Open burning to continue through the end of the year

A big agricultural burn in the field below Jacks Valley Road prompted several 911 calls on Wednesday morning.

East Fork firefighters responded to the site off Big Sky Trail at 9 a.m. and determined the burn was in regulations, but agreed it was putting up a big plume.

On Wednesday afternoon, East Fork responded to a report of a house fire that turned out to be a backyard burner who was within regulations.

Carson Valley agriculturalists have a long history of using fire to clear fields and are allowed to burn on still days around the year, unlike backyard burners.

Backyard burning in East Fork Fire Protection District typically ends in mid-December, but continued mild weather has prompted the district to extend the deadline to New Year’s Eve afternoon.

Burns do contribute to Carson Valley’s smoke, which has lately been pinned to the Valley floor by an inversion layer.

Other sources include people burning wood for heat in stoves and fireplaces which are active during cold winter nights, and larger burns conducted in the forests surrounding the Valley.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team has been conducting burns while the weather is still all along the East Shore of Lake Tahoe.

“One of the most important ways that we improve forest health and our community’s safety is by implementing priority fuel reduction projects such as thinning trees and conducting prescribed burns,” said North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection Division Chief Isaac Powning, who is incident commander of the team.

Over the course of the last year, the team has treated thousands of acres of forested and urban lots to reduce hazardous fuels.

As part of resilience corridor’s project the goal is to treat 28 miles of NV Energy power lines by thinning 290 acres.

“This work is crucial in improving the safety and resilience of our power system that serves the Lake Tahoe Basin, while at the same time improving forest health and being respectful of the sensitive ecosystem and environment the Tahoe area has to offer,” said NV Energy Vice President of Energy Delivery and Natural Disaster Protection Jesse Murray.