the threat of wildland fires in the area Identify strategies to reduce the risks to structures, infrastructure and commerce in the community during a wildfire. 11) Utah Beaver Management Plan Outreach and Education: Increase awareness of and appreciation for the role of beaver in Utah's ecosystem by stakeholders (landowners, educators, recreationalists, sportsmen, water rights holders). Population Management: Maintain reproducing beaver populations within their current distribution in appropriate habitat. Harvest Management: Maintain recreational opportunity for a minimum of 350 trappers and a sustainable harvest of 3,500 beavers annually. Watershed Restoration: Work to improve riparian habitats, associated streams, and wetlands in as many suitable tributaries as feasible through translocating beaver into unoccupied suitable habitat on public and/or private land. Watershed Restoration: Facilitate and promote beaver-assisted restoration activities and expansion of existing beaver populations in areas where beaver are already present, habitat exists to already support them, and human beaver conflict is low and/or easily mitigated. Damage Management: Increase consistency in the response options currently in use and increase the frequency of use of non-traditional options (e.g., flow devices, live-trapping) used by UDWR, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and landowners for managing beaver causing property damage. 12) 1999 Salt Lake City Watershed Management Plan This plan directs SLC Public Utilities to work with partners to develop a comprehensive wildfire management plan within the protected watershed canyons that provide culinary source water to the valley below. 13) 2025 SLCDPU - Surface Water Source Protection Plans for the Big Cottonwood, City Creek and Parleys Canyons as approved by the Utah Division of Drinking Water. -Objective 5.3 Calls for Riparian Restoration & Enhancement to mitigate post wildfire sedimentation and to act as potential fuel breaks. -Objective 5.4 Calls for Wildfire Threat Reduction through participation in collaborative partnerships to reduce wildfire threat to the source of drinking water, public outreach and funding development strategies.

Catastrophic wildfire presents a substantial threat to the Wasatch Front watersheds. While fire is a natural and necessary component of many forest ecosystems, catastrophic wildfires are those whose size and severity cause extensive damage to infrastructure and/or damage to ecosystems that is greater than their ability to recover from fire. Early pioneer practices of extensive logging and grazing in conjunction with over a hundred years of fire suppression has contributed to large areas of relatively homogenous forests that have become susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks and high severity fire. These over stocked mixed conifer forests have high shrub and dead and down surface fuels as well as abundant "ladder fuels" that transition fire to the overstory canopy. Extended drought has compound these issues and create a fire environment that under high fire weather conditions will likely produce a large, high severity fire with a high resistance to control efforts and catastrophic effects in the Wasatch Front. Quantitative Wildfire Risk Assessments (QWRA) from the US Forest Service show that much of the Wasatch Front has a high Burn Probability and ranks as either "High" or "Very High" for expected loss to assets and watershed function (see QWRA Report). Likewise, UWRAP, Utah's Shared Stewardship program, and wildfire modeling from JW Associates all conclude that the municipal watershed of City Creek has a high to extreme wildfire risk. Additionally, the Wildland Urban Interface has rapidly expanded over the recent years as urban development spreads into the canyon adjacent to City Creek (Emigration Canyon, the Avenues, North Salt Lake, Bountiful), putting the public and their homes at risk to the devastating effects of a catastrophic wildfire that could spread from the canyon. In this context, fuels treatments such as the ones proposed in this project can moderate the effects of a wildfire as well as create strategic fuel breaks that assist firefighters to more effectively engage a wildfire and reduce impacts to watersheds and infrastructure. In Big Cottonwood Canyon, continuous mixed conifer forests with heavy dead and down fuel loading and dense ladder fuels are prone to burning with high severity and present a significant challenge to fire management. This project proposes cut/pile/burn treatments in which dead and down logs and ladder fuels such as small trees and the lower limbs of large trees are cut, placed into piles, and burned in the winter months when fire danger is low. These strategically placed treatments will assist with control efforts and reduce wildfire intensity and severity. In Parleys Canyon, retreating Gambel oak mastication to remove oak regeneration will maintain the viability of previously completed fuels reduction work. In City Creek slope steepness makes fuel reduction treatments difficult in much of the area of high fire risk (north-facing slopes above the water treatment plant). Consequently, this project proposes a system of fuel breaks in riparian habitat along the creek and along ridgelines on both sides of the canyon in order improve access to the canyon, assist with fire suppression efforts, better compartmentalize wildfire to reduce impacts to the watershed and adjacent infrastructure, and allow fire managers to safely implement broadcast burning in the these high-risk areas in the future. Finally, functional riparian areas create fuel breaks that can slow or stop a wildfire since they have green vegetation most of the time. Repairing and creating healthy riparian areas in the project area will increase the connectivity of riparian areas and improve the value and efficacy of these natural fuel breaks.

