Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
The U.S. Forest Service has begun the process of revising the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Plan. This process will result in a guiding document for management of all of the resources within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) for the next two decades.
The first document created and released by the Forest Service during this plan revision process was the Comprehensive Evaluation Report (CER) which is an attempt to evaluate ecological, economic, and social conditions and trends of the basin. One specific piece of this document that we believe shows great potential for the Forest Service to actually advance a responsible and scientifically valid approach to addressing the ecologically unhealthy fuel loads within the basin is from page 31 of the CER. It states "Tree density is currently 184% of historic conditions, most of which is comprised of trees less than 16" in diameter".
If the Forest Service were to follow the science as it relates to the fuel load problem they will find a receptive ear in the conservation community. Removal of large trees does not reduce the fuel load problem, it exacerbates it. Addressing the real problem when it comes to the ecological health of our forests and the wildfire threat will go a long way toward showing the public that the Forest Service is serious about solving this problem.
Sierra Forest Legacy will continue to fight for long-term protection of all the important and significant resources within the basin and encourage you to do what you can to help save the basin from a potentially disastrous forest plan that will shape management within the basin for decades to come. If we fail to secure a responsible, scientifically based management plan the impacts to water quality, forest health, wildlife habitats, and recreational opportunities could be so deleterious that the basin could feel the effects for centuries.