SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Secretary Wade Crowfoot joined the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) on Monday, Sept. 15, to see the work in the Tahoe Keys that started this September—a year ahead of schedule. The 43-acre mastication project is in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and contractor BurnBot and was able to start early through Gov. Newsom’s emergency proclamation to confront the ongoing risk of wildfires in the state.

According to Chris Carney, communications director at the CTC, the project is their first one approved through the proclamation, though it kicked off over a hundred projects across the state. The opportunity to move in advance was exciting for all partners involved, who felt that the project was especially important to protect the neighborhoods and sensitive wetlands nearby.

The air was rife with the scent of pine trees being masticated—a term for grinding up small trees, brush and woody debris into mulch. BurnBot provided remote-operated masticators that chip vegetation and spread chips around the treatment area. This management clears out ladder fuels that would otherwise cause flames to leap into the canopy, improving forest health and reducing wildfire risks.

BurnBot representatives said that this on-the-ground work could help to address the rising insurance rates by providing more accurate models and data of wildfire risks. The machines they use are much lighter and less noisy than typical equipment. That, combined with the remote operation, allows them to operate on steeper slopes that are environmentally sensitive. The USFS and other agencies are likely to continue these kinds of partnerships in order to get fuel reductions work done on their many acres of land.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Department Chief Jim Drennan said, “In my years working here, I don’t know that we’ve ever seen cooperation and collaboration like this.” He emphasized the importance of the Good Neighbor Authority agreement and the mutual aid collaboration among fire departments, both of which allow agencies to prepare and respond to wildfires across jurisdictional lines.

California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot said, “This project is a game changer. We need many more of them in the Tahoe Basin and across the state. It’s the first to use this early action funding, streamlined permitting and groundbreaking technology. And it demonstrates local, state and federal partnership.”

Crowfoot agreed with Drennan’s thoughts on working across jurisdictional lines, and was excited about the progress that he had seen since Newsom’s proclamation in March. “To me, this is the poster child for what we need to do across the state.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.