LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif.– The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is updating regional environmental goals, called threshold standards, for forest health and community wildfire protection in the Lake Tahoe Basin and is seeking public input, the agency said today.
As a founding member of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team and leader of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, TRPA is working with land managers, scientists, and the community to restore balance and resilience to the basin’s forests.
“Lake Tahoe’s forests are a vital part of the basin’s ecosystem, wildlife habitat, and recreation, and they help protect the lake’s incredible clarity, but they have changed dramatically over time,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “Setting measurable forest health targets based on current science is essential to restore Tahoe’s forests to a healthy, resilient condition.”
In the 19th century, silver mining on the Comstock Lode drove clear-cutting of the majority of Tahoe’s forests. Later, decades of fire suppression created dense forests with accumulated dead vegetation, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Since the founding of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) in 1997, land managers have treated more than 100,000 acres through forest fuel reduction and prescribed fire projects. This work has been made possible by hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, state, local, and private funding.
Thousands more acres are planned, including 44,300 acres as part of the Lake Tahoe West project and priority fuel reduction work along evacuation routes to improve public safety during emergencies. Increasing the pace and scale of forest health projects underscores the need for clear, measurable benchmarks for the region, according to TRPA.
New Forest Health Threshold Standards
A growing body of science and past wildfires in the Tahoe Region show that modern forest management practices can reduce wildfire severity and support long-term ecosystem health. The four proposed forest health goals leverage advancements in fire science and climate research to restore a balanced mosaic of forest ages, manage canopy cover, and reduce stand density. They also set targets for predicted fire behavior in wildland areas and in the Wildland Urban Interface, which is the critical area along evacuation routes and around neighborhoods.
Members of the public can review the new goals at tinyurl.com/ForestThresholds. A survey at the end of the summary is available to provide feedback. The agency will provide an informational presentation on the proposed thresholds at the TRPA Governing Board Environmental Improvement Program Committee meeting on January 28, 2026. The Governing Board is expected to take action on the new standards on February 25.
Additional Background
The 2007 Angora Wildfire burned 3,100 acres in the southern portion of the Tahoe Basin and destroyed more than 250 homes. Since 2007 alone, Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team partners have thinned nearly 80,000 acres of forest and conducted tens of thousands of defensible space evaluations to help homeowners reduce wildfire risk on their properties. Some of this work helped firefighters protect Lake Tahoe during the 2021 Caldor Fire. The 221,000-acre fire burned nearly 10,000 acres in the Tahoe Basin, with no primary residences or lives lost.
Funding from the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, California and Nevada bonds and appropriations, local tax measures, and private-sector support has made this work possible.
As a core member of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, TRPA has streamlined processes and applied science-based policies to help increase the pace and scale of forest health projects. In 2022, the TRPA Governing Board adopted new policies that significantly expanded where ground-based mechanical equipment can be used on steep slopes in the Tahoe Basin. Nearly half of that area is in the Wildland Urban Interface near communities where hand crews and mechanical equipment now work together.
