Mechanical whole tree thinning project starts near South Lake Tahoe neighborhood
Submitted by paula on Tue, 05/31/2022 - 10:54am
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Equipment is being moved into the neighborhood and powerline corridor near Montgomery Estates in preparation for a mechanical whole tree thinning operation that will start this week. Work is scheduled to begin in Montreal Units 6, 26, and 1006 (see map above) at the end of High Meadows Trail off of Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe.
The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is partnering with Great Basin Institute on this project
Mechanical whole tree removal involves cutting the entire tree and moving it to the landing area to remove limbs and cut it into sections. The Forest Service advises recreationists to avoid these areas due to hazards posed by heavy equipment and falling trees. Hazards may be present even when operations have ceased for the day.
This forest thinning work is part of the 7,600-acre Liberty Utilities Resilience Corridors and 3,737-acre South Tahoe Fuels Treatment projects.
The South Tahoe Fuels Treatment project consists of forest thinning and vegetation treatments in areas that have been previously treated within the past 15-25 years to reduce fuels for forest fires and promote healthy and resilient forest stands. About 60 percent of the area has been previously treated with the remaining 40 percent being treated for the first time.
More information about these projects can be found at the following links:
Liberty Utility Resilience Corridors Project
www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55882
South Tahoe Fuels Treatment Project
www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=52970