The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will resume work on the South Shore Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration project this week.

Mechanical whole tree removal will take place off Fallen Leaf Road near Fallen Leaf Campground over the next several months and the area will be closed for public safety. This project calls for thinning of trees and brush on approximately 10,000 acres of national forest.

Mechanical whole tree removal involves cutting the entire tree and moving it to the landing area to remove the limbs and cut it into sections.  This type of mechanical operation requires closure of the area during operations due to the hazards posed by heavy equipment and falling trees.  The Forest Service will issue a forest order closing the project area (units 1 and 148) to pedestrians from 7am-6pm from approximately May 15 through Aug. 15.

Overall benefits to forests in treated areas include reducing fuel for wildfires and providing the remaining trees with less competition for resources such as water, sunlight and nutrients, which allow the trees to grow larger and become more resistant to drought, insects and disease.

For more info, go online.