Forest thinning underway near Pioneer Trail and Lake Baron

You may have noticed all of the trees missing from large areas of South Lake Tahoe recently. The U.S. Forest Service has had forest thinning projects going on in several locations around the South Shore in order to reduce forest fire fuels and improve forest health.

They are currently working in an area off forest roads near the Powerline Trail near Trout Creek, southwest of Columbine Trail. The Forest Service will close the areas in units 74, 1074, 199, and 1199 from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily beginning September 17, 2014 through December 1, 2014, for public safety due to heavy equipment operations and falling trees.

Since the end of July, crews have been working on thinning the area around Lake Baron in Meyers. That project will go through November.

Hazards may be present even when operations have finished for the day and the closure is not in effect. Individuals disregarding the closure may be cited, with subsequent fines or jail time.

Work is expected to last approximately six weeks. The forest thinning is part of the South Shore Fuels Reductions and Healthy Forest Restoration Project, which will treat approximately 10,000 acres between Cascade Lake and Stateline, Nevada.
The closure order and map showing units 74, 1074, 199, and 1199 will be posted at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/SouthShoreFuelReduction.