SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.— On September 2, the California Tahoe Conservancy will begin a 43-acre mastication project on forested state and federal public lands adjacent to the Tahoe Keys neighborhood in South Lake Tahoe. The Conservancy received expedited approval for this project under Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency proclamation on wildfire. The Conservancy has designed this forestry project to reduce wildfire risk for the adjacent communities and to enhance forest health.

This fuels reduction project includes both Conservancy and National Forest Lands properties, under a Good Neighbor Authority agreement with the USDA Forest Service, in the area between 15th Street and Tahoe Valley Elementary School (see map).

Mastication is a mechanical treatment that helps reduce wildfire intensity by grinding up small trees, brush, and woody debris into mulch. The Conservancy’s contractor, BurnBot, will use remote-operated masticators that will move through the forest and chip excess vegetation. The masticators will spread the chips around the treatment area as the equipment moves. By clearing out ladder fuels—the small trees and brush that allow fire to climb into the forest canopy—projects like this reduce wildfire risk for the forested properties and the surrounding neighborhoods, while improving overall forest health and resilience. In addition, well-managed open space lots also provide safe space for firefighters to operate and protect neighborhood homes in the event of a wildfire.

Governor Newsom issued an Emergency Proclamation on March 1, 2025 to confront the severe ongoing risk of catastrophic wildfires that threaten public safety across California. The Conservancy received authorization to implement this forestry project from the Secretaries of the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency under streamlined permitting processes, enabling the project to begin one year ahead of schedule.

The Conservancy plans forestry projects like these in coordination with the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, and in support of the goals of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program.

Funding for this project comes from Proposition 4, the Climate Bond.