Back to main Red Rock Forests page. THE CITIZENS FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN for the Three Southern Utah National Forests: Manti-La Sal—Dixie—Fishlake Working Drafts of the Citizens Forest Management Plan The following is Part B: Issue Summary from the working draft of the  Citizens Forest Management Plan. Click here for Part A: Issue Statement Click here for Recreation goals and objectives While both Parts A. and B. are very brief they contain enough information to help citizens make general recommendations to the Forest Service Planners.  Our hope is that each citizen activist will indicate to the Forest Planners his or her support for the generalized concepts, and that activists with special interest or knowledge in one or more of the topics will express their special or personal concerns.   Additional discussion of the issues, goals, objectives, and directions summarized in Part B. below will be added to this site over the next few weeks. Please note the considerable reference to species of concern, their numbers, their plight, etc.  When TNC’s assessment of the High Plateaus is finished (target date is September 16) a lot of detail will become available. Using TNC’s work implies neither our endorsement of their model, nor their endorsement of our advocacy.  Any help and advice will be sincerely appreciated. B.  Issue Summaries     1.  Ecosystem Function and Process     2.  Elements of Biological Diversity     3.  Land Management Designations     4.  Recreational and Educational Opportunities     5.  Economic Activities     6.  Management Approach     7.  Our Approach     8.  Review and Input 1.  Ecosystem Function and Process a.  Watershed Management This section calls for adequate watershed and aquatic protection at the landscape (Geographic Area) level, coupled with specific management strategies for sensitive habitats like riparian areas. Achieving the goals of Biological Diversity will be the primary means for meeting watershed health goals.  Watershed-level analyses and strategies are useful as a tool for developing additional protection measures within watersheds and prioritizing the restoration of watershed health and riparian ecosystems. The emphasis is on preventing the causes of watershed degradation instead of perpetuating destructive activities such as timber harvest and ORV recreation and having to continuously repair the damage. b.  Fire Management This section prioritizes the restoration of natural fire patterns where possible and using strategies tailored to the needs and conditions of individual vegetative communities. It establishes strategies for creating effective wildland-urban buffers to protect communities and property.  It calls for Forest Service and counties to cooperatively define and require, by county ordinance, defensible spaces around homes in the forest. c.  Airshed Management This section calls upon the Forest Service to prevent its own emissions through a variety of strategies, allowing for short-term exceptions necessary to fulfill resource management goals (e.g. prescribed burning). This section also advises the Forest Service to seek out opportunities and collaborations to better protect Forest resources from the air pollution plaguing the entire Four Corners Area, which is degrading visibility and impairing the ecological health of the Forests. 2.  Elements of Biological Diversity a.  Vegetation Management The Forests contain a diverse suite of vegetative communities. This section promotes tailored community-level protection and management. b.  Soils Management All activities on the Forests must be evaluated for their impacts on soil structure and function, including the health of cryptobiotic crusts, microbes, invertebrate communities, and permeability to water. c.  Management Indicator Species/Focal Species This section lists animals that are carefully selected focal species, or “management indicator species.” These species are identified as important barometers of forest and ecosystem health.  But species currently identified by Forests are not necessarily the right ones.  For example, amphibians and reptiles are rarely identified as Management Indicator Species despite the fact that amphibians are highly sensitive to changes in aquatic, riparian, and upland habitat quality, and water quality and quantity. d.  Listed Species and Sensitive Species As the Forests are the last refuge for many imperiled species, this section charges the Forest Service to ensure the protection and recovery of all such species based on the best available science. All activities on the Forests must be evaluated for their impacts to federal- and state-listed and sensitive species. e.  Invasive Species Management Eradication and control of invasive species is a priority, coupled with subsequent restoration and monitoring to ensure successful restoration of native ecological communities. This section also challenges the Forest Service to aggressively prevent the introduction of additional invasive species. 3.  Land Management Designations a.  Roadless Areas, Wilderness, and Wild and Scenic Rivers This section largely echoes a multi-year strategy developed by leading wilderness organizations in the state and country.  