tahoe fuels

Continuing prescribed fire operations by the North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts and the U.S. Forest Service are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, November 15 in several areas around Lake Tahoe.

If conditions are favorable, buring is scheduled at Stillwater Cover near Crystal Bay, off Logan Creek Drive, near Cave Rock, Zephyr Heights and Round Hill, and on urban lots near Heavenly Mountain Resort, off North Upper Truckee Road and near Big Meadow off Highway 89 South. Operations will continue as conditions allow.

Early in 2015, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), as well as our partners at the National Weather Service, predicted 2015 to be a significant year for wildland fires throughout the Western States. A combination of a sustained period of drought, coupled with weather that is conducive to nearly perfect burning conditions, have challenged local firefighting resources. Those predictions have rang very true as we continue to hear about new fires occurring almost daily all over the Western States. This year will go down as one of the most hazardous years for wildland fire.

Area fire departments respond to fires every year that are caused by people leaving their fireplace or wood stove ashes in a paper bag on their home's deck. These accidents can easily be prevented with correct handling of ashes.

"Can Your Ashes" is a campaign that informs the public of these inherent dangers.

Embers, often concealed in what appears to be cold ashes, can remain hot enough to kindle a fire for several days.

To safely dispose of ashes, fire officials offer these tips:

• Never store ashes in bags or boxes.

Over 460 acres of Forest Service latd in South Lake Tahoe will be thinned out this Spring to improve forest health and reduce the risk of sever wildiires on the South Shore.

Starting Monday, April 21, The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will resume work on the South Shore Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has approved a project that will reduce wildfire risk to communities on Lake Tahoe's South Shore and restore the health of the area's forests. The South Shore Fuel Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project will thin trees and brush on more than 10,000 acres of national forest system land from the Nevada state line to Cascade Lake.