Prescribed burn operations continue around Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal land management agencies, will continue prescribed fire operations in the Tahoe Basin over the next several weeks, weather permitting. Smoke may be visible.

Aspen 1011 - USDA Forest Service - Location: Off Pioneer and Marshall trails near South Lake Tahoe. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 10.00. Planned Ignition: 02/28/2020

Twin Peaks 1091 - USDA Forest Service - Location: Near corner of Pawnee Drive and Iroquois Circle, Meyers, CA. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 30.00.

Sugar Pine Point State Park - California State Parks - Location: Sugar Pine Point State Park: Rod Beaudry Trail northwest of Ehrman Manion. Burn Type: Hand Pile.
Total Acreage: 2.00. Planned Ignition: 03/02/2020

Burton Creek State Park - California State Parks - Location: Burton Creek State Park: North of Rocky Ridge. Burn Type: Hand piles. Total Acreage: 10.00. Planned Ignition: 02/18/2020

Machine Pile 38 - USDA Forest Service. Location: Off Forest Road 16N73 (Mt. Watson Rd.) Burn Type: Machine Pile. Total Acreage: 1.00. Planned Ignition: 02/20/2020

Machine Pile 35 - USDA Forest Service - Location: Off Forest Road 16N73 (Mt. Watson Rd.) Burn Type: Machine Pile. Total Acreage: 1.00. Planned Ignition: 02/20/2020

Machine Pile 33 - USDA Forest Service - Location: Off Forest Road 16N73 (Mt. Watson Rd.) - Burn Type: Machine Pile - Total Acreage: 2.00. Planned Ignition: 02/20/2020

Machine Piles 36/37 - USDA Forest Service. Location: Off Forest Road 16N52 (Brockway Summit). Burn Type: Machine Pile. Total Acreage: 3.00. Planned Ignition: 02/26/2020

Griff 2002 - USDA Forest Service - Location: Near Cambridge Drive and Highway 267 above Kings Beach. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 60.00. Planned Ignition: 03/04 - 05/2020.

Rose 06, 42, 1042 - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District. Location: Northeast side of Incline Village, off of Fairview Drive. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 25.00. Planned Ignition: 02/18 - 03/05/2020

NV Regional - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District. Location: East side of Incline Village, east of Altdorf Terrace and Lucern Way. Burn Type: Hand Piles
Total Acreage: 11.00. Planned Ignition: 02/18 - 03/05/2020

Spooner Pile Burn - Nevada Division of Forestry. Location: From Spooner Lake North one mile and east to the Tahoe Rim Trail. Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 15.00. Planned Ignition: 03/01-31/2020.

Secret 2 - Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District - Location: Spooner Summit
Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 10.00. Planned Ignition: 03/03/2020

Glenbrook - Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District. Location: Glenbrook, Nevada
Burn Type: Hand Piles. Total Acreage: 20.00. Planned Ignition: Ongoing as of 11/28/2019.

Some ignitions not on this list may occur. View map with project locations/details and any additions at https://www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/get-informed/ and sign-up for prescribed fire notifications by sending an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

Each prescribed fire operation follows a specialized burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. All of this information is used to decide when and where to burn.

Prescribed fire operations are conducted whenever weather, conditions and staffing allow to reduce excess vegetation that can feed unwanted wildland fires. Planned fires now reduce the threat of unplanned fires later, which helps provide increased community protection. Fire is a natural process in the Sierra Nevada and helps keep our forests healthy by minimizing the spread of insects and disease, recycling nutrients back into the soil and promoting improved habitat for diverse vegetation and wildlife.

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 unwanted 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 smoke 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 Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit 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 for conducting these operations.