Prescribed burning to resume in Lake Tahoe Basin; Other fires still restricted

It's that time of year again when the U.S. Forest Service resumes their prescribed burns in the Lake Tahoe basin to reduce fuels in sensitive areas.

Fire restrictions have not been lifted in the basin yet, but it is not uncommon for the Forest Service to conduct operations while those restrictions are still in effect according to Lisa Heron of the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

CalFire recently lifted fire restrictions in the county area of the South Shore last week for areas not in the City of South Lake Tahoe or under USFS jurisdiction. The City still has their restrictions for outside burning in place, but both the City and USFS anticipate they'll be lifting restrictions very soon.

USFS will start their burning operations this week in areas south and west of Lake Tahoe. If conditions are favorable, operations may take place beginning Tuesday, October 25, 2016, on urban lots near Heavenly Mountain Resort, around Big Meadow off Highway 89 South (Luther Pass) and north of Meeks Bay, near Timberland in Tahoma.

Operations will continue as conditions allow. To view a map with the project location and details, visit the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) website at http://www.tahoefft.org.

Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. 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. The TFFT gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.

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 and how smoke will travel.

Before prescribed fire operations are conducted, 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.