California Tahoe Conservancy Accepts $2.3 Million from CAL FIRE to Reduce Wildfire Risk at Lake Tahoe

Published: Oct 11, 2018

Gondola Fire, Saddleview

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – October 11, 2018 – The California Tahoe Conservancy Board today accepted a $2.3 million grant from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to fund high-priority forest health projects designed to combat climate change and reduce the risk of wildfires.

“The Conservancy is excited to use these funds to advance projects that will protect local communities and help improve the resilience of Tahoe’s forests,” said Conservancy Board Member Larry Sevison.

The CAL FIRE grant provides the Conservancy up to $2,335,120 for fire prevention projects and related efforts as part of the Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative. Led by the Tahoe Conservancy and Sierra Nevada Conservancy, this initiative aims to restore social and ecological resilience to forests and watersheds across a 2.4 million-acre landscape that includes the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Conservancy plans to use the grant to fund fuels reduction and forest thinning projects in Burton Creek State Park and on the Conservancy’s Dollar property in Placer County. The forest thinning efforts will also increase the resistance of the trees to bark beetles.

The funds will also enable the Conservancy to improve the use of biomass and wood produced by the Basin’s forest management projects. Additionally, the CAL FIRE grant will support interagency research on how Tahoe’s forest ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change impacts.

At the same meeting, the board decided to spend an additional $725,000 on the restoration of the former Tahoe Pines campground, an 8.1 acre site along the Upper Truckee River in Meyers. The Conservancy acquired the property in 2007. The board also voted to allow the University of Nevada, Reno to continue operating two Alert Tahoe fire monitoring stations on Conservancy lands for up to 25 more years.

Established in 1984, the mission of the Tahoe Conservancy is to lead California’s efforts to restore and enhance the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin. For more information, visit https://tahoe.ca.gov/.