fuels

Ferguson, Carr, Perry and Whaleback Fires still burning

The Perry Fire burning between Reno and Pyramid Lake has now burned 25,600 acres and is now 15 percent contained. It started Friday evening and the cause is unknown at this time.

Column: Lake Tahoe Summit-recommitting to collaboration

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

Tips for fire prevention this summer in Lake Tahoe

Summer officially arrived yesterday and recreational activities are in full swing in the Tahoe Basin. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) would like to take this opportunity to remind visitors and residents that wildfires pose a serious threat to Lake Tahoe neighborhoods and communities and we need help to prevent any unwanted fires this summer. Whether camping, hiking or participating in some other activity in the forest, keep in mind the following advice to Keep Tahoe Fire Safe.

Fireworks

Cooler weekend with wind warnings, but watch for 80s next week!

Strong, gusty winds return to Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada, with a Lake Wind Advisory in effect most of the day Saturday from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Dry grass and gusty winds will create dangerous conditions for wildfire should a spark set them off....use care when outdoors as the fuels are ready.

Those heading out on Lake Tahoe and other area lakes need to be aware of hazardous boating conditions starting Friday, then going through Saturday. Remember to wear your personal flotation device at all times.

Several activities during Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Month

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As we’ve learned from the recent Fire Season Outlook, year-round fire season is the new normal in the Lake Tahoe Basin and throughout the country. Now is the perfect time to learn what to do to prepare your home and family to survive wildfire, and to take action. To help you with this, the collaborative members of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team are once again conducting Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Month throughout the month of June. We encourage you to “Prepare Now! Wildfire Knows No Season.”

Guest Columnist: Be Prepared for Wildfire at Lake Tahoe

Both California and Nevada suffered destructive wildfires last year. Nevada saw 768 fires burn more than 1.3 million acres. California experienced the deadliest, largest, and most destructive wildfires in its history. Just a few hours-drive from Tahoe, more than 40 people died and thousands of homes were destroyed in the wine country and North Bay last October. In Southern California, the Thomas Fire ravaged communities and forest lands last December with damaging flooding and landslides piled on after the fire subsided.

Comments sought for 1000 acre project near Incline Village

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has opened the comment period for proposed management of 1,083 acres on National Forest Lands off the Mt. Rose Highway above Incline Village, Nev.

Fuel reduction plan released for over 3700 acres of National Forest lands

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Fuels on 3,737 acres of South Lake Tahoe area National Forest lands will be reduced by thinning forest stands and removing forest biomass vegetation, prescribed burning, and reforestation.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) announced the the final decision on the project last week. This project helps decrease the risk of wildland fires and complements defensible space treatments implemented by local municipal fire districts on adjacent non-federal lands.

Prescribed burns in Lake Tahoe ahead of next storm

Prescribed fire operations will continue around several areas around Lake Tahoe this week, weather permitting. he Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service will continue prescribed fire operations in Sugar Pine Point and Burton Creek state parks on the West Shore, Carnelian Bay and Kings Beach on the North Shore, Logan Shoals on the East Shore and on Kingsbury Grade and off Ski Run Boulevard on the South Shore. Smoke may be present.

Climate March in South Lake Tahoe

Event Date: 
April 28, 2018 - 10:00am

The second People's Climate March will take place on Saturday, April 28 at 10:00 a.m., prior to the South Lake Tahoe Earth Day Celebration.

The Tahoe Climate Change Action Network organized the inaugural march in 2017 to coincide marches across the country and the huge national march in Washington, D.C. marking President Trump's 100th day in office. Marches protested the President's environmental policies, changes to the Environmental Protection Agency and the rolling back of Obama-era regulations on fossil fuels.

Smoke from large prescribed fire may come into Lake Tahoe Basin

The Eldorado National Forest will begin implementing the Power Fire Fuels Maintenance project 13,50 acres southwest of Lake Tahoe on April 4, ahead of the incoming storm.

Two portions of that project, units 4 and 6, will be prescribed burned. These units are south of Highway 88 between Bear River Reservoir and the Mokelumne River in the 2004 Power Fire burn scar. Due to wind flows, smoke from this fire may come into the Lake Tahoe basin starting Wednesday.

