USFS working on improving aspen grove near Camp Rich
On Jan. 9, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin aspen restoration work near the Pope/Baldwin Bike Path adjacent to Highway 89.
A Forest Service contractor will use mechanical equipment to remove pine and fir trees from aspen stands. Most material will be hauled away. Some limbs may be piled outside the aspen stands and burned at a later date.
The project area is 4.6 acres between Taylor Creek and Spring Creek Road.
Work in two locations across the highway from Spring Creek Road is expected to last through Jan. 11.
Operations will then move to the area west of Taylor Creek near the pump house. The entire project is expected to last approximately 10 days.
Because the project involves use of heavy equipment and the felling of trees, access to the bike path on Highway 89 may temporarily be restricted. The area where the contractor is actively working will be clearly marked.
Removing the encroaching conifers will improve aspen stand health, which will provide important habitat for plants and wildlife. Once treated, aspen stands often act as natural firebreaks.
For a complete project description, go online.
And how is removing trees which nature has caused to grow in a spot, anything other than just plain landscaping? It’s not preserving nature.
Conifer trees act like water pumps, often removing hundreds of gallons per tree per day from the water table. They can eventually drain a wetlands, causing all of the surrounding aspens to die. As the article said, a stand of healthy aspens makes a much better fire break than a stand of pines , firs, and dead aspens.
Educate: Like I said, landscaping.