Prescribed fire operations continue next week around Tahoe Basin
Release Date: Mar 20, 2015
South Lake Tahoe, Calif. –The U.S. Forest Service may conduct prescribed fire operations around Lake Tahoe next week, beginning Tuesday, March 24, 2015, weather permitting. Operations may take place in Blackwood Canyon between Tahoe City and Tahoma, on the south side of Meeks Bay, on Gardner Mountain near South Tahoe High School and off Gardner Street, on Luther Pass near Grass Lake, at Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly and on the East Shore near Logan Creek Drive. Operations may last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.
Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each 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 Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (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. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors 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 how smoke will travel.
Before conducting prescribed fire operations, agencies may post road signs around affected areas and make email or phone notifications. The Forest Service updates the local fire information line at 530-543-2600, #6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us. For more information on prescribed fire and smoke management tips, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/RxFireOps.
Project Information:
- Project Name: Heavenly ULM
- Agency Contact: U.S. Forest Service, John Washington (530) 543-2652
- Legal Location: T12/13N, R18E, Sec 1, 34
- Descriptive Location: Ski Run Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Type of burn: Hand Piles
- Total Acreage: 70.25
- Planned Ignition: 03/24/15 – 03/27/15
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Stateline, South Lake Tahoe and surrounding communities.
- Project Name: Highland
- Agency Contact: U.S. Forest Service,John Washington (530) 543-2652
- Legal Location: 12N, R18E, Sec 6
- Descriptive Location: Gardner Mtn. area, South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Type of burn: Hand piles
- Total Acreage: 120
- Planned Ignition: 03/24/15 – 03/27/15
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 6 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from South Lake Tahoe and surrounding communities.
- Project Name: Viking
- Agency Contact: U.S. Forest Service, John Washington (530) 543-2652
- Legal Location: 12N, R18E, Sec 6
- Descriptive Location: Gardner Mtn. area, South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Type of burn: Hand piles
- Total Acreage: 148
- Planned Ignition: 03/24/15 – 03/27/15
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 6days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from South Lake Tahoe and surrounding communities.
- Project Name: Logan
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service,Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: T14N, R18E, Sec 22
- Descriptive Location: Logan House Community, near Logan Creek Drive, East Shore
- Type of burn: Hand/machine piles
- Total Acreage: 23
- Planned Ignition: 03/24/15 – 03/27/15
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Incline Village, Kings Beach and West Shore communities
- Project Name: Luther
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service, Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: T11N, R18E, Sec 15
- Descriptive Location: Luther Pass/Grass Lake
- Type of burn: Hand
- Total Acreage: 55
- Planned Ignition: 03/24/15 – 03/27/15
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Meyers, South Lake Tahoe and South Shore communities as well as visitors traveling over Echo Summit and Luther Pass
- Project Name: Bob White
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service, Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: T14N, R17E, Sec 29
- Descriptive Location: North of Emerald Bay, near Meeks Bay
- Type of Burn: Hand piles
- Total Acreage: 150
- Planned Ignition: 03/24/15 – 03/27/15
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Tahoma and surrounding communities.
- Project Name: Blackwood Canyon
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service, Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: T15N, R16E, Sec 33,34
- Descriptive Location: Blackwood Canyon (between Tahoe City and Tahoma)
- Type of burn: Hand Piles
- Total Acreage: 15
- Planned Ignition: 03/24/15 – 03/27/15
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 3 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Tahoe City to Tahoma
###
About the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team
The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies, Cal Fire, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the USDA Forest Service, conservation districts from both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our Mission is to protect lives, property and the environment within the Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire by implementing prioritized fuels reduction projects and educating the public on becoming a Fire Adapted Community.
For more information, visit www.tahoefft.org