Thinning of trees to remove excess vegetation that can feed wildfires and improve forest health has resumed on National Forest lands above Incline Village. 

Mechanical cut-to-length tree removal is taking place in Unit 36 off Highway 431. Thinning operations are expected to continue throughout fall until winter weather sets in for the season.

A harvester cuts the tree down, remove the limbs and cut the tree into sections in the cutting area. The Forest Service recommends that the public avoid this area due to the hazards posed by heavy equipment and falling trees. Hazards may be present even when operations have ceased for the day. 

This forest thinning is part of the Incline Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project, which aims to treat nearly 4,000 acres on North Shore to reduce the risk of severe wildfire, improve forest health, and provide defensible space to neighboring communities.