Polystyrene ban in South Lake Tahoe takes effect October 1

South Lake Tahoe joins at least 114 other entities in California in banning polystyrene, a type of plastic manufactured from non-renewable fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals that is not biodegradable and becoming a concern across the country.

Starting October 1, 2018, certain single use expanded polystyrene and plastic products will be banned in the City limits "in order to reduce and prevent the presence of this type of litter in the environment and to promote environmentally sustainable practices."

Included in the ban:

Prescribed fire operations continue around Lake Tahoe Basin

Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team has announced continued prescribed fire operations by the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team at several locations in the Lake Tahoe Basin this week, weather and conditions permitting. Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S.

Poker Run for those with electric vehicles at Tahoe Truckee Earth Day

Drive an electric vehicle? All drivers are invited to celebrate Tahoe Truckee Earth Day with a poker run scenic cruise around Lake Tahoe on Saturday, April 21, 2018.

Widespread prescribed fire operations continue around Lake Tahoe

Members of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies, will continue prescribed fire operations this week in multiple locations around the Tahoe Basin, weather permitting. North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, California Tahoe Conservancy and U.S.

Opinion: More fires mean less funds for local USDA Forest Service projects

Last year, more than 1,500 wildfires burned over 640,000 acres on National Forest System lands in California, including the Thomas Fire, the largest fire in California’s recorded history. The surrounding communities are still dealing with damage from debris flows caused by a charred and barren landscape that no longer has the protection of trees, grass and other vegetation. We see and empathize with those affected, and are working to reduce the potential for future loss by performing hazardous fuel reduction treatments which include thinning overstocked forests and prescribed burning.

Myanmar delegation visits forest thinning projects in Lake Tahoe

Seven delegates from the Republic of the Union of Myanmar stopped by Lake Tahoe last week to learn about the Forest Service’s role in natural resource management in the Tahoe Basin.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management (LTBMU) hosted the group and took them on a field trip to see recent forest thinning operations near Pope Beach and Emerald Bay.

Prescribed burns sending smoke into air around Lake Tahoe

Smoke from prescribed fire operations can be seen above South Lake Tahoe from points all around the lake.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies, has numerous locations around Lake Tahoe where they will be burning overgrown vegetation.

Prescribed burning around Lake Tahoe to resume

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies, may continue prescribed fire operations this week in some locations around Lake Tahoe, weather and conditions permitting. Smoke may be present.

A) Kingsbury/ Edgewood Creek - 60 acres
B) Big Meadow - 100 acres
C) Brockway, Kings Beach - 70 acres
D) Logan Shoals to Spooner Summit - 15 acres

A map with project locations and details is available for viewing at http://www.tahoefft.org.

Prescribed fires planned around Lake Tahoe this week

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. – The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies, are planning to continue prescribed fire operations this week in some locations around Lake Tahoe, weather and conditions permitting.

In the map above, the following areas are planned:

A) Cave Rock Area - Tahoe Douglas Fire District will be burning 5 acres
B) Kingsbury/ Edgewood Creek - Tahoe Douglas Fire District will be burning 70 acres
C) Lyons Ranch, West of Golden Bear Subdivision - California Tahoe Conservancy will be burning 10 acres

Possible South Lake Tahoe ban on Styrofoam

The list of New York City; Takoma Park, Maryland; Seattle, Washington; Washington DC; Miami Beach, Florida; Freeport and Portland, Maine; Nantucket, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California could soon have South Lake Tahoe added as the 113th California city or county to ban polystyrene. Berkeley has had a ban in place since 1988, the first California city to do so.

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows have 100% renewable energy goal in 2018

To help achieve Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows’ goal to be powered by 100 percent clean, renewable energy sources, Liberty Utilities, the electric service provider in the Lake Tahoe region of California, is actively collaborating with resort leadership to identify and develop new renewable energy generation, storage and energy efficiency projects to benefit the Olympic Valley and surrounding areas. Subject to regulatory approval, the two companies intend to achieve the resort’s 100 percent renewable goal as early as December 2018.

