Encroaching conifers were removed from these sagebrush/mountain brush communities on Nutters ridge in 2007. These sagebrush/mountain brush communities have again begun to be encroached by conifers (pinon/juniper and Douglas fir). "See the photos that are uploaded to this project". These conifers will suppress and ultimately replace the existing shrub communities. This will negatively affect sagebrush/mountain brush obligate wildlife species (sage-grouse, deer, elk, pronghorn, and a variety of song birds) that are known to depend on these shrub communities in this area for survival. WILDLIFE TRACKER shows that elk extensively use and move through all units of the project area, and that sage-grouse extensively use the Anthro Mountain portion of the project area. Although not in WIDLIFE TRACKER it is well known that deer and pronghorn antelope also extensively use the project area. Reducing the conifer encroachment will also reduce fuel buildup in the area for the long term. Thus, removing these encroaching conifers will improve wildlife habitat in the watershed and deter the encroachment of conifers into important sagebrush/mountain brush communities that are critical for wildlife. The guzzler on Alkali ridge has been a water source for elk, deer, pronghorn, and sage-grouse. However, the apron and the rain gutters have been damaged rendering this guzzler unfunctional. Repairing this guzzler would restore a needed water source to wildlife in the arid environment.

The objective to this project is twofold. The first objective is to remove encroaching conifers from 2,042 acres of sagebrush/mountain brush communities on the Nutters ridge area of Anthro mountain. This will be accomplished by contracting a hand crew with chainsaws to cut the encroaching conifers. The second objective of the project is to repair the guzzler on Alkali ridge of Anthro mountain. The repairs to this guzzler will consist of repairing the metal apron, replacing the rain gutters, installing splash guards to the rain gutters, and building a fence around the guzzler to prevent elk from walking on the guzzler and damaging the apron and rain gutters. The trough will not be fenced to allow wildlife access to the water. The Forest Service will provide the labor for repairs and cost of materials.

The lop and scatter part of the project is located on the Nutters ridge area of Anthro mountain and the guzzler repair is located on Alkali ridge of Anthro mountain. Over time conifers have advanced on Anthro mountain reducing the amount of sagebrush communities. In 2007, encroaching conifers in the remaining sagebrush/mountain brush communities on Nutters ridge were removed to maintain these communities. Conifers are again encroaching into these sagebrush/mountain brush communities on Nutters ridge and without their removal, these encroaching conifers will ultimately replace these shrub communities over time. The loss of these community types would have negative impacts to sagebrush/mountain brush obligate species in the area such as sage-grouse, a variety of other song birds, elk, pronghorn, and deer. This project will remove encroaching conifers in these communities, maintain habitat for these wildlife species, and reduce the likelihood that their habitat would be replaced by conifers. Additionally, removing these encroaching conifers at a later date will increase the amount of work required for their removal and likely increase the cost/acre of their removal. Additionally, the guzzler that will be repaired is needed since there are no other water sources for wildlife on this ridge. Wildlife (sage-grouse, elk, deer, and pronghorn) have all been known to use this guzzler when it was functional. The area is an arid environment and any water source in the area is a needed benefit to wildlife. Bat species such as the fringed myotis and the spotted bat would also benefit from this water source being restored (drinking and also a source for prey). Repair of this guzzler will restore this water source to wildlife in the area.

