News Release

US Forest Service
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit 
35 College Drive
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Public Affairs (530) 543-2627
Fax: (530) 543-2743

Date: October 2, 2008
Contact: Public Affairs, Cheva Heck (530) 543-2608 or Rex Norman (530) 543-2627

Prescribed Fire "Underburn" planned near Tahoe City

South Lake Tahoe, CA. --The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Management Unit plans to conduct a prescribed fire underburn to restore forest health on 115 acres of National Forest System lands near Tahoe City. The project, located northeast of Highway 89 near Burton Creek State Park, off Forest Road 16N73 (Fiberboard Freeway), could begin as soon as Friday, October 3, 2008, if weather conditions are favorable for ignition.

Forest service crews would conduct the burn in 30-40 acre units, beginning at the top of the slope and working down. After 24 hours, crews may extinguish the edges of the burn area and any large smokes (smoldering stumps or log clumps). The underburn generally will consist of low-to-moderate intensity fire. Some tree mortality is expected and is actually desirable for ecosystem benefits in some of the units.

Ignitions will only occur on Placer County Air Pollution Control District allowable burn days. The Forest Service will have sufficient fire suppression resources available to staff the burn and a smoke management plan is in place to minimize the impact. However, local residents can expect to see smoke from this project inside communities. Smoke from prescribed underburns will be less severe and more manageable than from unwanted wildland fires.

Underburns are conducted to promote healthier and more sustainable forest conditions by reintroducing fire into the ecosystem. These fires help release nutrients that plants and trees need for growth, cause seeds of some species to sprout and improve wildlife habitat. They also help maintain desirable fuel loading conditions by consuming woody debris and brush on the forest floor. Underburns are only conducted after unnatural densities of small diameter tress as well as dead fuel build ups have been removed. This allows the underburn to mimic the low intensity fires common before settlement of the basin.

The lower elevation regions of the Tahoe Basin were originally highly fire adapted forests. Between 8,000 and 10,000 acres burned annually before settlement began in the 19th century. These low intensity slow-moving fires crept along the forest floor burning away the "duff" material on the surface. Duff is mainly decomposing pine needles, bark chips, cones and small branches.

View the map.
(PDF 277 KB)

###