Parleys, City Creek and Big Cottonwood Canyon make up a significant percentage of the drinking water source areas Salt Lake City, Holladay, Millcreek City and Cottonwood Heights. All three treatment plants are only setup to treat surface water that correlates with existing water quality. A catastrophic wildfire would potentially render these canyons unusable for an indeterminate amount of time. Any and all preemptive actions taken to reduce wildfire hazard, protect and enhance riparian corridors and increase existing water quality protect the quality and quantity of water available for use for the State of Utah's most populated area. Big Cottonwood Creek (BCC) is an important drinking water resource for the greater Salt Lake City municipal area. Coordinated fuel treatments and riparian restoration projects are proposed to improve current water quality by reducing sediment loads and buffer water resources from impacts of catastrophic fire. City Creek has been identified as a high-priority watershed by Shared Stewardship due to its high fuel-hazard levels and its importance as a critical drinking water source for downtown Salt Lake City. Recent wildfire risk modeling completed by JW Associates identified multiple areas in Upper City Creek Canyon as high to extreme wildfire risk. The proposed vegetation treatments will reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, thereby reducing sedimentation and improving the water supply.

***RIPARIAN RESTORATION*** Sageland Collaborative will obtain necessary permits (stream alteration any other relevant ordinances), and support site assessment/monitoring. A stream alteration permit is in place for Mill D South, and additional permits will be in place ahead of BDA construction in Mill D North as well as for proposed flow devices. NEPA is underway for BDAs and flow devices located on Forest Service land. Construction will begin in late-summer/fall of 2026. Best management practices will be adhered to during all BDA construction activities. These practices include no large equipment or re-fueling in the riparian zone/floodplain, minimizing and distributing disturbance to existing riparian vegetation collected for fill materials, and timing the project in late summer/fall in order to 1) avoid high flows and ensure safety of workers/partners & volunteers, 2) avoid spring/summer spawning season of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, and 3) avoid illegal takes of migratory birds per the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. ***INVASIVE SPECIES CONTROL*** NEPA is completed for treating invasive plant species on USFS lands. Necessary Pesticide Use Proposal (PUP) permits will be obtained from the USFS prior to treating Myrtle Spurge on USFS lands. ***FUELS TREATMENTS*** NEPA for mechanical fuels treatments on USFS lands in Big Cottonwood Canyon is near completion and intended to be signed Spring 2026. NEPA for mechanical fuels treatments on USFS lands in City Creek is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2027 to allow for implementation in early summer 2027. NEPA for prescribed pile burning on USFS lands in Parleys/Lambs Canyon is complete.

**FUELS REDUCTION AND FOREST HEALTH** Hand crews will treat upland sites with cut-and-pile using chainsaws to cut small conifer trees, remove lower limbs from larger conifer trees, and fell snags. These materials, along with dead and down logs, are compiled into piles for future burning. Prescribed fire Piles will be hand ignited under wet or snow covered conditions that allow at least 80% consumption of the pile while minimizing fire spread from the pile. Gambel Oak Treatment in Parleys Canyon: Gambel oak regrowth will be treated using brush hogs and hand clippers in areas previously masticated in 2023. Conservation crews will focus on priority zones along the I-80 corridor and ridgelines where 3-5 feet of resprouting threatens to re-establish continuous fuels. This approach uses hand crews to maintain fuel breaks while avoiding heavy equipment, with plans to systematically treat the full 300-acre masticated area over multiple years. Fuel Reduction in City Creek Canyon: A) Hazard Tree Removal: 246 acres have been targeted for hazard tree removal, which will involve hand cutting & piling unhealthy and dead vegetation along each side of City Creek Canyon Road to remove 30-40% of the current vegetation. B) Strategic Fuel Breaks (SFB): Fuel breaks will be implemented across 167 acres (129 acres on private land and 38 acres on USFS land). The