TAHOE REGIONAL PLANNING AGENCY
128 Market Street P.O .Box 5310 (775) 588-4547
Stateline, Nevada Stateline, NV 89449-5310 Fax (775) 588-4527
www.trpa.org
Email: [email protected]
NEWS RELEASE
Contact Julie Regan, Communications Chief (775) 589-5237
For Release Immediately June 27, 2007
TRPA SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT TREE REMOVAL AND
FOREST FUELS REDUCTION
Lake Tahoe CA/NV—In the midst of the Angora Fire tragedy at Lake Tahoe, many questions
have arisen concerning tree removal rules implemented by the Tahoe Regional Planning
Agency (TRPA). Private property owners at Lake Tahoe can do much of the work to protect
their homes from fire without a permit, according to the Agency’s Code of Ordinances.
The states of California and Nevada created the TRPA in 1969 to preserve Lake Tahoe’s
environment and set environmental standards in nine natural resource areas including
vegetation.
TRPA rules allow many vegetation removal activities without a permit such as:
• Removing brush
• Removing standing dead trees (other than some in conservation-designated areas for
habitat)
• Removing trees smaller than six inches diameter (other than in some stream
zones/wetlands)
• Trimming limbs from the lower one-third of trees
• Trimming limbs for clearance around power lines, chimneys and for defensible space.
Under TRPA’s code of ordinances, review is required for the removal of trees six inches or
greater in diameter at breast height and fire districts now provide this service to the public. In
an effort to promote defensible space at Lake Tahoe, TRPA has historically delegated its
review authority of larger tree removal requests to local fire district partners to streamline
permitting for homeowners, according to TRPA Executive Director, John Singlaub.
“We have agreements with five of the seven local fire districts around the Tahoe Basin to
issue tree removal permits for fire safety and defensible space purposes,” Singlaub said.
“They also offer free defensible space inspections and most offer free curbside chipping
service.”
Upon request from property owners, TRPA continues to issue tree removal permits over and
above those issued by local fire districts and issued 695 such permits in 2006.
In addition to the fire districts, TRPA has delegated tree removal authority to local
governments, utility companies, public lands and other government agencies such as the US
Forest Service.
Tree Removal in Angora Fire Area
• Sixty two tree removal permits (affecting 82 parcels) were issued between April 2003
and June 25, 2007 to property owners by TRPA or the Lake Valley Fire Protection
District.
• In 2006, the Lake Valley carried out approximately 200 defensible space inspections
and marked 900 trees for removal within their service area which includes the burn
area.
• Approximately 400 acres had been treated for fuels reduction by the US Forest
Service and other agencies.
• Reports from the ground indicate that treated areas fared better in many instances.
• Fire experts have said that no amount of defensible space on private properties could
have saved all structures in the Angora Fire because of the high winds and other fire
conditions.
“Fuels treatments on public lands have to be accompanied by defensible space on private
properties for the treatment to be holistic,” Singlaub said. “Once a defensible space
inspection is complete, it’s the responsibility of the land owner to remove the trees and
sometimes the cost factor prevents closing the tree removal loop.”
Funds are available on the Nevada side of the Lake through the Nevada Fire Safe Council to
help private land owners with the cost of tree removal, but there is no similar fund on the
California side.
TRPA’s 10-Year Focus on Fire Prevention
TRPA began its commitment to forest health and fuels reduction in the mid 1990s by
streamlining procedures to support the Tahoe Re-Green Program in California. Following
years of drought and bark beetle infestation, the forest was deemed at great risk of
catastrophic fire. Fuels treatments have been implemented by federal, state and private
property owners over the last 10 years on approximately 21,000 acres in the Tahoe Basin.
However, an additional 67,000 acres need treatment.
For the past three consecutive years, the TRPA Governing Board has declared the threat of
catastrophic wildfire the number one environmental concern at Lake Tahoe and TRPA’s top
priority. Wildfire threatens Lake Tahoe’s communities as well as its natural resources including
air and water quality, wildlife, and scenic resources. Working with numerous state, local, and
federal agency partners, TRPA took the lead beginning in 2004 in preparing the first Fuels
Reduction and Forest Restoration Plan for the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Agency amended its
Code of Ordinances to allow broader use of mechanical thinning techniques and is also
making strides toward using the biomass of forest fuels as a source of clean energy within the
Basin.
“We all want Tahoe’s forests thinned as quickly as possible,” Singlaub said. “Reducing forest
fuels over hundreds of square miles is going to require sustained investment from everyone.”
Outreach and education are central to the mission of the Agency in promoting environmental
stewardship. The “Home Landscaping Guide for the Lake Tahoe Basin,” prepared by a
number of agencies including TRPA, is available free of charge and is distributed throughout
the community. The guide includes an entire chapter on defensible space and rates the
flammability of plants for landscaping.
Pine Needles and Defensible Space
The Agency also encourages land owners to wisely combine defensible space treatment with
best management practices (BMPs). BMPs are mandatory erosion control measures at Lake
Tahoe which help improve water quality. Tahoe fire districts and TRPA have mutually agreed
to a guideline for homeowners to clear pine needles within five feet of structures, but to cover
other bare soil with either a layer of pine needles or bark mulch to keep the soil from eroding.
Homeowners also have the option to maintain a green, vegetated zone encircling their homes
as a BMP.
“Despite our efforts to spread the best information, the myth that TRPA requires flammable
materials remain close to homes is still a popular one to repeat,” said John Singlaub. Once
pine needles have decomposed, they form a duff layer with very low ignition properties.
Singlaub said the Agency has tried to assure homeowners there is no conflict between
keeping homes fire safe and doing BMPs, but also acknowledged that more public information
efforts are needed in this area.
Public Perception Challenges
The myth that TRPA does not allow tree removal for fire safety may stem from sensational
media coverage around tree violations. Several high-profile cases involved lakefront
homeowners removing or even poisoning trees to enhance views or improve property values.
TRPA’s environmental standards for vegetation don’t allow tree removal simply for personal
benefit. However, the Agency says that tree removal for forest health and fire safety is allowed
and strongly encouraged. The Agency’s executive director also recognizes that more can be
done.
“We have been open to amending policies and ordinances in an effort to better address fire
safety at Lake Tahoe,” Singlaub said. “Following the Angora Fire, a robust community debate
is in order to help prevent such a catastrophic event from occurring in the future.”
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is a bi-state environmental planning and regulatory
agency at Lake Tahoe. Our mission is to cooperatively lead the effort to preserve, restore, and
enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region now and in
the future. The Agency regulates development at Lake Tahoe and spearheads an
environmental restoration program for the Tahoe Basin. For more information, contact Julie
Regan at 775-589-5237 or visit www.trpa.org.
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