Firefighters bracing for another dry summer

Wildfire awareness isn’t something that should be limited to just a month, Douglas County commissioners proclaimed last week in naming May through October as Nevada and Lake Tahoe wildfire awareness months.

Both East Fork and Tahoe-Douglas fire protection districts sought resolutions from the county board.

Preparation for the upcoming fire season isn’t limited to words though.

On Sunday, volunteers will be planting trees on U.S. Forest Service land burned in last year’s Tamarack Fire.

It will be the second day planting 2,000 donated seedlings in a workday hosted by the Alpine Watershed Group and the Alpine Trails Association in partnership with the Forest Serice.

Work continues to repair the damage from the 68,696-acre blaze that burned from the Sierra Nevada to the Pine Nut Mountains claiming 25 structures. Set by lightning on July 4, 2021, the fire smoldered until it burst into flame on July 16, threatening Markleeville.

On Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management approved a project to remove fire-killed trees near roads, trails and camping areas around the Indian Creek Recreation Area.

Visitors should expect to see tree cutting operations around Airport Road and along the Curtz Lake Trail from the middle of July to the middle of October.

The goal is to clear 130 acres of overhead hazards to prepare to plant seedlings.

“The goal of the Tamarack Fire Salvage Project is to remove fire-killed trees within striking distance to roads, trails, and camping areas in the Indian Creek Recreation Area before they become a public safety hazard,” said Sierra Front Field Manager Kim Dow.

Small businesses affected by the fire have until May 26 to apply for federal disaster loans for economic damage caused by the fire. 

Low-interest federal disaster loans are available in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mono and Tuolumne counties in California; and Douglas County.

The U.S. Forest Service has stationed a Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in Placerville in preparation for a rough fire season. The Blackhawks are the largest, fastest helicopters used in firefighting. It is equipped to carry up to 900 gallons of water, can fly for up to 2 ½ hours. 

Forest officials aren’t holding out much hope for the fire season after one of the driest first quarters on record in the Sierra.

“I’ve been with the National Weather Service for over 20 years, and I’ve never seen the winter storm door just slam shut like that,” said NWS Reno’s, Chris Smallcomb. “It’s very unsettling.”

Drier than normal conditions are likely this spring and warmer than normal conditions are highly likely this summer, according to long-range forecasts. This means California and Nevada face continued severe to extreme drought that will elevate the risk of wildland fire across both states.

“With the current conditions and predicted outlooks, we are preparing for a fire year similar to the last three – taking all of the lessons that we learned from the Caldor, Dixie and other large fires into consideration,” said Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Fire Chief Carrie Thaler. “We will continue to work closely with our local, state and federal partners in all of our pre-season preparedness activities.” 

The Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team encouraged homeowners and residents to prepare their families, homes, and property for the next wildfire. 

Information is available on the Tahoe Living with Fire website at www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/.