proposed treatment targets small diameter conifer and brush to create a system of fuel breaks. These small diameter fuels will be hand cut and piled along multiple ridgelines on both sides of the canyon to create a system of fuel breaks that can be utilized to manage potential fires. **STREAM AND RIPARIAN RESTORATION** BDAs will be built with hand crews that pound the untreated posts into the stream bed. Then natural, local to site, woody material are weaved between the posts, by contractors (Mill D South site) or supervised volunteers (Mill D North). This turns into a porous structure that slows water down and reduces erosion without impounding the water. Beaver are present in many parts of BCC, and BDAs can be attractive locations for additional dam building. Each BDA project site will be carefully planned in locations that will not conflict with existing infrastructure. Beaver coexistence: Beavers bring many benefits to a watershed, however their activities can also conflict with and cause risks to built infrastructure. Project leads will proactively reach out to stakeholders potentially impacted by beaver activity throughout the project area, and install flow devices and other beaver coexistence methods such as pond levelers, culvert exclusion fences, and tree-wrapping where needed. Project partners will also coordinate to increase non-lethal beaver trapping where coexistence is not possible. **INVASIVE WEED CONTROL** Myrtle spurge (E. myrsinites) will be treated through integrated methods, including herbicide application and manual removal. Hand crews (backpack sprayers) and drones will spot-spray using either Glyphosate (4% solution) + Chlorsulfuron (1g/gal) OR Glyphosate (4% solution) + LI700 surfactant (0.5 fl oz/gal), formulations proven effective in previous Parley's and City Creek Canyon treatments. Treatment locations are informed by partner mapping efforts and field surveys. CCF will complete post-treatment mapping and monitoring to track population response to treatment. Volunteer crews may also manually remove Myrtle spurge during supervised events, with all roots and above ground material bagged and disposed of properly. Garlic mustard (A. petiolata) will be manually removed by pulling and bagging all above- and below-ground plant material, prioritizing second-year (flowering) individuals. In areas more than 100 feet from surface water, spot herbicide treatment may be applied using 2,4-D Amine (1.5 fl oz/gal) + Metsulfuron Methyl (0.25g/gal) mix. Manual and herbicide treatments will be completed by CCF, contractor crews, and partner staff. Phragmites (P. australis) will be contained by CCF hand crews primarily through mechanical methods. Hand crews will use brushcutters for seed head removal and manual removal of spreading stolons. Populations identified outside the protected watershed boundary will be treated by herbicide using Glyphosate (Aquaneat, 0.75% v/v solution). **REVEGETATION** This project will revegetate Myrtle spurge-treated sites at four trial sites through pothole and broadcast planting with a native seed mix, using volunteers and/or staff to establish native plant communities that resist reinvasion. Pothole planting -- where seeds are sown in small depressions that capture water and create favorable microsites -- has shown successful establishment in similar Wasatch Front restoration projects. Broadcast seeding will supplement pothole planting across treated areas to maximize coverage. Collaborative Trailhead Revegetation: Salt Lake County Noxious Weed Program, Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, Salt Lake City Trails and Natural Lands, Utah Open Lands, and SLC Public Utilities will implement volunteer-led revegetation at two trailhead locations along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in fall 2026. Volunteer events at Grandeur Peak Trailhead Open Space and Parley's Point BST Trailhead (or Acadia Heights Trailhead, TBD) will restore areas previously dominated by Myrtle spurge using a combination of pothole planting, broadcasting, and furrowing with a native, pollinator-friendly seed mix. **VEGETATION MONITORING** Vegetation monitoring will assess restoration outcomes and changes over three years at three revegetation sites, measuring percent cover, species richness, and frequency. Baseline monitoring will occur in spring/summer 2026, with post-treatment monitoring in spring/summer 2027 and continued multi-year assessment into spring 2028. See the Monitoring section for a more detailed protocol.

