LaVA to continue in Mullen scar

It’s been nearly a year since the Mullen Fire began southeast of Encampment, Wyoming. The fire, which began on the border of the Savage Run Wilderness Area before burning over 176,878 acres in Carbon and Albany counties in Wyoming and Jackson County in Colorado.

The Savage Run Wilderness Area, a part of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, was included for treatment plans in the United States Forest Service’s (USFS) Landscape Vegetation Analysis (LaVA) project. Now, a Supplemental Information Report for the project has been released by the USFS and is available for public review.

The report, signed by Forest Supervisor Russ Bacon this past August, examines whether the effects of the treatments covered under the final Record of Decision for the LaVA project are still within the parameters of what was analyzed in the Modified Final Environmental Impact Statement considering the conditions resulting from the Mullen Fire.

According to a press release from the USFS, the report indicates there still exists sufficient flexibility to manage the landscape based on its current condition. The report also provides linkage between the decision and project implementation, allowing the USFS to incorporate the changes from the fire into management decisions.

The press release went on to state that, within the footprint of the Mullen Fire, the report guides the forest service to prioritize treatments by “overlaying the needs for watersheds, wildlife and other resources.”

“It is anticipated that most of the work within the Mullen Fire footprint will be focused on restoration activities like reforestation. Fuels treatments may continue in locations of low burn severity or in stands prone to windthrow,” read the press release. “LaVA implementation outside of the Mullen Fire area can still proceed utilizing the environment sideboards in Appendix A.”

For more information, people are encouraged to contact District Ranger Jason Armbruster at 307-326-2501 or [email protected].