It provides for the protection of public access to some of our most spectacular, undeveloped wildlands in the state. It calls for a comprehensive roads inventory and the management of all unroaded areas as roadless reserves.  It calls for Wilderness designation for all areas found eligible by the roadless survey now being conducted by UFN. b.  Habitat Linkages This section calls for special protection of wildlife corridors and provides direction on ensuring landscape-level connectivity both within and between the three Forests, and between the Forests and Redrock Wilderness. All activities on Forests must be analyzed for their potential impact on habitat linkages, and managed to eliminate negative impacts. c.  Research Natural Areas (RNAs) RNAs are established to protect land in perpetuity as living learning centers for ecological research and restoration. This section outlines a strategy for the RNA system to include full representation of the ecological processes and diversity that occur on the Forests. d.  Special Interest Areas (SIAs) SIAs are designated to protect the areas of extraordinary botanical, zoological, scientific, geological, cultural, and scenic values and other interests that deserve special recognition and management. This section proposes a suite of  SIAs that represents the unique resource values of the Forests. e.  Land Protection Opportunities This section promotes the acquisition of lands from willing sellers and the establishment of conservation easements that would enhance resource protection and recreational opportunities.  It also promotes land exchanges that would enhance resource protection, provided there are no issues involving equal value. 4.  Recreational and Educational Opportunities a.  Cultural Resources This section emphasizes the coordination of cultural resource protection with tribal uses. It calls for surveys and protection of culturally significant archeological resources. Protection is especially needed where fires, e.g. Hammond, have exposed hidden resources and allowed ATV access to them following trails left by firefighters or user made trails  This section also addresses the preservation of historical resources. b.  Environmental Education & Outreach This section provides suggestions as to how the Forest Service can use a variety of strategies, venues, and partnerships to teach the public about the rich natural heritage of the region, and how to minimize impacts to the Forests. Emphasis is also on developing education and outreach programs that are culturally accessible for the diverse populace served by the Forests. c.  Recreation/Recreational Opportunity Spectrum This section outlines a wide spectrum of recreational opportunities that exist for the public, from primitive backcountry to more developed types of recreation, and discusses how to site activities to ensure resource protection. It calls for a balanced approach emphasizing a non-motorized recreation experience. It requires analysis of recreation carrying capacities. ORV use is restricted to trails designated as open on the travel map and  posted open by signs. Specific criteria for dealing with ORV trails and oversnow machines in Inventoried Roadless Areas are established.  All cross-country travel is prohibited except in specifically designated areas. Routes and trails for recreation will be redesigned or eliminated to protect sensitive resources. Areas and trails resulting in resource degradation will be restored after closure.  Off road dispersed camping will be limited to designated sites, all others will be closed and restored.  (see SUP below) 5.  Economic Activities a.  Special Use Permits (SUPs) Certain permitted activities on the Forests have the potential to negatively impact resources and are regulated through SUPs. This section identifies conditions to attach to SUPs that will minimize and fully mitigate impacts.  The number of authorized outfitter-guide recreation operations will remain essentially the same over the life of this plan, because the existing determination of desirable and appropriate guided services remains valid, and the demand is in balance with supply. b.  Roads and Trails This section calls for the Forest Service to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all current roads and to identify appropriate roads for removal and restoration. A rational travel system must be designed to meet present and future needs, featuring minimal development and maintained for low impact, low speed use. Travel is restricted to roads and trails designated by travel map and posted by sign for particular uses. All cross-country travel is prohibited except in specifically designated recreation areas.  Conversion of poorly maintained roads to ORV trails, and resource damaging ORV trails to hiking or biking trails is emphasized where conditions permit.  The emphasis is on maintaining remaining roads to minimize watershed degradation and to facilitate wildlife movement. c.  Transportation, Utility, and Telecommunications Corridors This section prohibits the establishment of new transportation, utility, or telecommunications rights-of-way beyond the existing, sprawling network. Only existing footprints shall be used for any additional development. Companies need to pay fair market value for use of these areas, and that funding should be used for restoration. This section also calls for an evaluation of impacts of existing rights-of-way and provides for mitigation of those impacts. d.  