South Lake Tahoe, Calif. –Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service may conduct prescribed fire operations around the Tahoe Basin next week, beginning Monday, March 16, 2015, weather permitting. Operations may take place southwest of Meeks Bay, on Gardner Mountain near South Tahoe High School and off Gardner Street, Luther Pass near Grass Lake, Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly, Edgewood Canyon on lower Kingsbury Grade and near Logan Creek Drive on the East Shore. Operations may last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.
Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.
Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition. They wait for favorable conditions that will carry smoke up and out of the Basin. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed how smoke will travel.
Before conducting prescribed fire operations, agencies may post road signs around affected areas and make email or phone notifications. The Forest Service updates the local fire information line at530-543-2600, #6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us. For more information on prescribed fire and smoke management tips, visithttp://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/RxFireOps.
Project Information:
- Project Name: Friday Station
- Responsible Agency/Contact: Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, Keegan Schafer (775) 848-6277
- Descriptive Location: Edgewood Canyon, Lower Kingsbury
- Type of burn: Hand Piles
- Total Acreage: 5
- Planned Ignition: Operations begin 03/16/2015 and will continue through 3/21/2015 as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 3 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: East/Northeast at ignition with South/Southwest probable
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Stateline, Lower Kingsbury, Upper Kingsbury, and South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Project Name: Heavenly ULM
- Agency Contact: U.S. Forest Service, John Washington (530) 543-2652
- Legal Location: T12/13N, R18E, Sec 1, 34
- Descriptive Location: Ski Run Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Type of burn: Hand Piles
- Total Acreage: 70.25
- Planned Ignition: 03/16/2015 and continuing as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Stateline, South Lake Tahoe and surrounding communities.
- Project Name: Highland
- Agency Contact: U.S. Forest Service, John Washington (530) 543-2652
- Legal Location: 12N, R18E, Sec 6
- Descriptive Location: Gardner Mtn. area, South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Type of burn: Hand piles
- Total Acreage: 120
- Planned Ignition: 03/16/2015 and continuing as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 6 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from South Lake Tahoe and surrounding communities.
- Project Name: Viking
- Agency Contact: U.S. Forest Service, John Washington (530) 543-2652
- Legal Location: 12N, R18E, Sec 6
- Descriptive Location: Gardner Mtn. area, South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Type of burn: Hand piles
- Total Acreage: 148
- Planned Ignition: 03/16/2015 and continuing as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 6 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from South Lake Tahoe and surrounding communities.
- Project Name: Logan
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service, Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: T14N, R18E, Sec 22
- Descriptive Location: Logan House Community, near Logan Creek Drive, East Shore
- Type of burn: Hand/machine piles
- Total Acreage: 23
- Planned Ignition: 03/16/2015 and continuing as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Incline Village, Kings Beach and West Shore communities
- Project Name: Luther
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service, Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: T11N, R18E, Sec 15
- Descriptive Location: Luther Pass/Grass Lake
- Type of burn: Hand
- Total Acreage: 55
- Planned Ignition: 03/16/2015 and continuing as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Meyers, South Lake Tahoe and South Shore communities as well as visitors traveling over Echo Summit and Luther Pass
- Project Name: Bob White
- Responsible Agency/Contact: U.S. Forest Service, Kyle Jacobson (530) 543-2658
- Legal Location: T14N, R17E, Sec 29
- Descriptive Location: North of Emerald Bay, near Meeks Bay
- Type of Burn: Hand piles
- Total Acreage: 150
- Planned Ignition: 03/16/2015 and continuing as conditions permit
- Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 10 days of burn down time
- Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast
- Communities or Smoke Sensitive Areas: Smoke may be visible from Tahoma and surrounding communities.
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About the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team
The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies, Cal Fire, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the USDA Forest Service, conservation districts from both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our Mission is to protect lives, property and the environment within the Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire by implementing prioritized fuels reduction projects and educating the public on becoming a Fire Adapted Community.
For more information, visit www.tahoefft.org