The Dillon Unit of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) has received a request from the SW Montana Sagebrush Partnership (SMSP) for conifer encroachment removal projects in the East Pioneers of Beaverhead County (T2S, R9W, Section 16 & T2S, R10W, Section 36). Approximately 665 acres of conifer encroachment removal and a potential prescribed burn are proposed across two locations, see Exhibit A – Project Location Map, on DNRC State Trusts Lands tracts held in trust for the Common Schools grant. The project is cross-boundary in nature, involving collaboration between the DNRC, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the United States Forest Service (USFS), and a private landowner, with the work facilitated by the SMSP. In total, approximately 1,046 acres of BLM land, 468 acres of USFS land, and 31 acres of private land will be treated for conifer encroachment removal, encompassing a treatment area of roughly 2,210 acres. The primary goal of the project is to improve sage grouse, wet meadow, and mountain mahogany habitats by removing scattered Douglas-fir and Rocky Mountain Juniper from sagebrush-grassland areas. Additional benefits will include a reduction in wildfire severity and improved rangeland for wildlife and livestock. This project is expected to begin as early as the summer-fall of 2024 and may extend up to 5 years. Monitoring will be conducted by the DNRC, SMSP, BLM, USFS, and the private landowner to assess treatment effectiveness and identify necessary adjustments. Conifer encroachment has been identified as a considerable threat to sage grouse conservation (80 FR 59858, October 2, 2015) while also threatening other wildlife, increasing the risk of more severe wildfires, and reducing forage for wildlife and livestock. Reducing the prevalence of rangeland-invading trees has been identified as an important objective for this region of southwest Montana. All of the proposed work will occur in General Habitat.