Big Meadow Watershed Fire Regime Restoration
Strategy
Hydrologic Process & Geomorphic Feature Restoration
Lead Implementer
U.S. Forest Service - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Funders
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
Project Primary Contact
Brian Garrett
Project Stage
Implementation
Duration
2010 - 2027
Riparian Zone Restoration
Hydrologic Process & Geomorphic Feature Restoration
This 640-acre project restores upland, riparian, aspen, and meadow habitat in Big Meadow Creek watershed and restores fire on the landscape. We thinned conifers from most of the project area and began burning slash piles. Future priorities include: burn remaining slash piles, thin areas with a lack of resilient forest conditions, and use prescribed fire to restore native meadow vegetation. There is an urgent need to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and massive tree die off from insects, by treating hazardous fuels that have accumulated in these forests. There is also a need to use prescribed fire to reintroduce natural disturbances as a means of improving resilient conditions.
Key Accomplishments
- Acres of Habitat Restored/Created: 296.00 acres
Pillars of Resilience
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Forest Resilience
- Social & Cultural Well-Being
- Water Security
- Wetland Integrity
Big Meadow forested edge
Credit: LTBMU
Location
Expenditures
Expenditures by Funding Source to Date: $816,600.00
Southern Nevada Publi... (USFS - LTBMU): $771,600
U.S. Forest Service (USFS - LTBMU): $45,000
Photos
Big Meadow project area riparian (Timing: Before)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow aspen stand 2 (Timing: Before)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow project aspen stand (Timing: Before)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow project upland forest (Timing: Before)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow project riparian (Timing: After)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow aspen stand 2 (Timing: After)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow project aspen stand (Timing: After)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow project upland forest (Timing: After)
Credit: LTBMU
Big Meadow Forested Edge (Timing: After)
Credit: LTBMU
Project last updated 2/19/2025