Five Mile Sagebrush Restoration

Vermillion Cliffs--Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Utah



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Five Mile Sagebrush Restoration

Background
Large stands of decadent and dead sagebrush have been identified by Monument and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) staff during a Fall 03 field trip to evaluate sagebrush die-offs in the monument. In addition, many range seedings conducted in the 1960's and 1970's are in poor condition as a result of sustained drought and grazing pressure. These areas of degraded sagebrush steppe are located along Highway 89 east of Kanab to the Cockscomb Range. The estimated size of the area is 32,086 acres and is located within the critical winter range of the Paunsaguant Deer Herd. As such, the area is a high priority restoration project for UDWR and they have expressed interest in assisting with this project on numerous occasions. In addition, the proximity to old fires in the Five Mile and Buckskin Mountain areas makes weed encroachment from these areas a serious concern. The lack of herbaceous understory species and the high percentage of dead sagebrush make the sagebrush stand highly susceptible to weed invasion and potentially fire prone. Proactive restoration of this site before it is invaded by weed species will greatly enhance our chances of restoration success. Documentation of baseline vegetation conditions has been initiated by monument and UDWR staff over the winter and will continue in Spring 04. These data will allow us to gauge project success over time relative to existing conditions. The overall goal of this project is to create a healthy, resilient plant community composed of mixed age sagebrush plants and site adapted native grasses and forbs. Specific targets for plant cover will be established in the monitoring plan after baseline conditions are documented. Increasing the minimal herbaceous plant cover in this area will help stabilize the erosive and unstable soils. The restoration of this plant community will repair a system that appears to have progressed beyond self healing and will provide much needed improvements to wildlife habitat.

Proposed Activities
During the fall field trip with UDWR habitat specialists and monument staff, several strategies were developed to assist with the restoration of the dead sagebrush stand. UDWR recommended use of a Dixie Harrow to break up the standing dead sagebrush and return it to the ground as litter and nurse sites for young seedlings. This method would also distribute any seed left on the decadent sagebrush to the ground for germination. Additional sagebrush seed and mix of native grasses and forbs would be applied from the harrow. The stand would be treated in a mosaic pattern instead of uniformly applying the treatment to the entire area. This would allow diverse age stands and would appear more natural than an even aged stand. At this time, no weed treatments were proposed but may be required at a later date if weeds become established. Biological soil crusts are abundant in a patchy distribution on the site and may be collected for redistribution in areas that will be disturbed by the aerator.

Environmental Clearances
An Environmental Assessment (EA) will be released for this project. Any associated clearances such as rare plant surveys and cultural resource surveys will likely be performed this spring and summer. The estimated timeline for completing environmental documentation for this project is Fall 2006 with project implementation in late Fall/early Winter 2006.