NEVADA CITY, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2024) — Tahoe National Forest received $5 million to expand work on the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy. The funds will reduce wildfire risk on up to 1,432 acres adjacent to communities as part of Tahoe National Forest’s Resilient Communities and Partner Capacity Building Project. This funding will be leveraged with other federal and state opportunities to complete the entirety of these forest health projects totaling 7,587 acres and 50 miles of roadside work.
“Reducing wildfire threat to our communities while restoring the forest to a more resilient state is our top priority,” said acting Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Beth Martinez. “We remain committed to continuing to address the wildfire crisis through implementing critical fuels reduction work across the Tahoe National Forest.”
The Resilient Communities and Partner Capacity Building Project includes vegetation management treatments encompassing three sub-projects on the Tahoe National Forest:
Funding received by the Tahoe National Forest is part of the $100 million investment via the Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program announced by the Biden-Harris Administration on Sept. 10, 2024. The Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program uses hazardous fuels funds from the Inflation Reduction Act to treat additional areas of high wildfire risk where national forests and grasslands meet homes and communities, known as the Wildland-Urban Interface. The program allows national forests, in collaboration with Tribes, communities and partners in qualifying states to build local capacity for projects to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
“Reducing wildfire threat to our communities while restoring the forest to a more resilient state is our top priority,” said acting Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Beth Martinez. “We remain committed to continuing to address the wildfire crisis through implementing critical fuels reduction work across the Tahoe National Forest.”
The Resilient Communities and Partner Capacity Building Project includes vegetation management treatments encompassing three sub-projects on the Tahoe National Forest:
- Michigan Bluff Project: Masticate, hand thin and pile and machine pile 650 acres to remove surface and ladder fuels to create defensible space adjacent to the communities of Michigan Bluff and Foresthill.
- South Yuba Roadside Fuel Break Project: Masticate, hand and machine pile, prescribed burn and log 364 acres along 6 miles of roads to create safe ingress and egress for three disadvantaged communities near Nevada City.
- Bonta Creek Defensible Space Project: Extract biomass and timber using tethered equipment on 418 acres to thin ladder and canopy fuels to create defensible space adjacent to the town of Sierraville.
Funding received by the Tahoe National Forest is part of the $100 million investment via the Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program announced by the Biden-Harris Administration on Sept. 10, 2024. The Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program uses hazardous fuels funds from the Inflation Reduction Act to treat additional areas of high wildfire risk where national forests and grasslands meet homes and communities, known as the Wildland-Urban Interface. The program allows national forests, in collaboration with Tribes, communities and partners in qualifying states to build local capacity for projects to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