Timber Harvest This section steers the Forest Service towards the goal of ending commercial timber sales. On a case-by-case basis, individuals may be allowed to cut for local use in areas previously logged, or to gather firewood. All other harvest activities will be limited to strictly defined undergrowth reduction for fire management purposes only, either conducted or closely supervised by the agency. e.  Domestic Livestock Grazing This section steers the Forest Service towards the elimination of commercial domestic livestock grazing in areas found to be ecologically unsuitable for grazing, through buyouts and allotment retirement. In the interim, specific mitigation measures include better overall grazing regulation, boundary modifications, and other measures that will minimize domestic livestock impacts to sensitive resources.  In areas deemed suitable for grazing, where range is determined to be in good to excellent condition, this section calls for intensive grazing management based on methods proven effective to maintain range in excellent condition.  Forage utilization should be allocated first to achieve objectives for biodiversity, second to managed wildlife, and third to livestock. f.  Oil and Gas Drilling This section prohibits any additional oil and gas drilling activities. g.  Minerals Management This section directs the Forest Service to regulate proposed mining operations on public land based on a mine’s impacts to environmental or cultural resources. The Forest Service must deny any operation that cannot ensure compliance with the basic environmental laws and standards. 6.  Management Approach a.  Monitoring and Adaptive Management This section refers back to all other sections by outlining criteria and parameters for monitoring and adaptive management. Activities that have the potential to adversely affect resources cannot go forward without sufficient preliminary research and analysis, and permitted actions must be accompanied by informed mitigation measures and an effective monitoring plan. b.  Funding This section recognizes the necessity of sufficient funding for appropriate management. Thus, if the agency does not have existing or sufficient funding to fully manage and monitor activities that could degrade or undermine the protection of the Forests’ natural and cultural resources, the Forest Service shall restrict that activity until such funding is procured. The Forest Service must prioritize the pursuit of funding for resource protection and recovery through a variety of strategies. 7.  Our Approach a.  Analysis of Existing Conditions Extensive research and analyses of GIS data sources will be conducted to assess existing conditions on the Forests. This includes scientific literature, existing Land and Resource Management Plans, Recovery Plans, Special Technical Reports, etc. GIS data used in the analysis of existing conditions will be based on data provided by the Forest Service, and generated by the Utah Forest Network’s survey of roadless areas. b.  Identification of Ecological Challenges The Forests have suffered from the extirpation of native species, the degradation of their rivers and streams, fire suppression, exotic species introductions, and habitat fragmentation and destruction. Adding insult to injury the ATV craze of recent years has all but eliminated opportunities for quiet and solitude, as well as habitat security for wildlife. This section provides detailed management prescriptions for restoring the Forests’ health by restoring aquatic and upland areas; aspen groves; and species/age diversity in P-J/brushy areas; reinstating natural disturbance regimes; controlling exotic species; and building essential bridges between habitats.  Meeting these goals will allow for eventual self-reintroduction of extirpated species from other areas. Habitat restoration needs are being identified by spatially analyzing existing land use (recreation, roads, extractive industries, etc.) in relation to the occurrence of sensitive and listed species and natural communities. Riparian and meadow restoration projects receive special attention because southern Utah has already lost the vast bulk of its historic riparian communities. More than 80% of terrestrial vertebrate species are dependent on these communities. Numerous listed and sensitive species are also associated with riparian communities. Open meadows and aspen groves have similarly been reduced or eliminated by encroaching P-J and conifers.  Sage and other brushy areas suffer from encroaching P-J.  Much of southern Utah’s Ponderosa Pine resource has succumbed to the saw, while remaining old growth is threatened by wildfires because past fire suppression has led to unnatural buildup of fuel. 8.  Review and Input This section will be sent out to a number of scientists, including wildlife biologists, herpetologists, ornithologists, entomologists, botanists, hydrologists, fire scientists, foresters, etc., to elicit their input on sections of the Alternative within their respective disciplines. Upon completion of each section of the Conservation Alternative, a draft will be sent to these scientists for their review.  Their comments and suggestions will be incorporated into the final document. Back to main Red Rock Forests page.