Published: May 30, 2019
South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – The California Tahoe Conservancy is once again offering free firewood gathering permits through its Community Firewood Program. Cut wood will be available starting June 3, and community members can download a permit from the Conservancy website.
The Conservancy, which owns and manages around 6,500 acres of land in the Lake Tahoe Basin, thins forests on its properties to reduce fire risk and improve forest health. Crews collect usable wood generated by forest thinning and cut it to firewood length for public collection by permit holders.
“We’re happy to continue this program because it benefits both the community and the public lands the Conservancy manages,” said Milan Yeates of the Conservancy, who oversees the Community Firewood Program. “The community helps us remove wood that could otherwise increase wildfire risk, and we help the community stay warm next winter.”
Community members can download free fuelwood permits and find a map of firewood gathering locations at tahoe.ca.gov/fuelwood-permit. Conservancy staff updates the map weekly between May and October.
Each permit is valid for up to two cords of wood, with a limit of one permit per household. Permits expire on December 31, 2019. The Conservancy asks the public to respect the safety of the crews conducting field work by not picking up the wood until crews have left the site. Crews place rounds by the side of the road after treatment.
For more information stop by the Conservancy office or call (530) 542-5580.
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The California Tahoe Conservancy is a State agency, established in 1985, with a mission to lead California’s efforts to restore and enhance the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Learn more tahoe.ca.gov.
Media Contact: Chris Carney, chris.carney@tahoe.ca.gov, 530-543-6057