TAHOE BASIN, Nev./ Calif. – Prescribed burn season is officially underway, and the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) is working with 16 core partners and 20 support partners to implement controlled fires around Lake Tahoe. 

Annabelle Monti, Program Manager at TFFT, stepped into the position in March of this year after being in the Forest Service for 15 years. The role of program manager is a fairly new concept for the organization, previously having people within their partnerships stepping up to take on leadership roles. 

Monti’s job consists of taking some of the pressure off the partners and focusing solely on putting together a basin-wide, bigger picture while collaborating with TFFT partners for the betterment of the Tahoe Basin. 

Although it may be shoulder season as far as tourism goes, for TFFT, their work never ceases.

“In this space, I think there’s a little bit of an assumption that summer is our super busy season,” Monti said. “And that’s true, it is, but there’s not really a slow season anymore.”

Crews working busy, summer fire seasons are the same units operating prescribed burns in the fall or spring, with implementers doing their best to navigate through the challenge of not overworking their employees. 

In the midst of the prescribed burn season, communicating with the public on the process and the perks of the fires is important for TFFT.

“The science behind prescribed fire is you are burning that material under very controlled conditions to get the best possible outcomes, as opposed to if it were to burn in a wildfire that is completely uncontrollable. The impacts are not the same between those two scenarios,” Monti said.

These burns can take months, and sometimes, years, to plan, with fire professionals extensively evaluating weather conditions and developing burn plans to ensure successful mitigation.  

In response to any concerns regarding future wildfire threats to the basin, Monti noted that there is constant communication happening on all sides of TFFT’s partnerships. Lake Tahoe Basin fire chiefs and other collaborators are working with TFFT to close gaps on untreated evacuation routes in case of wildfires.

“This is a basin-wide effort, there are no lines. We’re doing this as a team,” added Monti.

TFFT’s federal partners are going through times of uncertainty regarding administration changes and furloughs as a direct result of the government shutdown. 

Division Chief of North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Isaac Powning, said, “In the bigger picture, the main challenges continue to be related to funding and the outlook for future financial support.”

In an environment like the Tahoe Basin, partners with such a huge land base rely on collaboratives.   

“There are a lot of partners that can step up to the table that can help alleviate. It doesn’t fix everything, but we can keep the forward momentum going. That’s fairly unique, I’d like to say, to these large partner groups that come together and have that rapport and relationship to be able to do that,” said Monti.

Even with current federal challenges like the government shutdown, necessary procedures such as prescribed burns remain a priority.

This week, prescribed burns are being conducted:

·         Tahoe Hills Urban Lots Rx, El Dorado County, Highway 89, Tahoe Hills/Rubicon Bay, West Shore

·         Lilly Lake BE01 Rx, El Dorado County, Benwood Meadow near Echo Summit, South Shore

To stay informed about current and upcoming prescribed burns, where they are located, and who is implementing them, visit tahoelivingwithfire.com.