About 100 acres in the Upper Echo Lakes area could be thinned beginning later this year.

It is likely to take six years for the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to do all the work. The project is intended to reduce the risk of wildfire and improve firefighting effectiveness.

Forest Supervisor Nancy Gibson recently signed off on the project. People have until early February to appeal the decision.

A portion of the project is in the Pyramid Roadless area. Brief closures of areas adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail are possible. Resource protection measures are included in the project design to maintain the scenic nature of the trail, according to the Forest Service.

While cabin owners are responsible for their defensible space, the Forest Service is responsible for the wildland urban interface when it comes to fire safety.

Fuel reduction work would consist of cutting and hand piling brush and conifer trees up to 16 inches in diameter. Vegetation would be cut by hand, with chain saws or other hand tools. Piles would then be burned approximately one to three years later. Larger thinned trees would be made available for firewood.

Money from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act is funding the project.

For more information about the project, contact Brian Garrett at (530) 543.2694 or go online.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report