Forest Health & Fire Protection

Truckee is working consistently with partners to implement reforestations, fuel breaks, and fuel reduction zones. In 2020 the Town’s Tahoe Donner Roadway Vegetation Maintenance Project is removing vegetation within 15 feet of the edge of roadways along the 61 miles of roads in Tahoe Donner to improve emergency ingress/ egress and fire breaks.

In recent years Tahoe Donner has created over 637 acres of fuel-reduction zones, while Truckee Tahoe Airport District actively manages over 1,450 acres at Waddle Ranch. Mountain Area Preservation also continues to manage the Trout Creek Pocket Park and PC-3 open space preserve for forest health.

What you can do: Fire protection is everyone’s responsibility in our community. Do your part in contributing to our community’s fire safety by maintaining your home’s defensible space and removing pine needles and debris from your yard. Heed local burn bans and fire restrictions.

This information tracks the number of acres actively managed for forest health and fire protection. This includes areas inside and directly outside of the Town’s boundary within the Truckee River Watershed.

Forest health plays a significant role in climate change resiliency. Healthy forests mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering carbon. Fuel-reduction projects, another component of forest health management, reduce fire risk and wildfire emissions, and promote the forest’s ability to recover from stressful or damaging events (climatic extremes).

This information is tracked annually from multiple agencies and organizations that perform forest management work in Truckee, including the Town of Truckee, Truckee River Watershed Council, Trout Unlimited, United States Forest Service, Truckee Donner Land Trust, Truckee Tahoe Airport District, and homeowner associations.