Ongoing prescribed burn operations around Lake Tahoe Basin

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) will resume prescribed fire operations this week in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Operations will continue over the next several weeks, conditions and weather permitting. Smoke may be visible.

1. Lyons Ranch - California Tahoe Conservancy - Northwest of the Golden Bear Subdivision. East of Lake Tahoe Airport. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 10.00. Planned Ignition: 01/11-15/2021. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 2-3 days of ignition and 2 days of burn down time. Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast/East. Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Pioneer tr., Lake Tahoe Airport and US Hwy 50/SR 89 in the Meyers and "Y" areas.

2. Sugar Pine Point State Park - California State Parks - West of Hwy 89, along S Fire Rd and Campground Rd. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 20.00.

Planned Ignition: 11/30/2020 - 12/18/2020. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 3 weeks. Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Hwy 89, Tahoma, Glenridge

3. Burton Creek State Park - California State Parks - North of Rocky Ridge, West of North Tahoe High School. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 17.00. Planned Ignition: 11/30/2020 - 12/18/2020. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 3 weeks. Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Tahoe City, Highlands, Lake Forest, Hwy 28.

4. USFS (Rose 06, 1042, 42) - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District - East of Fairview Blvd, south of SR431, Incline Village, NV. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 83.00. Planned Ignition: 01/04-15/2021. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 1 day of ignition and 1 day of burn down time. Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast/East Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible throughout the Tahoe Basin and surrounding communities.

5. Nevada Regional - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District - North of Sweetwater Road, Incline Village, NV - Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 80.00
Planned Ignition: 01/04-15/2021. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 1 day of ignition and 1 day of burn down time. Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast/East. Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible throughout the Tahoe Basin and surrounding communities.

6. Glenbrook Rx - Tahoe Douglas Fire District - Glenbrook, NV. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 3.00. Planned Ignition: 12/29/2020. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 1-2 days of burn down time. Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast. Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Glenbrook to Cave Rock.

7. USFS Secret Rx - Tahoe Douglas Fire District - Spooner Summit, NV. Burn Type: Hand Piles Total Acreage: 10.00. Planned Ignition: 12/29/2020. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 1-2 days of burn down time. Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast. Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Glenbrook and Spooner Summit.

A map with project locations and detailed information is available for viewing at www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/get-informed/. Sign-up to receive email prescribed fire notifications at pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

Prescribed fire managers use different methods to reintroduce fire back into our forests that include pile burning and understory burning. Pile burning is intended to remove excess fuels (branches, limbs and stumps) that can feed unwanted wildfires and involves burning slash piles that are constructed by hand and mechanical equipment. Understory burning is low intensity prescribed fire that takes place on the ground (the understory) rather than pile burning. Understory burning uses a controlled application of fire to remove excess vegetation under specific environmental conditions that allow fire to be confined to a predetermined area. Understory burning produces fire behavior and fire characteristics required to attain planned fire and resource management objectives.

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

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 wildland fires.

Agencies coordinate 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 disperse it away from sensitive areas. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively materials are consumed and how smoke will travel.

Before prescribed fire operations are conducted, agencies post road signs around areas affected by prescribed fire, send email notifications and update the local fire information line maintained by the USDA Forest Service at 530-543-2816. The TFFT gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice due to the small window of opportunity to conduct these operations.

To learn more about the benefits of prescribed fire, visit https://tahoe.livingwithfire.info/get-informed/understanding-fire/.