Removing conifer encroachment in sagebrush/mountain brush communities in the area will improve habitat for several wildlife species. Several Species plans have identified conifer encroachment and/or lack of water as a threat to the species habitat or a limiting factor. Below is a list of Management Plans; their objectives, goals, and strategies that will be accomplished by this project. - The project will accomplish objectives and strategies in the Utah Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse Strategy 4e. (Addressing Conifer Encroachment) - Increase sage-grouse habitats by using the WRI--and other state, federal and private partnerships--to restore or create 50,000 acres of habitat within or adjacent to occupied habitats each year, in addition to those acres identified in 4(d); Strategy 6b. (Address excessive predation) - Use habitat-improvement projects to minimize and reduce predator impacts on nesting birds. These projects could include removing trees or structures that serve as raptor perches. The project will remove conifer encroachment from sagebrush communities on Nutters ridge, which will maintain hand improve habitat for sage-grouse and reduce hiding cover for predators. - The project will accomplish strategies in the Uintah Basin Sage Grouse Local Working Group Sage Grouse Conservation Plan Strategies (3) improve brood rearing habitat through removing conifer encroachment (10) prevent P/J reestablishment. - The project will also accomplish several goals in the Statewide Pronghorn Management Plan Habitat Management Goal Objectives 1 - Maintain or enhance the quantity and quality of pronghorn habitat. Strategy (a) Identify crucial pronghorn habitats and work with public land managers and private landowners to protect and enhance those areas. Strategy (i) In conjunction with other land management agencies, develop and implement a maintenance schedule for existing water developments and develop new water sources as needed. Removing encroaching conifers on Nutters ridge will maintain foraging habitat for pronghorn and the repair of the guzzler will restore a water source for pronghorn, which would support the strategies in the state-wide pronghorn plan. - This project meets several strategies in the Habitat Objectives in the Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan Habitat Objective 2 strategy A. (a.) Work with land management agencies.....to identify and prioritize mule deer habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration......Emphasis should be placed on crucial habitats which include summer range habitats such as improving aspen, winter ranges sagebrush habitats; Habitat Objective 2 strategy A. (e.) Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve and restore mule deer habitat with emphasis on.......ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats. Removing conifer encroachment in the sagebrush/mountain brush communities on Anthro mountain will improve winter mule deer habitat as described by the habitat strategies in the plan. - This project meets several strategies in the Habitat Objective of the Statewide Elk Management Plan Strategy B. Habitat Managemeinnt (a) Coordinate with land management agencies and private landowners to properly manage and improve elk habitat, especially calving and wintering; Strategy C. Habitat Improvement (b) Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. Removing encroaching conifers from the sagebrush and mountain brush communities will improve wintering habitat and forage for elk by reducing the likelihood of losing this habitat to conifer encroachment. -This project is also compatible and governed by the 2024 Revised Ashley National Forest Plan, with the following plan components: Sagebrush Desired Condition FW-DC-SAGE-02 - In greater sage-grouse habitat, 70% or more of sagebrush communities have 10% to 30% canopy cover and less than 10% conifer canopy cover; Non-Forest Vegetation Desired Conditions (FW-DC-VEGNF-01) - Non-forest vegetation communities.....encroachment of conifers is limited to 10% tree crown cover or less. (b) develop support from interest groups for funding of wildlife projects. These plan components will be met by removing conifer encroachment within the sagebrush/mountain brush communities. - This Project will also accomplish Forest Service obligations outlined in the Migratory Bird MOU with the USFWS in accordance with the Migratory Bird Executive Order 13186 (1) restoring and conserving habitat for F&WS birds of conservation concern such as the sage-grouse, Brewers sparrow and sage sparrow. Habitat for these species will be conserved by removing encroaching conifers to maintain the habitat for these species. - This project is consistent with the "potential conservation action" addressing the threat of "inappropriate fire frequency" identified in the UDWR's Wildlife Action Plan. Action code 2.3.14 sates "Conduct upland vegetation treatments to restore characteristic upland vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings. "Reducing conifer encroachment would help restore characteristic upland vegetation. - The Utah State Resource Management Plan has several applicable objectives and policies & guidelines: 1)The State promotes fuel breaks, thinning, chaining, prescribed fire and the selection of fire-resistant vegetation in green-stripping and burned areas. 2) The State will pursue opportunities to conduct and assist other partners with fuel reduction work including mechanical treatments and prescribed fire. 3) Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds. 4) Actively remove pinyon-juniper encroachment in other ecological sites due to its substantial consumption of water and its detrimental effect on sagebrush, other vegetation, and wildlife. 5) Protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state by 2025. - The Duchesne County Plan identifies conifer encroachment as a threat to water yield (Section 6 - Forest Management - Water Considerations in Forest Management), aspen (Section 6 Forest Management),sage-grouse (Section 22 Threatened, endangered, sensitive species), and as a contributor to fuel loading (Section 19 Fire management). This project would reduce those threats and reduce fuel loading by removing encroaching conifers.