Prescribed burning around Lake Tahoe resumes

he Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies continue to carry out prescribed fire operations this week in multiple locations around Lake Tahoe, weather and conditions permitting. Smoke may be present.

Burn areas in Lake Tahoe (size, location, responsible agency):

A) 25 acres - West side of First Creek drainage - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District
B) 20 acres - Diamond Peak Ski Resort - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District
C) 8 acres - Champagne Rd. - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District

Widespread smoke from controlled burns around Lake Tahoe

Visible smoke at several areas around Lake Tahoe Wednesday are from scheduled prescribed burns.

On the South Shore, smoke can be seen for miles from Oneidas Street where the U.S. Forest Service is burning 100 acres, a project they began on January 17. They do not burn all 100 acres at the same and do small amounts each day, then put the fires out before moving to the next area.

Besides Oneidas, other burn areas drawing a lot of smoke are 70 acres being burned near Thunderbird Lodge near Incline Village and 70 acres near Brockway.

Stanford professor at Tahoe: There is a way to stop global warming,

Keynote speaker and Stanford University professor of earth system science Dr. Noah Diffenbaugh presented his latest findings on the connections between the planet’s global warming and extreme weather events today at Operation Sierra Storm, a national weather conference held annual on the South Shore.

"It’s been an extreme year in California, and not only the rest of the U.S. but other parts of the world," said Diffenbaugh. "The warming we are seeing is not consistent with natural forcing alone.”

Opinion: USDA Forest Service doesn’t leave when the fire is out

Natural disasters can occur at any given time and in any given area. The size, duration and damages are usually unpredictable. The devastation, destruction and cost of California wildfires are increasing annually.

Prescribed fires resume around Lake Tahoe, weather permitting

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies, may continue prescribed fire operations this week in multiple locations around Lake Tahoe, weather permitting. Smoke may be present.

A) West 1st Creek - 25 acres
B) Diamond Peak Ski Resort/Tirol Drive - 21 acres
C) Champagne Rd. - 9 acres
D) Dale Drive - 1 acres
E) South Lake Tahoe Airport - 1 acre
F) D. L. Bliss State Park - 1 acre
G) Burton Creek State Park - 30 acres
H) Sugar Pine Point State Park - 7 acres
I) Big Meadow - 100 acres
J) Brockway, Kings Beach - 50 acres

USFS fire operations scheduled to resume this week in Lake Tahoe

Weather permitting, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) may conduct prescribed fire operations this week on the north end of Lake Tahoe. Smoke may be present.

In the picture:

A) 25 acres on west side of 1st Creek Drainage
B) 21 acres at Diamond Peak Ski Area
C) 9 acres at end of Chamapgne Road
D) 1 acre on Dale Drive

A map with project locations and details is available for viewing at http://www.tahoefft.org.

Prescribed fires around Lake Tahoe as weather permits

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) will continue prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks, weather permitting. Lake Valley, North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service will conduct prescribed fire operations in multiple areas around Lake Tahoe. Smoke may be present.

A. Airport East - 1 acre
B. West 1st Creek - 25 acres
C. Diamond Peak Ski Area - 23 acres
D. Champagne Rd - 9 acres
E. Dale Drive - 1 acre
F. Cave Rock Area - 5 acres
G. Upper Kingsbury - 3 acres

Prescribed fires set to resume around Lake Tahoe

After taking a break during the Thanksgiving holiday, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) resume prescribed fire operations next week, beginning Monday, November 27, 2017, weather permitting.

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, California State Parks and the California Tahoe Conservancy will conduct prescribed fire operations above Incline Village, D.L. Bliss and Burton Creek state parks and near the airport in South Lake Tahoe. Smoke may be visible.

North of the CSLT Airport, Southwest of the Sierra Tract Subdivision - 8 acres
Hwy 89 / Lester Beach Road - 8 acres

South Lake Tahoe featured in national report on 100% renewable energy commitments

Today, the Sierra Club released a new report showcasing 10 U.S. cities that have made ambitious commitments to be powered with 100 percent clean, renewable energy like wind and solar. View the report: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/blog/RF100-CaseStudies_2017.pdf

This is the second annual case studies report from Ready For 100, a Sierra Club campaign launched in 2016 working in cities across the United States, including South Lake Tahoe, to accelerate a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy.

