$2.3M headed to Lake Tahoe for fire prevention projects

In August, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) awarded $27.5 million to fund high-priority forest health projects designed to combat climate change and reduce the risk of wildfires.

During their board meeting Thursday the California Tahoe Conservancy Board accepted their portion, a $2.3 million grant, for fire prevention projects and related efforts as part of the Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative.

“The Conservancy is excited to use these funds to advance projects that will protect local communities and help improve the resilience of Tahoe’s forests,” said Conservancy Board Member Larry Sevison.

Led by the Tahoe Conservancy and Sierra Nevada Conservancy, the Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative aims to restore social and ecological resilience to forests and watersheds across a 2.4 million-acre landscape that includes the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Conservancy plans to use the grant to fund fuels reduction and forest thinning projects in Burton Creek State Park and on the Conservancy’s Dollar property in Placer County. The forest thinning efforts will also increase the resistance of the trees to bark beetles.

The funds will also enable the Conservancy to improve the use of biomass and wood produced by the Basin's forest management projects. Additionally, the CAL FIRE grant will support interagency research on how Tahoe’s forest ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change impacts.