S.C.R. 2 Enrolled

RESOLUTION URGING VEGETATION
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON BLM GROUND
2002 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Leonard M. Blackham
This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor urges the Federal Bureau
of Land Management to allow broad-based vegetation management practices on Bureau of
Land Management lands.
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
WHEREAS, although the Bureau of Land Management has historically carried out a
rangeland restoration program in Utah, the effort has not kept pace with dynamic changes that are
occurring on public lands and among certain ecosystems;
WHEREAS, many of the more productive shrublands have been replaced by cheatgrass in
areas of high fire frequency or dense stands of pinyon-juniper woodland where fire has been
excluded;
WHEREAS, big game, sage grouse, and a variety of migratory bird populations are
dependent on healthy sagebrush ranges for their survival;
WHEREAS, noxious weeds and invasive annual grasses are pervasive on many of these
sagebrush ranges, setting the stage for an unalterable increase in the frequency of fire and the
subsequent loss of productive rangelands for livestock and wildlife;
WHEREAS, fish and wildlife populations in Utah are significantly affected by water
availability;
WHEREAS, watersheds dominated by closed-canopied, pinyon-juniper woodlands lack
sufficient herbaceous plant cover to trap, store, and slowly release water to springs, streams, lakes,
and reservoirs;
WHEREAS, vast areas within these ecosystems have become "ecological dead ends,"
where plant communities no longer function to provide healthy watersheds, diverse wildlife
habitats, or productive grazing lands;
WHEREAS, natural recovery is no longer possible due to loss of seed reserves in the soil,

and the introduction of noxious weeds and exotic annual grasses;
WHEREAS, mule deer populations for several herd units in the state are currently below the
management objectives established by the state Wildlife Board;
WHEREAS, herd size is affected by the carrying capacity of the winter range;
WHEREAS, a significant amount of the winter ranges in the state are located on Bureau of
Land Management land, and management of these lands is key to sustaining healthy big game
populations;
WHEREAS, a well-planned, long-term restoration program is necessary to prevent the
large-scale conversion of diverse, productive shrublands to either annual grasslands or dense stands
of pinyon-juniper woodlands, depending on the fire regimen;
WHEREAS, the Bureau of Land Management needs to be able to select from the full range
of treatment prescriptions, such as mechanical, chemical, fire, and biological treatments, that have
proven successful in carrying out restoration projects in Utah;
WHEREAS, all adapted species, both native and nonnative, should be considered for use in
range restoration projects so that land managers may make adjustments in response to restoration
objectives, seed availability, budget constraints, and the need to select species that can compete
effectively with invasive weed species;
WHEREAS, the Bureau of Land Management should increase its capability for carrying out
prescribed burns to meet current and future targets for range restoration work on its lands;
WHEREAS, proper planting techniques should be followed when artificial seeding is
required to meet restoration objectives; and
WHEREAS, vegetation management on Bureau of Land Management land within Utah
would be of great benefit to the state:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
Governor concurring therein, urges the Federal Bureau of Land Management to use broad-based
vegetation management practices on Bureau of Land Management lands within Utah.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Federal Bureau
of Land Management, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and the members of Utah's

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congressional delegation.

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