TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Nevada County Office of Emergency Services (OES), in collaboration
with the Tahoe National Forest, is set to implement a 110-acre roadside vegetation management project in the Truckee Ranger District. These roads have been identified as necessary to providing strategic wildfire suppression operations and are currently overgrown with dense vegetation.

“Reducing roadside fuels is critical to creating safer evacuation routes for the millions that recreate, visit and live in the Truckee area,” said Tahoe National Forest Truckee District Ranger Jonathan Cook-Fisher. “Over the past few years, we have experienced record numbers of wildfire starts on the Tahoe National Forest. We thank our partners for coming together to help complete this vital wildfire risk reduction work and for prioritizing community protection.”

This project is a part of the Truckee Ranger District’s 2023 Decision Memo, permitting the installation of nearly 112 miles of strategic roadside fuel breaks in the vicinity of Boca, Prosser, and Stampede reservoirs on the outskirts of Truckee. The need to establish and maintain safe public and first responder access during emergencies was identified by the Nevada County Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

The project is made possible by a Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) between Nevada County OES and the Tahoe National Forest, allowing OES to implement wildfire resilience projects on federal land in coordination with U.S. Forest Service partners.

“Good Neighbor Agreements are an outstanding way for local governments to work with Federal partners to protect shared resources. This project is a demonstration of how collaborative efforts and collective expertise can fast-track high quality wildfire mitigation efforts,” said Alex Geritz, Forestry Projects Manager, Nevada County Office of Emergency Services.

Over $200,000 in funding was provided by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority to help protect critical drinking water resources for the greater Reno area, which rely on the health of the Truckee River watershed.

“The Truckee River watershed and upstream reservoirs are the source of over 80% of drinking water supplies for the Reno-Sparks area. As a member of the Middle Truckee River Watershed Forest Partnership, TMWA recognizes the importance of forest management to prevent high severity wildfires that could impact water supplies. This project is an important piece of the larger effort to mitigate wildfires across the watershed,” said Kara Steeland, Watershed Coordinator, Truckee Meadows Water Authority.

By targeting key roadways and managing vegetative conditions that drive extreme wildfire behavior, the project aims to mitigate future wildfire severity and spread and potentially reduce the risk of catastrophic loss.