*Photo Documentation* Photo monitoring will document treatment areas before and after implementation using fixed reference points or landmarks to track changes over time. *Restoration Monitoring* Vegetation monitoring will assess restoration outcomes at revegetation sites using the Daubenmire method to measure percent cover, species richness, and frequency. This systematic technique uses a 20 x 50 cm quadrat frame placed along transects to quantify newly established plants in early restoration phases. Baseline monitoring will occur in spring/summer 2026, implementation in fall 2026, and post-treatment monitoring in spring/summer 2027, with continued multi-year assessment (again in 2028) to track establishment and inform adaptive management. Cottonwood Canyons Foundation will monitor invasive plant populations using GIS Field Maps to collect data on percent cover, phenology, and treatment areas. Pre- and post-treatment data will evaluate treatment effectiveness. *WILDLIFE MONITORING* Utah's Hogle Zoo (UHZ) will investigate how wildlife may be affected by habitat-restoration treatments within key watersheds. Planned FY27 activities represent a continuation of research initiated in 2025. In June 2025 the Zoo team began monitoring wildlife in areas scheduled to undergo restoration treatments within the Wasatch Front. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) planned two types of treatments: beaver dam analog (BDA) construction and mechanical forest thinning. To evaluate changes in habitat suitability and wildlife presence, UHZ researchers will continue to collect data on wildlife species richness and vegetation health at eight established study sites. Of these, three are treatment sites where BDAs will be constructed, and three are treatment sites where forest thinning will occur. The remaining two are control sites. Study sites were selected to align with North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocols. To determine the presence of terrestrial mammals, UHZ will deploy one trail camera at each BDA site and two trail cameras at each forest-treatment site. All photos will be uploaded to Wildlife Insights, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for processing, managing, and analyzing camera-trap data. After an initial processing by Wildlife Insights, UHZ will manually verify all animal identifications and occurrences of blank photos and will attempt to identify wildlife to the species level or at least to the next distinct taxonomic level. To determine the presence of bird and bat taxa, UHZ will deploy one acoustic monitor (Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter Mini Bat 2), equipped with both acoustic and ultrasonic microphones, at each study site for at least 10 consecutive days from late June to early July. To identify birds recorded, UHZ will use BirdNET-Analyzer v2.4, a machine learning tool for analyzing wildlife sounds. To identify bats recorded, the UHZ team will use Kaleidoscope Pro and/or SonoBat, automated processing and species classification software tools for analyzing bat calls. UHZ will compare bird and bat species richness among study sites pre- and post-treatment. To collect baseline metrics on stream conditions and vegetation, UHZ will conduct riparian health assessments at the BDA sites using the "DWR Riparian Restoration Assessment" protocol. At the forest treatment sites, to help measure tree species presence, density, and distribution, as well as ground cover, UHZ will conduct forest health assessments using the "CRO DWR Forest Health Assessment 100ft" protocol. If deemed a priority by the DWR, UHZ will also conduct an amphibian survey at a wetland along the Mill D trail, just above (at a higher elevation than) all eight study sites. The survey location is ~0.1 miles from the nearest BDA site and 0.4 miles from the nearest forest treatment site. UHZ will follow a standardized survey protocol, as part of an ongoing monitoring program for the western toad. Using Survey123, UHZ will record water-quality variables, environmental variables, and the presence of western toads and other amphibians. *Reporting* All monitoring data, photos, and reports will be uploaded to the UWRI website.

Forest Service: Will be providing funding/planning/implementation support, and is one of the project managers working closely with the Utah Division of Wildlife. The Forest Service will complete the NEPA process for work on USFS lands. DWR: The Utah DWR will provide contract administration associated with both upland and riparian work. The DWR will also provide monitoring in the stream channel and on the uplands. Additional monitoring will be conducted on small mammals and reptiles by DWR staff. Archaeological clearance will be a combination of in-house surveys and contracts through DWR. Private Landowners: There are private landowners involved in this project. There has been coordination with these landowners to maintain the project and manage property accordingly to help achieve project success. UFFSL: Will partner with us and help reach out to private landowners so projects don't stop on ownership lines. UFA: With the new interagency agreement with UFA there will be opportunities for assistance with cutting and burning projects. Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities(SLCDPU): will provide financial support through matching funds (City Creek), in-kind contributions (staff labor), and additional funding (conservation crews). SLCPU has contracted archaeological and botanical surveys for City Creek, and will hire and manage conservation crews for various Garlic Mustard treatments and oak re-treatment of previously masticated zone, as well as provide staff for project planning, restoration seeding, BDA installation, volunteer coordination, and monitoring. Sageland Collaborative will complete stream alteration permit for low-tech, process-based restoration (LTPBR) projects, and co-host three volunteer events to complete BDAs after contractors have installed fence- posts at this site, and assist with logistics of completing another LTPBR project on Mill D South. Sageland will also plan, design, permit and implement up to three living with beaver practices (pond levelers, culvert protectors, tree fencing) across Big Cottonwood and Millcreek canyons. Trout Unlimited: TU will take the lead on BDA installation, including procurement of materials, managing construction and installation of posts on Mill D North ready for volunteers to complete. TU will procure materials and contractors to install fence posts for BDAs in Mill D North, and co-host volunteer events to complete BDA construction (i.e. fill material). Cottonwood Canyons Foundation: CCF is a valuable partner in their work to map and monitor myrtle spurge treatment, as well as maintaining the trails used to access project sites. Utah's Hogle Zoo: UHZ will conduct wildlife monitoring, as noted above, using trail cameras (for terrestrial mammals), acoustic monitors (for bats and birds), and visual encounter surveys (for amphibians). At each study site, UHZ will also conduct either a riparian or forest health assessment (depending on the site). Utah Open Lands (UOL): As the grantee of the Grandeur Peak Natural Area conservation easement, UOL will provide guidance and support to partners throughout the project as it relates to the stewardship and restoration of this property. UOL will contribute on-the-ground support as well, assisting with project implementation and organizing volunteer restoration events as needed. Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation, in partnership with the Noxious Weed Program (SLCo Weeds): SLCo Parks and SLCo Weeds will coordinate on invasive weed control with DWR and other partners. In addition, SLCo will help support private and public landowner treatment permissions and coordination, along with restoration, and monitoring at Grandeur Peak Trailhead Open Space and other county lands. Salt Lake City Trails and Natural Lands will coordinate with DNR to provide access for Myrtle spurge treatments on City owned property and help to facilitate relationships with other adjacent land owners so that treatment can proceed. SLC TNL will also be involved in restoration efforts , volunteer recruitment, seeding, and pothole planting, along the Bonneville shoreline trail near Parleys Point. World Resources Institute (WRI): In partnership with SLCDPU, USFS, and FFSL, WRI helped plan the treatments in City Creek Canyon. WRI's Watershed Health Coordinator will oversee the implementation of these treatments and will continue working with partners to plan future broadcast burning treatments in the canyon.

The Forest Service is intent on continuing watershed restoration efforts in the Wasatch Front using a collaborative approach that reaches across jurisdictional boundaries and connects treatments on a landscape scale. These efforts may include an array of restoration tools including beaver dam analogs, beaver coexistence, in-stream structures, plantings, noxious weed control, and fuels reduction treatments such as lop/scatter, cut/pile/burn and broadcast burning. Flow devices will be monitored at least once per device to ensure they are functioning as intended. This project is the third in a series of projects designed to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and promote healthy, resilient watersheds. It connects with and extends similar projects along the Wasatch Front. Watershed restoration efforts will continue until healthy streams support aquatic life and guarantee clean drinking water, forests resist insect and disease and catastrophic wildfires, upland areas provide suitable habitat for wildlife, and public lands are able to provide abundant opportunities for multiple uses. Gambel Oak regrowth in both cut-pile and mastication zones on the south side of Parleys Canyon will require ongoing management by hand crews on a ~5-7-year cycle until conditions allow for the safe implementation of prescribed burns. The partners plan to continue reducing fuels throughout City Creek Canyon by using the proposed network of fuel breaks to safely implement broadcast burning on the north-facing slopes above the water treatment plant. These slopes represent the highest risk for catastrophic wildfire spread due to dense, even-aged fir stands and terrain that is too steep for hand crews to effectively access or treat.

This project has the ability to increase quantity and quality of forage for multiple wildlife species (esp. big game). The removal of mixed conifer will open up the canopy and release soil moisture which will allow other vegetation to take advantage of the light and moisture that was previously being taken up by the climax species. Hunting opportunities could be enhanced by this project as well. Improvements to wildlife habitat and increased forage opportunities will benefit multiple game species and will provide not only a benefit within this project area but will also expand to neighboring public lands. Adding complexity to a stream through Beaver Dam Analogs, introduction of large woody debris, and beaver coexistence has been shown to trap sediment and promote healthy sediment transport. Other Sustainable Uses: The project area also provides important recreational hunting. The area sustains populations of big game on the forest. These hunting opportunities provide a financial boost to local economies in several ways. Continuing to do work to maintain the habitat in this area will help to perpetuate the recreational and economic benefits. Wildlife watching and shed antler gathering are another popular recreational activity in some of these areas. Improving habitat here will benefit this sustainable use of the landscape. Treating myrtle spurge infestations also protects and improves big horn sheep habitat as well as mule deer habitat.