Tahoe National Forest Plans Prescribed Burns Starting October 1

TAHOE FOREST — The Tahoe National Forest plans to conduct a series of prescribed fire operations starting as soon as October 1, pending required approvals. Operations may continue through November, depending on weather conditions. Prescribed fires reduce overgrown vegetation and help safeguard local communities, infrastructure, and natural resources against wildfires.

In Placer County, crews will work on the American River Ranger District. Planned projects there include up to 38 acres of pile burning near Casa Loma, up to 200 acres of pile burning south of Emigrant Gap, and up to 200 acres of pile burning near French Meadows Reservoir.

The Sierraville Ranger District covers Nevada, Sierra, and Plumas Counties. Crews expect to conduct up to 200 acres of underburning near Calpine and up to 200 acres of underburning near Little Truckee Summit. Additional pile burning will cover up to 200 acres at various spots, including near Sierraville, Calpine, Rice Canyon, and Little Truckee Summit.

In Nevada, Sierra, and Placer Counties, the Truckee Ranger District will host projects as well. Underburning will treat up to 200 acres near Prosser OHV Trail in Truckee. Pile burning will address up to 150 acres at locations such as Stampede Dam Road, Captain Jack’s Boat Ramp, the Cabin Creek project, and the Lady Bug project.

The Yuba River Ranger District serves Nevada, Sierra, and Yuba Counties. Underburning near Nevada City will cover up to 100 acres near Madrone Springs. Pile burning will treat up to 700 acres near North San Juan and up to 100 acres off Highway 20 near Madrone Springs in the Nevada City area.

Forest Service personnel follow a specialized burn plan for each operation. Daily evaluations consider temperature, humidity, wind, vegetation moisture, and smoke dispersal. Such assessments determine whether conditions allow safe ignition. If the weather does not align with the plan, burns may be postponed or canceled.

Additional details on planned burns appear on the Tahoe National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe or through social media channels. The interagency site InciWeb also tracks prescribed fires at inciweb.wildfire.gov.