Lop and scatter of conifers in these areas would initially cause a fuel buildup, but as the trees deteriorate and needles fall, the long-term result will be a reduction of fuel build up in the area. This would reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and increase the likelihood of fire suppression if a fire occurs in the area of Anthro Mountain. This type of project in the area of the catastrophic Dollar Ridge fire and East Fork fire helped reduce the severity of the fire in some areas and helped firefighters to control the wildfire in those areas. Additionally, as conifer expands within sagebrush vegetation systems; diversity and composition of plant species decreases; thus, decreasing resistance and resilience to the vegetation system. Increasing the resistance and resilience to a vegetation system will benefit the system when a disturbance (including fire) occurs.

Repairing the guzzler would restore a water source for wildlife to the area and thus increase the quantity of water currently available to wildlife in the area. The area is arid, and this guzzler is the only water source for wildlife on Alkali ridge. The conifer removal part of the project also has water quantity benefits to the watershed. Roundy et. al. 2014 found that mechanical tree reduction increased soil water availability. Reducing the conifer encroachment will remove pinon/juniper that leach the soil of water within these upland meadows. This will increase the amount of shrubs, grasses, and forbs which will reduce surface water runoff and debris flows (which causes soil erosion and poor water quality) and aid in retaining the moisture and water in the ecosystem. The project will also occur on some north facing slopes where water retention potential would be the greatest. (Roundy B. A. Roundy, K. Young, N. Cline, A. Hulet, R. F. Miller, R. J. Tausch, J. C. Chambers, and B. Rau. 2014. Pinon-juniper reduction increases soil water availability of the resource growth pool. Rangeland Ecology & Management 67(5) September 2014.)

Archaeology/Cultural surveys have already been conducted for this project with a NEPA Decision (Categorical Exclusion) anticipated to be signed in March of 2025. This project complies with the 2024 Ashley Revised Forest Plan and moves towards attaining Desired Conditions outlined in that Plan.

The conifer removal part of this project would be handled under a contract. Removal of encroaching conifers will be done with hand crews using chainsaws. Cut materials will be left on the site or lopped and scattered. There will be no piling, slashing, or burning of cut materials. Conifer treatments will occur from mid-summer to fall. The guzzler repair part of the project will consist of repairing the metal apron, replacing the rain gutters, installing splash guards to the rain gutters, and building a fence around the guzzler to prevent elk from walking on the guzzler and damaging the apron and rain gutters. The trough will not be fenced to allow wildlife access to the water. The Forest Service will provide the labor for repairs and cost of materials.

Long term monitoring will continue in the area to measure the results of the project. Monitoring will be conducted within the conifer encroachment removal area through long term vegetative plots that have been established in the project area, sage-grouse lek counts, bird point counts, and big game counts. Additionally, as shown in WILDLIFE TRACKER, the UDWR has collared elk that utilize this area, which they would continue to track and monitor during implementation of the project as well as after implementation. Monitoring results will be available as the monitoring is completed. The long-term vegetative plots will be documented with repeat photography and photos and results of the monitoring will be provided.

The project is surrounded by Forest lands, except on the north side where two of the lop and scatter units border tribal lands. We have reached out to the Tribe but have not heard back from them yet regarding this project. Past feedback from the tribe on these types of projects have been positive (e.g. Jefferson Park Lop and Scatter Project). We will be presenting this project to the Tribe at our next coordination meeting with the Tribal Task Force this winter. Permittees that are permitted to run livestock on the Ashley NF are in favor of this type of project as it benefits livestock.

Future management in the area will continue to maintain these communities for wildlife, grazing, and overall watershed health. This management is in compliance with the 2024 Ashley Revised Forest Plan. Post implementation monitoring of the project will determine when future treatments to remove encroaching conifers may be needed.

Conifer removal will leave material on the ground will aide nutrient cycling as well as provide some valued nesting habitat for birds. Several bird species have been documented using this slash material, including sage-grouse. As this project improves habitat for high interest big game species (e.g. deer, elk, and antelope), it will thus improve hunting and wildlife viewing opportunity (recreational benefit). A current grazing management plan has been completed for the allotment wherein the project resides. This project will maintain forage and grazing conditions for both wildlife and livestock by deterring the encroachment of conifers into these communities. Grazing regimes are not anticipated to be changed as a result from this project, but rather maintained as forage is maintained by implementation. Permittees that are permitted to run livestock on the Ashley NF are in favor of this type of project as it benefits livestock. The maintenance of these sagebrush and mountain brush communities, and the resulting wildlife improvement, will improve the public experience related to hunting, camping, wildlife viewing, and other general outdoor activities including firewood gathering.