In the News

Public Invited to Help Create Community Fire Plans
date posted: May 25 2004

By John Cobourn, Water Resource Specialist;
and Heather Segale, Environmental Education Coordinator; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

In late 2003, after catastrophoc wildfires decimated much of Southern California, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board directed its staff to make forest-thinning and fuels-reduction projects a top priority. By February 2004, U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., and California Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City, had requested a share of the Federal Healthy Forest Restoration Act money to fund increased forest-thinning and prescribed-burning projects at Lake Tahoe. The act, signed into law by President Bush in December 2003, aims to reduce the threat of wildfires through careful planning and treatment of high-risk areas.

A public forum, organized by Feinstein and Leslie, drew about 175 people to Lake Tahoe Community College on March 13. The purpose of the gathering was to energize the process of creating community fire protection plans so they're ready before the Lake Tahoe Environmental Summit, typically held in August. In addition, the fire protection districts will work with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to combine the community plans into a fire plan for the whole Tahoe Basin. With the plans in place, Tahoe can be one of the first watersheds in the nation in line to receive a portion of the $760 million to be provided through the Healthy Forest Restoration Act.

Community Invited to Fire Plan Meetings
Public input is critical to the creation of community fire plans that will benefit each fire district. Presentations and public meetings will be held at 7 p.m., July 8, at the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, Kings Beach; at 7 p.m., July 9, at the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District, Meeks Bay; at 10 a.m., July 10, at the Lake Valley Fire Protection District; and at 1 p.m., July 10, at the Fallen Leaf Fire District, Fallen Leaf Lake. The final public meetings, during which the final version of the fire plans will be presented, are tentatively planned for Aug. 2 and 3. For more information, contact Susan DiMauro, public information officer, Davey Resource Group, (505) 681-2358; or Jennifer Arrowsmith, Tahoe Basin Fire Safe Council, (530) 543-1501, ext. 112.

What Residents Can Do at Home
What is good for the Tahoe community and environment at the forest level is also beneficial to private property owners. Wildfire experts have been encouraging homeowners for more than 10 years to implement defensible space practices around their structures to increase their survivability in a wildfire. This year more than ever, education about defensible space is being combined with education about best management practices (BMPs), which protect the lake’s water quality and ecosystem. Rather than making two separate plans that might not be totally consistent, homeowners will save money and time by planning and installing their BMPs and defensible space activities together.

“The Home Landscaping Guide for Lake Tahoe,” which is given to property owners during free BMP site evaluations, has a detailed chapter on defensible space that makes the point that fire prevention is not at odds with erosion-control practices. In the “lean, clean and green” defensible space, extending 30 feet from structures, shrubs can be cut down without removing the roots. In addition low-growing, low-fire-hazard plants can be irrigated, and mulch can be added to cover bare soil. For people who want to maintain a small patch of turf, this is the best place for it. A 1-inch to 2-inch layer of pine or fir needles can be left on bare ground as a mulch to decay over time. Property managers should never rake all needles, leaving only bare soil, as this creates a serious erosion hazard. However, within 5 feet of structures, fire districts recommend use of a noncombustible mulch, such as gravel or river rock.

Property owners can schedule a free BMP site evaluation, including defensible space recommendations, by calling the Tahoe Resource Conservation District in California, (530) 543-1501, ext. 6. Nevada residents can call the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, (775) 586-7223, ext. 1.

Watch for “The Lake Tahoe Report” in the Tahoe Daily Tribune each Wednesday, and tune in to KOLO-TV News Channel 8 Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to learn more. In next week’s article, learn more about the benefits of scheduling a free BMP site evaluation. “The Lake Tahoe Report” is a collaborative effort of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, UC Davis and the USDA Forest Service. For more information, contact Heather Segale, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 832-4138, or logon to www.lteec.org or www.unce.unr.edu.