Tahoe Basin ready to burn

[Larry Harrell]

dlemessurier at cox.net (Le Messurier) wrote in message news:<116731df.0402251601.5841263 at posting.google.com>...
> lhfotoware at hotmail.com (Larry Harrell) wrote in message news:<7a90c754.0402242044.1a6c064 at posting.google.com>...
> > mhagen <replyto at group.only> wrote in message news:<102vea1thkc005d at corp.supernews.com>...
> > > Larry Harrell wrote:
> > > 
> Well, here's a link to the Lake Tahoe Conservancy's home page:
> 
> http://www.tahoecons.ca.gov/
> 
> It's a state agency and has been around since 1985.
> 
> Le Messurier

They have very little to do with the overall management of the Tahoe
Basin. The Forest Service controls all the Federal lands within the
basin.

Correcting MAJOR problems at Tahoe will always be met with MAJOR
resistance from many sources. Historically, the basin was dominated by
majestic pines until the Comstock Lode. Firs and Incense cedar were
left while fires were suppressed, allowing these "weedy" trees to
shade some of the new pine growth. The higher elevations had a bigger
fir component before the logging occurred and is now a nearly pure red
and white fir stand, with a few white pines and mountain hemlock
tossed in for good measure. Those same fir stands were severely
impacted in the early 90's by bark beetles, accounting for the massive
die off. Underneath the pine stands, the firs and lodgepole pines are
coming in, being shade tolerant. It will be VERY unfortunate when a
catastrophic fire comes through and destroys forests, sterilizing
soils and pouring sediment into Lake Tahoe in amounts not seen before.
Up to 40 feet of snow per year on the high ridges will result in a
disaster that will have everyone pointing fingers at the Forest
Service for not doing "something" about the threat. As of today,
Clinton's visit to Tahoe in the late 90's was just whitewash, same as
several of his other "legacy fantasies".

I did take a look at their website and saw that the project they were
working on only treated 30 acres. Smoke in the Basin is a very big
issue to residents there and is another example of environmental
NIMBYism. Smoke is the reason for proposing summer burning, a risk we
dare not take with the dry summers of the High Sierra. It will take
decades to treat enough of the massive fuels buildup to make a
difference and when that is all done, it will be time to start over
again (except that a "maintenance mode" will be less labor intensive).
We have to start somewhere and it might just take a catastrophic fire
to allow the Forest Service to do "something" about it. Right now,
efforts are just a "drop in the Lake".

Larry,    former Martis Peak fire lookout