July 2025 Conservancy Newsletter

Conservancy Community Forestry Operations for Summer 2025

The Conservancy Community Forestry Program is implementing projects to protect communities from wildfire and enhance forest health across the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Current projects to reduce hazardous fuels include:

• Gardner Mountain, Tahoe Keys, and Tahoe Island neighborhoods in the City of South Lake Tahoe – Covers 45.5 acres of small open space lots in residential neighborhoods. Public ownership includes Conservancy properties and USDA Forest Service lots under a Good Neighbor Authority agreement.
• North Upper Truckee in El Dorado County – Includes 164 acres of Conservancy and USDA Forest Service open space lots, scattered throughout neighborhoods along North Upper Truckee Road from U.S. Highway 50 to Lake Tahoe Boulevard.
• Placer County South – Includes public open space lots in the west shore from the El Dorado County/Placer County line north to Tahoe City. Covers approximately 300 acres of Conservancy and USDA Forest Service parcels within the neighborhoods.
• Brockway – Covers 25 acres of Conservancy land in Kings Beach near Brockway Summit.
• Sierra Tract/Al Tahoe – Covers 30 acres of open space lots, including Conservancy and USDA Forest Service lands, in the Sierra Tract and Al Tahoe neighborhoods in the City of South Lake Tahoe.

Beginning Soon:

• Tahoe Keys Large Acreage Project – Covers 43 acres of Conservancy and USDA Forest Service properties, including larger parcels adjacent to the Tahoe Keys neighborhood in the City of South Lake Tahoe. The Conservancy received expedited approval on this project under Governor Newsom’s emergency proclamation on wildfire.

Preparing Future Forest and Wildfire Resilience Projects

The Conservancy’s seasonal forestry aides are busy in the field this summer preparing future forestry projects for implementation. The forestry aides identify and mark project boundaries using flagging and stakes. They also mark trees for removal using paint, as shown here on Conservancy land near Elks Club Road in El Dorado County.

In its forestry operations, the Conservancy thins small trees and brush to remove ladder fuels and allow larger, healthier trees room to grow, reducing competition for sunlight, limited water, and nutrients. The Conservancy may also remove larger trees, on a limited basis, to create forest openings, reduce conifer encroachment in meadows or riparian areas, or to achieve the desired composition of tree species. These approaches reduce the buildup—and break up the continuity—of vegetation that can act as fuel in the event of a wildfire, while improving overall forest health and resilience. In addition, well-managed open space lots also provide safe space for firefighters to operate and protect neighborhood homes in the event of a wildfire

Thus far this summer, in addition to preparing for new projects near Elks Club Road, forestry aides have helped shore up flagging and marking for ongoing projects listed above, ensuring work proceeds consistent with ongoing forest conditions. The aides have also been completing pre-treatment-condition forest monitoring on the Placer County South project in areas where contractors have not yet begun work. They have also begun post-treatment forest monitoring in areas with completed work for the North Upper Truckee project. In the course of project preparation, forestry aides also report any hazard trees or encroachments on Conservancy lands.