Alpine begins fire restoration team

The Tamarack Fire devastated Alpine County in the summer of 2021, and in an effort to help private landowners restore their land, a Tamarack Emergency Fire Restoration Team has been established.

Started by lightning on July 4, 2021, the fire smoldered for a dozen days before exploding on July 16, threatening Markleeville and then crossing into Nevada to destroy homes along the Highway 395 corridor.

A claim for $85 million has been filed with the U.S. Forest Service on behalf of people who lost property.

The team is being funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support mitigation of hazard fuels, and reforestation activities.

Alpine County is accepting applications for this program.

To be eligible for this program, you must be a private landowner whose property was affected by the Tamarack Fire.

Those interested should complete the online application to be contacted by the restoration team and schedule a property review.

A survey form is provided on the Alpine County website under the Wildfire Risk Mitigation Program > Tamarack Fire (http://www.alpinecountyca.gov/665/Tamarack-Fire).

For questions contact Alpine County Wildfire Project Coordinator Clint Celio at wildfire@alpinecountyca.gov or 530-694-2140.