Contact: USDA Forest Service, Lisa Herron 530-721-3898
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev., Nov. 30, 2020 – Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) members will continue prescribed fire operations this week in the Lake Tahoe Basin, weather and conditions permitting. California State Parks and Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District are scheduled to burn hand piles on the east and west shores. Smoke may be visible. A map with project locations and details is available for viewing at https://www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/get-informed/. Sign-up to receive email prescribed fire notifications at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Prescribed fire managers use different methods to reintroduce fire back into our forests that include pile burning and understory burning. Pile burning is intended to remove excess fuels (branches, limbs and stumps) that can feed unwanted wildfires and involves burning slash piles that are constructed by hand and mechanical equipment. Understory burning is low intensity prescribed fire that takes place on the ground (the understory) rather than pile burning. Understory burning uses a controlled application of fire to remove excess vegetation under specific environmental conditions that allow fire to be confined to a predetermined area. Understory burning produces fire behavior and fire characteristics required to attain planned fire and resource management objectives.