Forest Management
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Urban Lot Management | FAQ
Urban Lot Management Program
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find out who
owns the vacant lot next to me?
If you have the physical address for the vacant property, the
County Assessor's office should be able to get this information for
you. If you have the assessor's parcel number (APN) you may
look up property information at the corresponding county assessor's
website, provided in the links below.
I've determined who owns the property - who is
responsible for fuels reduction and hazard tree abatement?
It is the responsibility of the
property owner to address these issues. If the property
belongs to a government agency, you may contact the agency directly
with your concerns. If the property is privately owned, you
may contact the owner. Support in resolving concerns on
private lands may be available from your
local fire department.
I want to cut down trees on my own
property. Who marks them and do I need a permit?
Yes, the
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
marks trees and issues permits for removal of trees/vegetation from
private lands within the Lake Tahoe Basin. If you live in the Incline Village/Crystal
Bay area or in the Lake Valley Fire District (Meyers area), your
local fire department has an agreement with the TRPA to mark trees
on your property.
North Lake Tahoe Fire
Protection District
(775) 831-0351, Fax (775) 831-2072
Lake Valley Fire Department
(530) 577-3737
I have a National Forest lot next to my
property. Can I purchase it?
No, the Forest Service does not have the authority to transfer
National Forest System lands acquired under the
Santini-Burton Act to private
ownership. In some situations, the Act allows transfer of such
lands to an appropriate state or local government agency with deed
restrictions to protect the environmental quality.
The Forest Service was thinning
next to my home and left slash piles. When will they be burned?
The (slash) piles are stacked and
left to cure for a minimum of one to two years in order to meet air
quality standards and to ensure the slash will be
consumed when burnt. In addition, the number of available days to burn annually
are influenced by the following factors:
-
The amount of precipitation
(too much/little snow/rain)
-
Air quality control standards (limited amount of burn days)
-
The availability of crews to
safely implement burning practices
For specific information regarding plans to burn existing
slash piles adjacent to your property, please
contact us.
Can I take wood from the slash piles for firewood?
Not without a permit,
although the Forest Service generally does not issue
permits for removal of materials from slash piles. The
piles are constructed in such a way that they will burn
properly. Tearing apart piles for removal of fuel wood
makes them difficult to burn. For more information, or if there are any questions about
permits, contact us.
The Forest Service cut trees on the lots in my
neighborhood. Can I pick up the logs from Forest Service
urban lots for firewood?
In most cases, after project
work is completed on urban lots, the area is opened to public
fuel wood cutting. Firewood cutting permits are sold
annually at our main office. For information on purchasing
permits, please contact us.
In some cases, when only a small amount of wood has been cut,
opening the area to the public is impractical. In these
cases, the Forest Service may issue a permit to an individual to
clean up the wood. In all cases you must have a
permit to remove wood from National Forest System Lands.
It is important that a permit is issued, so that the Forest
Service can help provide guidelines to maintain a healthy
forest.
The Forest Service lot adjacent to my home has dead
trees and forest debris. Can I help clean this up?
Yes, the Forest Service issues free permits to
homeowners to clean up National Forest System lands directly adjacent
to their home in order to reduce fuels and improve defensible
space around their home. This can include cleaning up dead
wood, downed trees, forest debris, and thinning small trees.
For information on obtaining these permits, please contact us.
Can I temporarily store my wood pile or other
personal property on a Forest Service urban lot?
No - storage of private
property on public land is prohibited. See
encroachments for more
information.
I am building/remodeling a house. Can I store
construction materials on a Forest Service urban lot?
No - this is an
encroachment and is
prohibited.
Can my children build a treehouse on an urban lot
next to my house?
No - this is an
encroachment and is prohibited.
However, your children can play and have fun on urban lots, as
long as their activities do not damage the resources the Forest
Service is protecting. Activities like playing frisbee or
tag are allowed, but activities such as riding dirt bikes or
building BMX trails on
urban lots is not allowed.
Can I plant trees and flowers on a Forest Service lot
next to my property?
The Forest Service does not
authorize planting of non-native vegetation on National Forest
System lands. In addition, the Forest Service will not
authorize planting of native vegetation on National Forest
System lands for the purpose of residential landscaping.
If you feel restoration of the urban intermix parcel requires
planting vegetation on the site, please
contact us. After
the site is evaluated by the Forest Service, planting of native
vegetation may be authorized. Approved native vegetation
will be site specific.
A bear dragged my neighbor's garbage onto Forest Service
property. Will the Forest Service clean up the mess?
No - The Forest Service does
not have the staff or resources to police neighborhood trash.
However, when we are conducting other management activities on a
parcel, we do clean up any trash present. In isolated
cases where a significant amount of refuse has been dumped on
National Forest System lands, the Forest Service may do some
clean-up depending on funding and resource availability.
Homeowners within residential areas are responsible for
securing their trash and keeping
their neighborhoods clean. In situations where your
neighbor is continuously careless with his/her garbage,
you can contact your local code enforcement agency with your
concerns.
For litter and nuisance abatement in El Dorado County, you may
contact Clean
Tahoe at (530)
544-4210.
How can I help?
- Help fuels reduction! Since 1991 the
Forest Service has worked with adjoining property owners to reduce
hazardous fuels and improve defensible space. Please help us
by getting a permit to clean up dead wood, downed trees, forest
debris, and thin small trees.
- Protect resources: Be a good neighbor by ensuring
that the use of your private property does not extend onto
adjoining Forest Service lands.
- Participate in monitoring activities: Help
collect data on parcels in your neighborhood. Please
contact us for more information.
- Let us know about problems: If you see
potentially hazardous trees, noxious weed infestations,
encroachments, or other conditions on National Forest System lands
you feel we should know about, please contact us.
Can a group of homeowners help?
YES - although individuals can help, homeowner associations or
community groups can be effective at a much greater level. If
you would like information on how a homeowner group can help, please
contact us.
For more information, please contact the
Lake Tahoe Basin Management
Unit
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