Living in the West means wildfire is an ever-present part of life. Devastating fires north of Reno this season drove more than 10,000 of our Northern Nevada neighbors to evacuate. Globally, this August was Earth’s warmest on record. Hotter, drier conditions and decreasing snowpack are predicted to continue elevating the threat of wildfire in the Tahoe Basin in the years ahead.
This season has also brought loss. Aerial firefighting pilots across the West tragically lost their lives, among them Christopher Andersen, a U.S. Army veteran from Lake Tahoe, and Miles Elliott of Porterville, California. The two died Aug. 7 while fighting a wildfire in Utah. We honor their service, and the service of every firefighter lost this year.
As those of us who have lived through major incidents can tell you, wildfire is a true equalizer. It cuts across invisible boundaries and threatens the environment and communities of the Tahoe Basin as a whole. That means our wildfire preparedness needs to be just as universal.
Preparedness has been on our minds a lot, particularly this year as we mark the fifth anniversary of the 2021 Caldor Fire. It was five years ago this week that agencies announced full containment of the fire that had burned more than 221,000 acres and forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 Lake Tahoe residents.
Thanks to heroic firefighting, investments in fuel reduction projects, and community preparedness, no homes or lives were lost here; however, the Caldor Fire put our preparedness to the test. As a founding member of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, TRPA is supporting forest health and community wildfire protection projects, with a priority to advance fuel reduction along evacuation routes. Now, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is working directly with partner agencies, residents, and visitors to strengthen transportation and emergency communications during hazardous events.
We just launched a new transportation resilience initiative that is informed by lived experiences of community members and first responders during emergencies and extreme weather events. Called Connecting Tahoe: Strengthening Transportation Resilience, the project aims to create a more reliable transportation system and support regional partners in emergency response and evacuation.
On another front, TRPA is leading a new Trees to Transit project to demonstrate how trees removed through local forest health projects can be used for community infrastructure. The project kicked off earlier this month with a hands-on tree milling demonstration at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC). More than 100 high school and community college students took part in milling demonstrations and saw firsthand how trees can become usable lumber locally.
The wood produced through the demonstration project is planned for a new bus shelter for Tahoe Transportation District’s Route 50 line in South Lake Tahoe. The shelter will be constructed by students in the South Tahoe High School Construction Career and Technical Education program, with installation anticipated next spring.
Trees to Transit brings together TRPA, the Tahoe Wood project, the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD), and local education and industry partners. Special thanks to the LTCC Forestry Program for hosting the event and for providing trees from the future site of LTCC’s Public Safety Training Complex, which will support forestry and wildfire career education programs when it opens next year.
Only about 30 percent of TTD bus stops currently have a shelter, and procuring, constructing, and installing a bus shelter can cost more than $100,000. The goal of Trees to Transit is to help bring more shelters to the regional transit network while supporting forest health projects, career education, and the local economy.
Looking ahead, the National Climate Prediction Center is projecting a strong El Niño this winter, which could further test Tahoe’s preparedness. Extreme storms can bring rain-on-snow events and flooding that complicate evacuation routes. While added precipitation can keep drought at bay, it can also promote above-average brush growth that dries into wildfire fuel. Preparedness can’t be a fire-season habit; it takes year-round attention.
Though disasters like wildfires and extreme weather events have become a reality in the Tahoe Basin, investing in safe, healthy forests—and future generations who will benefit from them—is one of the greatest deterrents to wildfire. We experience these hazardous incidents together, as a community. We need to prepare for them the same way. Check your wildfire readiness at tahoelivingwithfire.com, and add your voice to the region’s evacuation planning by sharing your story at trpa.gov/resilienttransportation.
-Julie W. Regan
Julie W. Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.