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Board approves $604,007 federal Good Neighbor Authority grant and $345,000 match for Truckee fuel‑break project
Summary
Nevada County authorized a Good Neighbor Authority agreement to fund a 300‑acre Jackass‑to‑Deerfield fuel‑break near Truckee, leveraging $604,007.50 in federal funds and a $345,000 local match from Truckee Fire Protection District to reduce wildfire risk along Highway 89 and nearby neighborhoods.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to authorize a Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreement that will fund a Truckee fuel‑break project intended to improve evacuation outcomes along Highway 89 and lower wildfire risk in nearby residential areas.
Alex Kibbel Tull, the county's director of emergency services, asked the board to approve the 2026 Truckee GNA, which pairs the county with the Tahoe National Forest and the Truckee Fire Protection District. OES project manager Alex Garrett described the work as approximately 300 acres of hazardous fuels reduction on nonfederal land bordering the Tahoe National Forest, including mechanical thinning, mastication, limbing and chipping.
Garrett said the agreement brings over $600,000 in federal funding and allows the Truckee Fire Protection District to be designated the primary project implementer. He and other presenters said the project links to prior federal‑forest collaborative work and a 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan priority area.
Forest Service district ranger Jonathan Cook Fisher told supervisors that pile burning typically requires two to three years to reach appropriate dryness for burning and that prescribed fire remains a preferred treatment when conditions permit. He said targeted herbicide use is applied only in limited, site‑specific circumstances and that aerial spraying is not used in the district.
County staff reported the project budget as $604,007.50 in federal funds, with a near $345,000 match from Truckee Fire (Measure T) and a project timeline to Dec. 30, 2035. The board authorized the director of emergency services to execute the agreement and directed the auditor‑controller to amend the budget accordingly.
Supervisor questions focused on pile burning timing, maintenance and biomass utilization. Truckee Fire representatives said biomass will be handled on a project‑by‑project basis, with commercial permitting to sell wood products where feasible; contract awards and environmental compliance will follow CAL FIRE forest resilience exemption processes.
The board approved the resolution by roll call. Staff said the project expands collaborative wildfire mitigation between local, state and federal partners and will prioritize local contractors where possible.
