Forest Service stacks decks for public wood offering

A public fuelwood area near Markleeville has opened to the public, according to the Carson Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Cut logs are decked at various locations within the Tamarack Restoration Project area, primarily in the Pleasant Valley Road and Thornburg Canyon.

The decked logs are from ongoing activities with the Tamarack Restoration Project, which commenced summer of 2023.

As part of the restoration efforts within the Tamarack fire area, burned and dead trees were thinned and decked in the areas surrounding the community of Markleeville. Access to the decks of logs is via Pleasant Valley Road. Decks are located adjacent to the roadside.

Parts of Alpine and Douglas County were devastated by the Tamarack Fire, which was started by a July 3, 2021, lightning strike. The fire smoldered for nearly two weeks before the wind caught it and it blasted through Pleasant Valley toward Markleeville. Alpine volunteer firefighters were able to save the town, but the blaze burned southeast into Douglas County and destroyed homes along Highway 395 south of Leviathan Mine Road, threatening Topaz Ranch Estates.

The fire eventually claimed 68,696 acres of land and 25 structures between the Sierra and the Pine Nut Mountains.

Contractors have been working to bring many of the burned trees from the Tamarack Fire to logging decks near the roadway.

Woodcutters should exercise caution when cutting from decks, and please be courteous and respectful of other woodcutters. As access to the area is through a residential area, woodcutters are asked to be respectful of the nearby community and exercise extreme caution while driving on residential streets. There are multiple decks in the area, some available to public fuelwood and others that are not. Decks that are not available for public fuelwood are signed with “No Fuelwood Cutting” signs.

Firewood permits cost $10 per cord with a two-cord minimum and a 10-cord maximum for the year. A cord is the amount of wood in a stack 4-feet wide, 4-feet high and 8- feet long. Permits are valid through the calendar year they’re purchased and can be purchased 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Carson Ranger District Office, 1536 S. Carson St., Carson City. The office is closed holidays. For more information, call 775-882-2766