defensible space

Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health has resumed on approximately 340 acres of National Forest System lands on the east side of Highway 267 north of Speckled Avenue above Kings Beach.

Douglas County homeowners have an opportunity to compost their residential yard waste early this fire season when TDFPD hosts a kickoff event for Compost Your Combustibles with coffee and donuts on Saturday, May 23 at 9am. The free annual recycling program which historically has started on Memorial Day Weekend is now open at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s Boulder Lodge Parking Lot.

When a wildland fire occurs, will you be ready? Preparedness begins by making a plan for your home and business. Consider the local hazards and what you can do to reduce them. For wildland fires your plan must include defensible space, and how to evacuate if authorities ask you to leave the area. Evacuation plans should include primary and alternate (if available) routes to safety, as well as how to contact friends and loved ones. Establish a rally point at a known location and know each others’ telephone numbers in case your cell phone contacts are not working.

There are a few days left to nominate Lake Tahoe projects for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) 2014 Best in the Basin awards program.

The Best in the Basin awards program is in its 25th year. It was created to recognize projects that demonstrate exceptional planning and design and compatibility with the environment and TRPA guidelines.

There were more than 1,000 fires in California in 2014 and, because of the current dry conditions, 2015 is expected to be more of the same.

September brought the reality of wildfires to the forefront in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The King Fire came within eight air miles of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit boundary, and as we all anxiously awaited its containment, the Cascade Fire broke out in the Desolation Wilderness.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District's Wildfire Prevention Program has organized a FREE chipping day for City of South Lake Tahoe residents on October 18. With the help of the California Conservation Corp and cooperation from South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, residents can get help with defensible space and slash removal.

In order to participate in the chipping service, homeowners must follow these guidelines:
• Place slash and brush piles adjacent to a driveway or street so the chipper crew can readily have access.

A portion of National Forest closed for public safety near Kings Beach has been reopened. The area, about 340 acres east of Brockway Summit and north of Speckled Avenue, was closed for safety reasons due to heavy equipment operations and falling trees as part of the Carnelian Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Projects.

The project is treating 3,300 acres to reduce the risk of severe wildfire, improve forest health and provide defensible space to neighboring communities. Work in the area will resume in 2015.

Can you survive the next wildfire in Lake Tahoe? Yes, if your community is prepared.

The Lake Tahoe Basin's firefighting agencies and UNR Cooperative Education have come together to promote the "Fire Adapted Community Concept." This type of community has five elements:

1. Community Protection - Well-designed fuelbreaks and safe areas protect the community.
2. Defensible Space - Proper management of vegetation surrounding the home reduces the wildfire threat.
3. Access - Good access helps emergency responders arrive in a timely manner.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced the launch of a new online tree removal permit application and credit card payment system that can be accessed through their website at trpa.org.

“The new online service is more customer friendly and is in line with the Agency’s core values of improving operational efficiency while providing a high-level of customer service,” said TRPA Executive Director, Joanne S. Marchetta.

With record drought conditions in the West, preparing your home for
wildfire is more important than ever. May has been designated “Wildfire Awareness Month” in the Lake Tahoe Basin. This year’s theme is “Prepare Your Home For Wildfire” with a focus on creating and sustaining Fire Adapted Communities.

A Fire Adapted Community (FAC) is a community located in a fire-prone area that requires little assistance from firefighters during a wildfire. Residents of these communities accept responsibility for living in a high fire-hazard area. They possess the knowledge and skills to:

South Lake Tahoe is home again to "Operation Sierra Storm," a cutting-edge meteorological forum and seminar for network television meteorologists from around that country.

New Way to Predict Weather Now Available

Long range weather forecasting is no longer a thing of the future due to recent developments in weather research. Speaking to participants in "Operation Sierra Storm (OSS)" Dr. Duane Waliser explained the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a key phenomena for predicting weather around the world.

The, members of the fire-based Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (MAC) and the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), expressed appreciation for the joint Proclamation issued by the Governors of Nevada and California prior to the 17th annual Lake Tahoe Summit held in August.

Even professionals can find it difficult to comprehend the speed at which a wildfire can move, so for the public it can be tough to understand it unless you have witnessed it firsthand. With any luck you may never have such a life changing experience. Trying to predict what causes a small wildland fire in the neighborhood to grow to one of the largest wildland fires in the state's history is challenging. The Rim Fire is burning in terrain similar to what we find in Amador and El Dorado Counties, so it is a short leap to think, it could happen here.

Lake Tahoe organizations whose collaborative work over the past 15 years has been a driving force for advancing Lake Tahoe restoration efforts applauded congressional leaders Thursday for introducing a $415 million reauthorization of the federal Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.

With tinder-dry conditions after one of the driest winters on record, California fire officials will suspend burning permits along the West Slope and Eldorado National Forest beginning June 17. Fire restrictions in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin July 1.

CAL FIRE’s Amador-El Dorado- Sacramento Unit will suspend door-yard burning permits and the Forest Service will begin fire restrictions in portions of Eldorado National Forest.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Thursday announced the 2012 Best in the Basin award winners and will recognize the recipients March 27 at the TRPA governing board meeting.

This is the 23rd year for the program that recognizes Lake Tahoe area projects for demonstrating exceptional planning, design, and compatibility with the Lake Tahoe environment. Local professionals in the fields of landscaping, planning, engineering, water quality, and resource management judged each category. A reception for all Best in Basin winners and judges will follow the awards ceremony.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has partnered with federal, state and local agencies to launch "Tahoe in Depth" a new Lake Tahoe Basin environmental newspaper.

Mailed to every Lake Tahoe Basin property owner this week, the free publication is designed to keep Lake Tahoe homeowners, residents and visitors abreast of the wide variety of activities taking place to protect and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency would like to invite the community to its Community Appreciation Day Open House and Lake Spirit Awards on Thursday, September 27 from 4 – 7 p.m. at the TRPA offices at 128 Market Street in Stateline.
This year’s theme is “Making Progress” and will focus on the Regional Plan Update and the 5th anniversary of the Angora Wildfire. Partners include the Tahoe Science Consortium who will show a pictorial display of the Angora Wildfire and restoration efforts.

The nomination period is open for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s 2012 Best in the Basin awards program, which annually recognizes environmentally compatible projects in the Tahoe Basin that stand out as the best designed, planned and implemented.
For more than two decades, the Best in the Basin awards program has recognized those property owners, contractors, architects and planners whose work and investment should be held up as examples to follow.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will host its second annual Community Appreciation Day and Lake Spirit Awards on Thursday, September 27 from 4 – 7 p.m. at the TRPA offices at 128 Market Street in Stateline.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is marking the fifth anniversary of the Angora Wildfire by reminding the public of the importance of creating defensible space around their homes and reflecting on the community’s progress since the fire.

Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week runs through June 3. A Webinar Series on developing fire adapted communities at Lake Tahoe has been launched. Communities located in fire-prone area are fire adapted when they require little assistance from firefighters during a wildfire. Residents accept responsibility for living in a high fire-hazard area. They possess the knowledge and skills to prepare their homes and property to survive wildfire and they know how to evacuate early, safely and effectively.

With the theme "your home, your responsibility" the third Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week begins Saturday, May 26 and will continue through June 3. The focus of the week is to promote homeowner and resident actions that reduce the risk from wildfire to homes and communities.