LAKE TAHOE

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is updating regional environmental goals, called threshold standards, for forest health and community wildfire protection in the Lake Tahoe Basin and is seeking public input.

As a founding member of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team and leader of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP), TRPA is working with land managers, scientists, and the community to restore balance and resilience to the basin’s forests.

In the 19th century, silver mining on the Comstock Lode drove clear-cutting of the majority of Tahoe’s forests. Later, decades of fire suppression created dense forests with accumulated dead vegetation, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Since the founding of the Lake Tahoe EIP in 1997, land managers have treated more than 100,000 acres through forest fuel reduction and prescribed fire projects. 

Thousands more acres are planned, including 44,300 acres as part of the Lake Tahoe West project and priority fuel reduction work along evacuation routes. Increasing the pace and scale of forest health projects underscores the need for clear, measurable benchmarks for the region.

A growing body of science and past wildfires in the Tahoe region show that modern forest management practices can reduce wildfire severity and support long-term ecosystem health. The four proposed forest health goals leverage advancements in fire science and climate research to restore a balanced mosaic of forest ages, manage canopy cover, and reduce stand density. They also set targets for predicted fire behavior in wildland areas and in the Wildland Urban Interface, which is the critical area along evacuation routes and around neighborhoods.

Members of the public can review the new goals at tinyurl.com/forestthresholds. 

~ Tahoe Regional Planning Agency