Public Input Sought on 11,700-Acre Caldor Fire Restoration Plan Near Lake Tahoe
The U.S. Forest Service is asking the public to comment on a major restoration plan for lands burned in the 2021 Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe.
A new draft environmental assessment outlines the Caldor Fire Restoration Project on roughly 11,700 acres of national forest within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The plan focuses on rebuilding forest health, improving wildlife habitat, and reducing future fire risk.
Public comments will be accepted for 30 days after the legal notice was published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.
“Without assistance, the Caldor Fire area could take decades to recover,” said Forest Supervisor Erick Walker. “The activities we are proposing will help re-establish forested areas, reduce hazardous fuels near neighborhoods, improve wildlife habitat and restore ecological function of streams and meadows.”
Planned work includes:
- Removing fire-killed and heavily damaged trees
- Removing live trees with serious insect or disease issues
- Preparing sites for planting native seedlings
- Thinning surviving and nearby unburned stands
- Using approved herbicides where needed to support reforestation
- Implementing prescribed fire
- Restoring stream channels, meadows, and aquatic habitat
- Improving wildlife habitat, including key protected areas
- Restoring aspen stands
Because conditions in the burn scar are deteriorating, the Forest Service will use emergency authority to fast-track some site preparation and implementation starting January 2026.
The draft environmental assessment is available on the project webpage and via Pinyon Public. Comments must be submitted through the online comment form or by U.S. mail.
