Circuit court upholds Lake Tahoe Angora fire analysis

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed Thursday a district court ruling upholding Lake Tahoe area environmental analysis for the Angora fire area fuels reduction project.
The Angora Restoration Project was designed to protect wildlife habitat as well as reduce long-term wildfire risk to Lake Tahoe area communities. Two environmental groups, Earth Island Institute and Center for Biological Diversity, tried to stop arguing it would harm the black-backed woodpecker.
The Forest Service has completed mechanical and hand thinning of trees on approximately 1,441 acres in the Angora Fire area – primarily removing burned trees for fuels reduction, as well as some green trees to improve forest health, according to a press statement. It left 1,168 acres of the fire area untreated for species such as the black-backed woodpecker that use burned forests as habitat. Wildlife “leave islands,” downed trees and snags ensure that these habitat types remain even within treated areas.

“We are pleased that the Ninth Circuit found the agency’s environmental analysis to be sound, and that the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit was able to complete fuels reduction and forest health work in the area while the court deliberated,” said Pacific Southwest Deputy Regional Forester Barnie Gyant. “Our forests have the difficult task of balancing the needs of many species, as well as the safety of their local communities, and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit met that challenge.”
Caused by an abandoned illegal campfire, the Angora fire burned 3,100 acres near South Lake Tahoe, including 2,700 acres of public Forest Service land. The agency completed most short-term rehabilitation work in the first year after the fire, but decided to develop a comprehensive project to address past human impacts to the area that were affecting wildfire risk, forest health and stream, meadow and wetland function. The Forest Service expects to complete improvements to the road and trail system included in the project this fall, while work to restore Seneca Pond and Angora Creek will continue.
The Forest Service will also complete prescribed burning of piles left from thinning operations and continue noxious weed treatments. The agency has planted approximately 700 acres with native seedlings to jumpstart reforestation in some parts of the burn area. Go here for more on the project. http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/AngoraRestoration