Prescribed fires resume around Lake Tahoe

Lake Valley, North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service will continue Lake Tahoe Basin prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks, weather permitting. Operations are scheduled to take place at or near D.L. Bliss State Park, Carnelian Bay, Kings Beach, Incline Village, Diamond Peak Ski Resort area, Glenbrook, upper and lower Kingsbury Grade and south and east of the Lake Tahoe Airport.

South Shore

Prescribed fires resume around Lake Tahoe Saturday, weather permitting

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – California State Parks, Lake Valley, North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts and the U.S. Forest Service are scheduled to conduct prescribed fire operations beginning tomorrow, November 4, 2017.

Weather permitting, operations are scheduled to take place:

D.L. Bliss State Park - 25 acres
West side of Incline Village - 17 acres
West of the First Creek drainage - 25 acres
Upper Kingsbury Grade - 3 acres
Lower Kingsbury Grade - 6 acres
Off Pioneer Trail near Marshall Trail and Powerline Road - 20 acres

Prescribed fires return to Lake Tahoe basin

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – California State Parks will kick off the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) fall prescribed fire program next week beginning Wednesday, November 1, 2017. If conditions are favorable, prescribed fire operations will take place in D.L. Bliss State Park on the southwest end of Lake Tahoe. This operation was originally scheduled for earlier this month, but was delayed due to resource needs elsewhere.

65 acres of understory in the area will be burned and it is expected to take one week to complete the job.

Column: Tahoe taking action on forest health

The heartbreaking fires in Northern California’s wine country this month have upended hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. In just over one week, the fires across Northern California burned more than 220,000 acres, destroyed 6,000 buildings, and killed more than 40 people. Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.

Can a mega fire happen in Lake Tahoe?

Before that question can be answered, we need to understand what a mega fire is. To be a mega fire it needs to meet these five points:

1. Starts near or in a high fire danger area during approaching or actual red flag conditions,
2. Escapes the initial attack,
3. Develops into a campaign fire covering a large area,
4. Requires thousand of firefighters and extensive additional resources to bring final containment,
5. Often cause huge property and other cultural losses in addition to vegetation destroyed.

Could styrofoam be a thing of the past in South Lake Tahoe?

New York City; Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Washington; Los Angeles County; San Francisco; Miami Beach, Florida. South Lake Tahoe, California?

Hundreds of cities across the country have banned the use of polystyrene (better known as Styrofoam) in their communities. The SLT City Council will be taking a look into banning the substance in the City Limits at their October 17, 2017 meeting.

In 2013, South Lake Tahoe added a ban of single-use plastic bags in grocery stores to the City Code.

Wind fuels lightning caused fire west of Lake Tahoe

9:30AM Update 10/11 - Fire was active last night as it slowly backed down the mountain towards the indirect check lines. The fire is in remote country and not threatening any structures.

So far, 50 acres have burned and it is 10 percent contained.

The smoke from the Table fire is visible from Highway 50 and the Tahoe Basin. This is a lightning start from a previous storm that Sunday's high wind event activated.

Note: the smoke blanketing the Placerville and Pollock Pines areas is not from the local fires.

Forest thinning project underway above Incline Village

Almost 4,000 acres of forest on the North Shore are being treated to reduce the risk of wildfire in Lake Tahoe. Named the Incline Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project, U.S. Forest Service crews resumed work on the project last week now that summer is over. Mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal is taking place in an area off of State Highway 431, the Mt. Rose Highway, until winter weather sets in.

They thin out the trees to remove excess vegetation that can feed wildfires and improve forest health and provide defensible space to neighboring communities.

USFS prescribed burn in Lake Tahoe resumes Monday

California State Parks will kick off the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) fall prescribed fire program next week, beginning October 10, 2017. If conditions are favorable, prescribed fire operations will take place in D.L. Bliss State Park on the southwest end of Lake Tahoe. Smoke may be visible and is expected to last through the week. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

View the map with project locations and details at http://www.tahoefft.org.

Prescribed fires set to return in Lake Tahoe basin

The fall prescribed fire program in the Lake Tahoe Basin will return in early October, weather permitting, according to the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT). The first areas to be burned have not been announced.

