GNA Spotlight, Wyoming, October 2024
The North Prong Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) Projects are located on the High Desert Bureau of Land Management (BLM) District in southeast Wyoming. Two GNA projects were included in this location, a timber sale and timber stand improvement. The BLM parcel is landlocked by private land. The Wyoming State Forestry Division (WSFD) previously completed activities on the adjacent private land, allowing the state to gain access to complete these projects on the BLM parcel.
The North Prong GNA Timber Sale harvested roughly 620 MBF of lodgepole pine across 58 acres. These stands of lodgepole pine had reached their growing peak and were starting to die off from age and forest health concerns. The revenue generated from this timber sale will be used on additional restoration service projects for the High Desert BLM District. The North Prong GNA Timber Stand Improvement Project thinned out non-commercial sapling lodgepole pine trees. These areas were last harvested in the late 1990s, and the young lodgepole pine stands are overstocked with increasing forest health and growth concerns. Thinning these lodgepole pine stands will improve stand vigor and resilience.
Key takeaways from the GNA projects on this BLM parcel include building relationships with private landowners is crucial. WSFD has been working with this landowner for several years now, and the established relationship allowed the state to gain access to complete these important forest management activities. Completing these two projects in one entry instead of two different times allowed for a smoother operation with the private landowner.
For more information, please contact Travis Pardue.