Tahoe National Forest providing $117 million for wildfire prevention

NEVADA CITY, California (KOLO) - The Tahoe National Forest is providing $117 million to the National Forest Foundation to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

The money will go towards implementing forest management work in the North Yuba Landscape. In 2022, the area was one of 10 initial high risk landscapes selected for investment as part of the Forest Service’s wildfire crisis strategy.

The area is one of the most at risk watersheds to large scale wildfires, according to the USDA.

The National Forest Foundation plans to treat more than 21,000 acres and produce more than 55 million board feet of timber from forest thinning treatments.

“Tahoe National Forest is excited to expand our already outstanding partnership with the National Forest Foundation with the largest agreement between our organizations in history. Our partnership with National Forest Foundation continues to help increase the pace and scale of work desperately needed on the ground in the North Yuba Landscape,” said Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Eli Ilano. “Through significant new federal investment, coupled with the significant resources raised by National Forest Foundation and all the organizations in the North Yuba Forest Partnership, we are ramping up work on the landscape to further support and protect local communities and ecosystems that rely on the overall resilience of the Yuba River watershed.”

The North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project area stretches from New Bullards Bar Reservoir, east up to the Sierra Crest along Highway 49.

Up to $36 million more in federal funding is expected for the area in addition to the $117 million.