Prescribed burns to continue in Lake Tahoe basin

Submitted by paula on Sun, 05/01/2016 - 7:49am

Prescribed fire operations are planned to continue this week on the east and south shores of Lake Tahoe.

The U.S. Forest Service, the Nevada Division of State Lands and the Nevada Division of Forestry will start the fire operations on Monday, May 2, weather permitting.

South Shore: Near Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road, Panther Lane near South Tahoe High School, off Highway 89 near Spring Creek, and off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley.

East Shore: Rocky Point area near Tunnel Creek Road, Montreal Canyon near Spooner Summit and south of Glenbrook near Camp Galilee.

To view a map with project locations and details, visit the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) website at http://www.tahoefft.org.

Residual smoke may be seen in locations where operations have taken place over the last several weeks. The TFFT gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice in areas not identified on the map.

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.

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 conducting prescribed fire operations, 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.