SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – If conditions are favorable, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in coordination with the Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team, will conduct prescribed fire operations beginning Monday, March 3, 2025, off Pioneer Trail near South Lake Tahoe. Forest Service firefighters will burn approximately 22 acres of piles to reduce excess vegetation (fuels) that can feed unwanted wildland fires. Smoke will be present.
View useful smoke management tips, air quality and maps using the following links. To be added to the Prescribed Fire Notification List, send them an email.
The Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team strongly supports the use of prescribed fire under appropriate conditions and works closely with air quality districts to avert smoke impacts to the public. Smoke from prescribed fires is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size, conditions and weather.
Additionally, smoke may hang low to the ground at night and in the early morning due to a phenomenon known as a temperature inversion. A temperature inversion is when warm air “caps” cooler air, causing smoke to become trapped in valley bottoms at night and in the early morning.
Learn about the benefits of prescribed fire and more on living in fire-adapted ecosystems at Tahoe Living With Fire. Get prepared, get informed, and get involved!