USFS fells perch tree at Nevada Beach

The large perch tree at Nevada Beach is no more. Photo/Provided

The felling of a large tree at Nevada Beach that was cut down for safety reasons is not sitting well with everyone.

“(There was) a circle of fencing around the tree – no way for it to hurt anyone outside of the fencing,” a South Shore resident told Lake Tahoe News.

But the U.S. Forest Service says the fencing wasn’t to protect people if the tree fell on its own, but instead was for the Tahoe yellow cress.

The Forest Service told Lake Tahoe News the fence was “dilapidated and an eyesore” and the tree was “seriously rotted”.

It was called a perch tree – a dead tree that birds would perch in – such as eagles and osprey. Eventually these types of trees have to come down for safety reasons.

“We cleared this through TRPA, who indicated that they were fine with it, as there are no records of osprey using Nevada Beach,” Cheva Gabor, spokeswoman with the USFS, told Lake Tahoe News.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report