United States Department of Agriculture Draft Assessment Report of Ecological, Social, and Economic Conditions on the Ashley National Forest Forest Service July 2017 Cover Photos: (Top row) rafting on the Green River, cattle grazing near Brush Creek; (Middle row) prescribed fire operations, historic fishing at Grandaddy Lakes, four-wheeler on a motorized trail; (Bottom row) cross country skiers, Chepeta Lake road, ancient rock art. Note: We make every effort to create documents that are accessible to individuals of all abilities; however, limitations with our word processing programs may prevent some parts of this document from being readable by computer-assisted reading devices. If you need assistance with this document, please contact the Ashley National Forest at 435-781-5118. Ashley National Forest Assessment Report Prepared by: Ashley National Forest 355 North Vernal Avenue Vernal, UT 84078 Responsible Official: Jeff E. Schramm Assessment Report Team: Dan Abeyta Brad Gillespie Chris Plunkett Dustin Bambrough Dave Herron Gina Reese Greg Bevenger Allen Huber Jeff Rust Ryan Buerkle Don Jaques Nikki Sandhoff Robert Christensen Sarah Leahy Colette Webb Joe Flores Jim McRae Chris Whitney Chris Gamble Valton Mortenson Judy York Zoe Ghali Cathleen Neelan For further information or for copies of individual specialist reports, see the Ashley National Forest Web page at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ashley/landmanagement/planning or contact the forest plan revision team at [email protected] or 435-781-5118. Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Assessing Conditions to Revise Our Forest Plan ..................................................................................... 1 Overview of the Ashley National Forest .................................................................................................... 1 Scope and Scale of the Assessment ........................................................................................................ 4 Use of the Best Available Scientific Information ....................................................................................... 4 Public and Tribal Engagement in the Assessment Process ..................................................................... 5 Next Steps ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Assessing Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems ...................................................................................... 7 Air Quality .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Soil .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystems .......................................................................................................... 14 Terrestrial Ecosystems ............................................................................................................................ 21 Rare Habitat Types ............................................................................................................................. 21 Terrestrial Vegetation Communities .................................................................................................... 22 Plant Species at Risk .......................................................................................................................... 29 Carbon Stocks ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Terrestrial Wildlife Species and Habitats ............................................................................................ 33 Assessing Social, Cultural, and Economic Sustainability .................................................................... 40 Cultural and Historic Resources and Uses ............................................................................................. 40 Areas and Resources of Tribal Importance ............................................................................................ 48 Recreation Opportunities and Scenery ................................................................................................... 52 Social and Economic Conditions ............................................................................................................ 64 Rangelands and Grazing ........................................................................................................................ 75 Timber and Other Forest Products ......................................................................................................... 81 Energy and Mineral Resources ............................................................................................................... 85 Geologic Resources and Hazards .......................................................................................................... 91 Infrastructure ........................................................................................................................................... 94 Land Status, Ownership, Access, and Uses ......................................................................................... 100 i Draft Assessment Report Ashley National Forest Introduction The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. To accomplish this mission, the Forest Service is tasked with managing lands for “sustainability.” Each national forest and grassland has a land management plan that provides direction and guidance for its Forest Service managers to continue providing a variety of ecological, social, and economic benefits to the people of the United States. Assessing Conditions to Revise Our Forest Plan In July 2016, we—the staff of the Ashley National Forest—initiated the process of revising our land management plan (commonly referred to as the “forest plan”). The existing plan, written in 1986, is outdated in many ways. Natural resource and social conditions have changed, new scientific information has become available, and additional land management laws have been put into place. There have been changes in communities, economic activity, and land and resource use patterns. According to the Forest Service planning rule established in 2012,1 the first step in revising a forest plan is to prepare an assessment. Assessments are intended to rapidly evaluate existing, relevant information about the national forest. Covering many different topic areas, the assessment examines the ecological, economic, social, and cultural conditions, trends, risks and sustainability of national forest resources and services. This information is examined in light of its relationship to the existing land management plan, as well as the surrounding landscape. The purpose of the assessment is to provide a clear base of information for identifying what needs to change in the forest plan. The idea of sustainability as it relates to national forest management is to create a balance between our ecological, social, and economic needs. Our planning team has been gathering existing information and data, which is provided in detailed assessment reports. This document summarizes these reports and provides information to the public and our staff to help identify if and where there may be a need to change our existing forest plan. For more information on the forest plan revision process for the Ashley National Forest, visit the Ashley National Forest’s forest plan revision website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ashley/landmanagement/planning Overview of the Ashley National Forest The Ashley National Forest encompasses about 1.4 million acres in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming (figure 1, page 3). The national forest is located in three major areas: the northern and southern slopes of the Uinta Mountains, the Wyoming Basin, and the 1 See more about the 2012 Planning Rule at this Forest Service website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/planningrule. 1 Draft Assessment Report Ashley National Forest Tavaputs Plateau. Elevations range from 5,500 feet on the Green River below Little Hole near Dutch John to 13,528 feet at the summit of King’s Peak (the highest point in Utah). About 70 percent of the Ashley falls within the Uinta Mountains. This is the largest east-west trending mountain range in the lower 48 states and, together with the Tavaputs Plateau, provides a unique ecological transition zone connecting the northern and southern Rocky Mountains. Established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Ashley National Forest was named for General W.H. Ashley who directed an expedition down the Green River in 1825. Lands within the Ashley National Forest support a diverse range of vegetation, wildlife, geology, uses, and activities. A single day’s drive takes visitors through life zones ranging from high desert vegetation to shrub-steppe and aspen zones to extensive conifer forests and high alpine ecosystems. The Uinta Mountains have a large lodgepole pine belt that is unique in Utah, as well as nearly 300 square miles of alpine habitat. The diversity of fish and