The scent of pinyon pine and juniper was heavy in the air as stands of trees high above Nine Mile Canyon on the Tavaputs Plateau were being cleared as part of a habitat improvement project. Freshly cut tree trunks and branches and mulch littered hundreds of acres of ground on Cottonwood Ridge, where snow was melting under a clear sky that afforded a panoramic view all the way to the High Uintas and the Wasatch Range.
The 2,000 acre Cottonwood Ridge Habitat Improvement Project was planned and implemented by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists Nicole Nielson and Robby Edgel, and BLM wildlife biologist Jared Reese. Edgel told the Sun Advocate during a tour of the project Thursday the pinyon pine and juniper trees have begun to encroach and take over sagebrush communities throughout the West. He says they will eventually grow in such dense stands that they will out-compete sagebrush, grasses, and forb species. The result is a loss of food and habitat for wildlife and livestock.
Historically, wildfires were key in maintaining a balance of habitat diversity, but the relatively recent policy of extinguishing most wildland fires as soon as possible has impeded the natural process. Prescribed burns have been used to imitate nature’s process, but they are expensive and risky. Edgel reports, “Through technology and the best science available we have developed alternative methods of replacing fire in the ecosystems.” He says the mechanical-method projects are designed in a mosaic pattern to mimic what it would look like after a fire.
The invading force included a 20-man chainsaw crew and four masticating machines, called bullhogs, which are mounted on track hoe booms. Workers with chainsaws carried out the “lop & scatter” phase of the project in areas where understory shrubs and grasses have not been completely lost. The bullhogs literally chewed up the trees and spit them out.
This technique is used when Pinyon and Juniper trees have already out-competed the understory vegetation, leaving bare ground underneath the trees. The seed source is lost in this case so aerial re-seeding takes place in advance of the bullhogs which turn up the soil in addition to mulching of the trees.
The Cottonwood Ridge Project was designed to benefit sage-grouse, mule deer, and elk. Edgel says these types of projects, “Definitely played a role in the decision not to list the sage-grouse as endangered.” He says sage-grouse avoid areas where trees provide a perch for predators such as hawks and eagles.
Also, by removing the trees, the sagebrush, grasses and forbs that sage-grouse eat and use as nesting areas, will grow back. This will also provide more food for deer and elk. “When you do good things for sage-grouse, you benefit mule deer and other species- even livestock can benefit from projects like this,” he stated.
The project has been underway for about a month and is expected to be completed by mid-December. Edgel said, “We’ve seen good results in other areas. Pretty quickly- two or three years down the road we should see a lot of vegetation here for deer and elk and sage-grouse to eat.” He says other wildlife all along the food chain including bears, cougars, raptors, rabbits, and rodents will also benefit from the habitat improvement.
The Cottonwood Ridge Habitat Improvement Project was funded by mitigation money from Bill Barrett Corporation, with other funding from the Western Watershed Restoration Initiative, Mule Deer Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, and the Safari Club International.
DWR Energy Biologist Robby Edgel earned a master’s degree from BYU in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation. He says, “I have always been interested in wildlife. It’s definitely a passion of mine.”
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