Low inversion layer keeping smoke from prescribed burns near ground

Smoke from local prescribed burns can be seen, and smelled, through much of South Lake Tahoe today. A cool night and low inversion layer have trapped the smoke closer to the ground than normal.

What most residents are experiencing is coming from a 69-acre prescribed burn area near Trout Creek that was ignited Friday. The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department said there are no vegetative fires in the basin.

Smoke was especially heavy Friday night and looked much like fog while navigating many streets in the area.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) developed a new mapping tool the public can use to view the location and details of each prescribed fire project. To view the map, visit http://www.tahoefft.org and click on the marker to see complete information for each operation.

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will continue widespread prescribed fire operations beginning the week of December 7, 2015.

Operations on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe may take place on the west side of Incline Village and in Carnelian Bay. On the South Shore, off South Upper Truckee Road near Meyers, off Columbine Trail and Ski Run Boulevard near South Lake Tahoe, and on Kingsbury Grade. On the East Shore, off Logan Creek Drive, south of Glenbrook, on Spooner Summit, and north of Spooner Lake. Operations may continue over the next several weeks as weather and conditions allow.

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 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.