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
Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.
To add a little more, the tree had lost half its height as it rotted over the years. A rotted tree in the middle of the forest is not a hazard, but a rotted tree in the middle of a developed recreation site like Nevada Beach certainly can be. Perch trees are by their very nature dead trees and won’t stand forever. We’re monitoring the Tahoe yellow cress at that location to determine whether we need to do anything additional to protect it.
Cheva, Thanks for your input. It was obvious to all Nevada Beach-goers that the tree was “on it’s last roots”.
And congrats on your marriage! I’m assuming there was not a new USFS spokesperson named Cheva. :)