Prescribed burns to continue in Lake Tahoe basin next week

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will continue widespread prescribed fire operations beginning the week of November 30, 2015.

Operations are planned for the following areas:

57 acres on urban lots on the west side of Incline Village. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast/East.

28 acres off Fairway Drive near Tahoe City. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast/East.

105 acres in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park north of Spooner Lake. Smoked expected to travel Northeast.

70 acres near Elizabeth Drive in Tahoma. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast.

120 acres near Grass Lake off South Upper Truckee Road in Meyers. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast.

5 acres near F Street in South Lake Tahoe. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast.

70 acres on USFS land near Ski Run Blvd. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast.

50 acres in Carnelian Bay. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast.

100 acres in Kings Beach. Smoke expected to travel North/Northeast.

Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each prescribed fire operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) will give as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitor weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition. They wait for favorable conditions that will carry smoke up and out of the Basin. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed 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 at 530-543-2816. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us. For more information on prescribed fire operations and smoke management tips, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/RxFireOps.