Now through spring 2010, the California Tahoe Conservancy will be burning slash piles in or adjacent to several Lake Tahoe communities as part of the Conservancy’s ongoing program to reduce forest fuels and improve defensible space in the Tahoe Basin.

The communities include Fallen Leaf Lake, Rubicon Bay, Tahoma, and North Upper Truckee in El Dorado County, and Kingswood, Dollar Creek, Sunnyside, Carnelian Canyon in Placer County.

Pile burning is the last stage of the Conservancy’s thinning projects in these areas. To reduce fire risk and impacts on air quality, burning will be conducted only if weather, fuel moisture, and air quality conditions are favorable, an only on designated days in accordance with California Air Resources Board regulations.

Residents and travelers to the area can expect to see smoke from the project areas.

The California Tahoe Conservancy is a state agency that protects and restores watersheds, provides recreational opportunities, and owns and manages nearly 5,000 urban lots and forested parcels on more than 6,400 acres in the Tahoe Basin.

For weekly updates and information on the Conservancy’s prescribed burn activities, phone (530) 542.5580, ext. 3.