USFS fire operations scheduled to resume this week in Lake Tahoe

Weather permitting, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) may conduct prescribed fire operations this week on the north end of Lake Tahoe. Smoke may be present.

In the picture:

A) 25 acres on west side of 1st Creek Drainage

A map with project locations and details is available for viewing at http://www.tahoefft.org.

When weather and conditions allow, prescribed fire operations are conducted to reduce overgrown vegetation, which helps decrease the severity of future wildland fires, protects communities, reduces the risk of insect and disease outbreaks in our forests, recycles nutrients that increases soil productivity and improves wildlife habitat. After nearly a century of fire exclusion in the Sierra Nevada, prescribed fire operations also re-introduce fire back onto the landscape, which helps restores vital ecosystem functions and improves forest health and resiliency.

Winter brings cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each prescribed fire operation follows a specialized prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn.

The TFFT coordinates closely with local county and state air pollution control districts and monitor weather conditions carefully prior to prescribed fire ignitions. They wait for favorable conditions that will carry smoke up and out of the basin. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting larger areas, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed and how smoke will travel. When conditions meet the prescription, state and local air pollution control districts issue a burn permit allowing operations to proceed.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Prescribed fire smoke is generally less intense and of much shorter duration than smoke produced by a wildland fire. Smoke sensitive individuals are encouraged to reduce their exposure by staying indoors if they are in a smoke affected area.

Before prescribed fire operations are conducted, the TFFT posts road signs around areas affected by prescribed fire, sends email notifications and updates the local fire information line at 530-543-2816. The TFFT gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.

For information about smoke management tips, visit https://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=topics.smoke_events.