At the Lake: Conservancy to sell trees salvaged from fire zone

The Angora fire left many property owners with next to nothing, but the California Tahoe Conservancy hasn't been faced with a total loss when it comes to land damaged by the blaze.

Although the agency has been removing hazardous trees from its 85 acres in the fire zone since days after the blaze began on June 24, Monday marked the first day of commercial salvage logging.

"If we don't get them out of here, they're going to be fuel for a future fire," Rick Robinson, natural resources manager for the conservancy, said on Monday.

While the fire danger of the trees is limited because of how burnt they are, if left unchecked they could develop disease or weaken to the point of blowing down, adding to the fuel load on the ground, Robinson said.

The resources manager downplayed the amount the agency will be receiving from sale of the trees, saying it was "not huge" and won't come close to funding the agency's $2.2 million Angora fire Restoration and Rehabilitation efforts.

He added the trees would be coming down regardless of their commercial value.

Seven crews are removing hazardous trees on conservancy land and are expected to wrap up efforts in three to four weeks.

Additional restoration work, including mulching small trees and spreading pine needles to redevelop the soil and limit the amount of ash and debris entering the Upper Truckee River drainage, is expected to last up to a month after tree removal is complete.

California State Parks has begun removing hazardous trees on its 17 acres burned by the fire, and the U.S. Forest Service is finalizing plans to remove hazardous trees on its land.