Project Highlight: Medicine Bow National Forest Landscape Vegetation Analysis (LaVA) Project
The LaVA Project was initiated to address the growing challenges of forest density, wildfire risk, and watershed health in the Medicine Bow National Forest. This large-scale vegetation management effort is a partnership between the LSR Conservation District, the USFS, and private landowners. It aims to restore ecological balance by:
Reducing overgrown forest density to mitigate catastrophic wildfire risks.
Enhancing water yield through selective thinning and vegetation treatments.
Protecting the critical habitats within the Little Snake River Basin and improving overall forest health.
The project emphasizes the need for collaborative forest management strategies to balance ecological restoration with local community and stakeholder priorities. Wyoming’s Legislature contributed to the project’s impact by submitting comments to support increasing equivalent clearcut area caps to maximize water yield benefits.
Updates: Coming Soon