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Nevada County seeks $7 million for Tahoe National Forest fuels work
Summary
The Board agreed to seek a $7 million National Forest Foundation grant to support fuels reduction and roadside vegetation management on roughly 1% of Tahoe National Forest, saying the work would be carried out by local vendors coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors voted April 14 to authorize staff to apply for $7 million in National Forest Foundation funding to support fuels‑reduction and roadside vegetation projects in Tahoe National Forest.
Director of Emergency Services Alex Cubl told the board the proposed project would support work on roughly 1% of Tahoe National Forest within the county and that Nevada County would use qualified local contractors and coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service on priorities. “We see this as an opportunity to be supportive of the management of nearly 198,000 acres of Tahoe National Forest within Nevada County,” Cubl said, adding the project was scaled to county capability.
Cubl said project areas were selected using the county's Community Wildfire Protection Plan and an evacuation study to target roadside vegetation management and evacuation constraints. He said implementation would be cooperative with the Forest Service and that the county's Office of Emergency Services would rely on lists of qualified vendors to get work on the ground quickly.
Supervisors pressed staff on how much local control the county would retain over siting and environmental protections; Cubl said areas were targeted on the basis of the CWPP and agency collaboration but that implementation is intended to be locally coordinated and carried out in coordination with Forest Service objectives.
The board voted unanimously to authorize the application; staff said the item was brought as an administrative request to seek grant funding and would return with more detailed contracting and environmental review as needed.
What happens next: Staff will prepare the formal grant application and, if funds are offered, return to the board with project details, contractors, environmental assessments and a schedule for work.