TFFT is made up of local, state and federal fire and land management agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Pine Nut Harvest 2017: Season begins on Nevada public lands

The 2017 pine nut harvest season kicks off on lands managed by the Nevada Bureau of Land Management and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Both agencies are working together to ensure the public is safely harvesting pine nuts and aware of the regulations.

The length of the pine nut harvest season varies depending on crop quality and seasonal weather conditions. It is generally September to late October when pine nuts are available for harvest.

Lake Tahoe Summit: Bi-state, bipartisan effort to preserve Tahoe never complete

Achievements in preserving Lake Tahoe were celebrated August 22 during the 21st Lake Tahoe Summit at Tallac Historic Site, but it was clear there is a lot more to do and the job will never be over.

Started by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, this annual gathering of government, public agencies and private partners highlights what has been done, what is being done, what what still needs to be done in keeping Lake Tahoe clean and clear.

Governor, senators and others to speak at 2017 Lake Tahoe Summit

Event Date: 
August 22, 2017 - 10:00am

California Senator Diane Feinstein is hosting the 21st annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Tuesday, August 22 at Vahalla in the Tallac Historic Site from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The theme for the day is "2017- A Pivotal Point for the Future of Lake Tahoe.”

The event will examine successful restoration projects and ways to address new challenges facing the lake. A key focus will be combating the effects of climate change in the Lake Tahoe basin.

Pope Baldwin Bike Path to see closures as trees are thinned along trail

Trees will be thinned along the Pope Baldwin Bike Path off of State Route 89 north of South Lake Tahoe starting Monday, August 21. Recreationists can expect path closures for up to 30 minutes at a time as flaggers intermittently close the bike path for public safety as trees are falling.

This phase of the project will take place Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and is expected to last several weeks. Bicyclists may use the bike lane on Highway 89 to detour around the traffic control areas.

Opinion: Confronting climate change at Lake Tahoe

For 20 years, every August we’ve paused to reflect on our collective commitment to Lake Tahoe’s restoration at the Lake Tahoe Summit. This year, with U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein hosting the event, the issue of climate change will be front and center. Climate change poses incredible challenges for Tahoe, affecting not only the health of its famously cold, clear waters, but the health of its expansive forests and what is to become of our $5 billion outdoor recreation-based economy.

South Lake Tahoe joins others to reduce electrical use during eclipse

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will pass over the Pacific Northwest affecting the California solar resources supplying power to the grid. During the eclipse from 9:02 a.m. to 11:54 a.m., the moon will obscure much of the solar rays directly affecting the output of both large scale photovoltaic (PV) electric power plants and rooftop solar. A loss of 4,194 megawatts(MW) of California large scale solar electricity is expected.

Forest to be thinned along Pope-Baldwin Bike Path and State Route 89

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will begin the mechanical removal of trees on 100 acres of forest lands along State Route 89 and the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path this week. The project should last until mid-October.

First responders and resilient community honored on 10th anniversary of Angora Fire

"It was so frustrating and only so much we could do," recalled Kit Bailey of the U.S. Forest Service during Saturday's Angora Fire First Responder Remembrance Ceremony. "Its miraculous nobody got hurt."

On the 10th anniversary of the devastating fire that destroyed 254 homes as it burned quickly through 3,100 acres in the Meyers area of the South Shore, fire responders gathered at the Lake Valley Fire Department to honor those who served that day, and to honor the resilient community that supported them.

Events at Lake Valley Fire and Valhalla mark 10th anniversary of Angora Fire

Event Date: 
June 24, 2017 - 8:30am

Events continue on the South Shore to mark the 10th anniversary of the Angora Fire.

Angora Fire First Responder Remembrance Ceremony
Saturday, June 24, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Lake Valley Fire Protection District Station 7, 2211 Keetak Street, South Lake Tahoe, CA

Angora Commemoration
Saturday, June 24, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Valhalla Grand Lawn, 1 Valhalla Road, State Route 89, South Lake Tahoe, CA
Sponsored by the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team

Speakers for the event:
Welcome South Lake Tahoe Mayor Austin Sass

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