The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is scheduled to conduct an understory burn on approximately 32 acres southeast of Pioneer Trail between Hekpa Drive and Columbine Trail near South Lake Tahoe.
The burn will begin only if weather and conditions are favorable and may start as early as May 22, continuing through mid-June.
Ignitions are expected to begin at 9 a.m., and smoke will be visible in the area.
A fire Information booth will be located along Pioneer Trail near Hekpa Drive during periods of active burning, Forest Service personnel will be on scene and available at the booth to answer questions.
Prescribed fires are used as a forest management method to reduce excess vegetation otherwise known as fuels that can contribute to wildfires.
Land managers utilize pile, broadcast, and understory burning techniques.
Broadcast and understory burning involve low-intensity fire applied under controlled conditions within designated areas.
Low-intensity fires have historically occurred in the Sierra Nevada due to lightning or were set by native peoples.
These fires typically burned at low temperatures and slowly moved across the ground, clearing forest debris such as pine cones, needles, limbs, dead and downed trees, and ladder fuels, which are live or dead vegetation that allow fire to climb from the ground into tree canopies. For an in-depth explanation of the process, watch the Forest Service video below:Â
Understory burning replicates these natural fires, which are important to maintaining healthy, fire-adapted ecosystems.
This process benefits forest health by creating space for new growth, supplying forage for wildlife, recycling nutrients into the soil, and limiting the spread of tree insects and disease.
For smoke management tips, current air quality information, and project details, the public can visit AirNow, the Fire and Smoke Map, and the prescribed fire map at Tahoe Living With Fire.
If you would like to receive prescribed fire notifications, you can email the Forest Service.
