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: March 25, 2009
Contact: Public Affairs, Cheva Heck (530) 543-2608 or Rex Norman (530) 543-2627

Forest Service Seeks Comment on South Shore Fuel Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project

South Lake Tahoe, CA. --The U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has released for public review and comment, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) for the South Shore Fuel Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration (South Shore) project. Project documents will be available for public review and a 45 day comment period.

The South Shore project would reduce the risk of high intensity wildfire on National Forest System Lands in the urban wildland intermix between the forest and urban development, including extensive residential areas. From Cascade Lake on the northwest the project area extends to the Heavenly Mountain Resort boundary and the Nevada State line on the northeast, and from Lake Tahoe on the north to the LTBMU boundary on the south, all within El Dorado County, California.

The project proposes a variety of hand and mechanical treatments to reduce hazardous fuels on up to 10,670 acres of National Forest System Lands The project would include thinning activities to reduce unnatural forest densities and ladder fuels that contribute to high intensity crown fires, followed by surface fuels treatments.

In addition to reducing wildfire risks, treatments would provide for wildlife habitat, restoration of a more sustainable forest structure, retention of larger trees, and emphasizing retention of Jeffrey/Ponderosa and Sugar pine. By reducing the stresses caused by density and competition, trees in treated forest stands would have greater access to sunlight and moisture, improving their resiliency and resistance to drought, disease, and insects. Projects would also include restoration and maintenance of meadows and Aspen stands. Treatments would be conducted in environmentally sensitive areas including stream zones. Overall, the South Shore project would be implemented in phases with most fuels reduction projects completed in the first three to four years.

Forest Supervisor Terri Marceron stressed the significance of the South Shore project, saying "The South Shore project is one of the most important projects we will do for many years to come. Once completed, the project will reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire across a broad landscape of wildland urban interface lands adjacent to communities and infrastructure currently at risk of catastrophic wildfire." Forest Service planners have worked in close coordination with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Lahontan Water Board. Supervisor Marceron also pointed out the importance of local partnerships and support for the South Shore project adding, "Our fire protection districts and agencies have been strong supporters of this project. The Lake Valley and Fallen Leaf Fire Protection Districts and the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department have projects for the state and private lands in cooperation with the Forest Service to reduce fire risk."  Harold Singer, Executive Officer, Lahontan Water Board says, "The Lahontan Water Board supports this significant effort to reduce fuel loads and the associated fire risk while protecting water quality. I am extremely pleased with the excellent collaboration and cooperation between Forest Service Staff and Water Board Staff in planning and designing a project that incorporates key design features that will prevent adverse effects to the environment."

The South Shore project documents and maps (DEIS) can be viewed at www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/projects/. Full information about how to submit comments is available on the website. To request a CD or paper copy of the draft EIS contact Duncan Leao at (530) 543-2660, or by email to dleao@fs.fed.us.

How to Comment:

Comments concerning this action will be accepted for 45 calendar days following publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, which is expected to be posted first week of April. The closing date of the comment period will posted immediately on the LTBMU website when it becomes available. For questions about the South Shore project, or about how to comment, contact Duncan Leao at (530) 543-2660, or by email to dleao@fs.fed.us.

The Notice of Availablity (NOA) will be published in the Federal Register Friday, April 10, 2009. The 45-day comment period begins the day after (April 11) the NOA appears in the Federal Register.

The South Shore project DEIS/DEIR is joint document that meets the requirements for both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The U.S. Forest Service, LTBMU is the lead agency for NEPA., and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board is the lead agency for CEQA.

In compliance with CEQA, hard copies of the South Shore project DEIS/DEIR will be available for review at the El Dorado County Clerk's Office, the South Lake Tahoe Public Library, and the LTBMU Forest Supervisor's Office for the duration of the comment period.

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