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Tree cutting process not too painful

by Andy Bourelle

There’s a big, dead tree in your yard.

You want to get rid of it. But it isn’t like you can just walk out and chop it down. Not at Lake Tahoe; that’s against the rules. What a pain! Why does everything at Lake Tahoe have to be so hard?

Well, removing trees isn’t hard, according to Susan-Marie Hagen, coordinator for Tahoe Re-Green.



“It’s a very easy process, and Tahoe Re-Green has a low-interest, 30-year loan program available to help residents pay for the cost of removing trees,” Hagen said.

If a tree is “completely” dead or is less than 6 inches around, residents are allowed to cut them down, Hagen said.



Otherwise, the Nevada Division of Forestry and California Department of Forestry can issue permits to residents for tree removal. The agencies can issue permits for trees in several types of situations: hazardous trees, which are leaning against or toward a house, or trees in a strand that needs to be thinned, where trees are competing against each other for nutrients.

“We’ll mark all the trees we think there is a problem with,” Hagen said. “They don’t have to take them all out; they don’t have to take any of them out. But we’re giving them the option.”

There is no cost for receiving a permit.

Tahoe Re-Green was formed in 1995 because of the threat of wildfire in the basin. It is the consortium of numerous government and private agencies as well as individuals.

Last year the group produced a citizen’s guide to removing trees at Lake Tahoe. It provides a step-by-step list of what actions residents need to take in order to remove their trees. A copy of the guide is available by calling Tahoe Re-Green.

Who do you call when you want to chop down a tree?

Nevada residents: Nevada Division of Forestry, (775) 849-2500

California residents: California Department of Forestry, (530) 541-6564

Information for all residents: Tahoe Re-Green, (800) 824-6347


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