Forest-Thinning Project To Begin At North Tahoe

KINGS BEACH (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service plans to soon launch a major forest-thinning project on Lake Tahoe's north shore that's designed to reduce the risk of severe wildfire and improve forest health.

The project calls for the reduction of trees and brush on 3,297 acres of Forest Service lands near the communities of Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay, Cedar Flat, Lake Forest and Tahoe City.

The first area set for treatment is on the east side of Brockway Summit above Kings Beach, where work on 310 acres could begin as early as Monday.

The entire project could take seven to 10 years to complete, depending on funding and contractor availability.

In 2012, the Forest Service began a similar program to reduce hazardous fuels over a 10,000-acre forested area covering much of the California side of Tahoe's south shore.