South lake tahoe fire rescue (sltfr) views fuel reduction in the tahoe basin as top priority for public safety, and the environment in preventing the destruction caused by a catastrophic wildfire

The City of South Lake Tahoe will receive $911,120 through a Cooperative Agreement award from the Bureau of Land Management Nevada Region to conduct hazardous fuel reduction activities. Under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act program, the City will reduce fuels across approximately 149.82 acres of city-owned properties. This will decrease wildfire severity, improve defensible space, and enhance forest ecosystem health near critical infrastructure like the airport, schools, and community centers. Treatments at Lake Tahoe Airport, Tahoe Vista neighborhood, and the city campground will thin vegetation to promote larger and more resilient tree stands, providing long-term carbon sequestration and forest health benefits. The fuel reduction efforts directly support the goals of the 2015 Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire Protection Plan to address wildfire risks and are not duplicative of other federal agency work. Completion is expected by December 26, 2028.

Sltfr of the city of south lake tahoe will reduce approximately 149.82 acres of hazardous fuels at three city owned properties to reduce the severity of wildfire behavior, improve defensible space protection to adjoining private lands, and enhance forest ecosystem health. Three locations selected from the community wildfire protection plan (cwpp) and endorsed by the tahoe fire and fuels team (tfft) include lake tahoe airport, tahoe vista neighborhood, and city of south lake tahoe campground. These city owned properties are deemed priority in the 2015 lake tahoe basin community wildfire protection plan, designed to address the immediate threat environmental conditions pose to public health and safety. The parcels selected reside in near the airport, schools, critical water sheds, community centers, emergency centers, public safety infrastructure, and water supply wells. Thinning of vegetation will provide benefits of habitat protection by promoting growth of larger trees, reducing resource competition and create larger more resilient forest stands providing long term carbon sequestration. An added CO benefit of increased tree vigor and forest health is its ability to withstand fire, pests, and pathogens as well as climate change. Restoring the project sites to healthy forest conditions is an integral component to reduce the effects of fire within the wildland urban interface. Please note the city of south lake tahoe does not have an approved cost allocation plan and will not charge in direct costs to the project. In addition there is no duplication of effort with any other federal agency regarding the fuel reduction efforts proposed on the parcels in this application.