After years of planning and implementation of fuel reduction treatments, the Glenshire-Brockway project was completed in late 2022. The 1,175-acre project was aimed at reducing hazardous fuel loading between the neighborhood of Glenshire and Brockway summit, southwest of the Town of Truckee.
Project work in July 2022.
Originally identified by Mike Cartmill of the Tahoe National Forest, this project aimed to treat dense forest stands across public and private lands with a patchwork of ownership. To accomplish the fuel reduction work, the Forest Service connected the National Forest Foundation (NFF) with the Truckee Fire Protection District (TFPD), which was well-positioned to implement work on private lands. With funding secured by NFF through Cal Fire and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, both NFF and TFPD got to work planning and treating their respective project areas.
Several treatment prescriptions were used across the project depending on the slope and accessibility of the areas being treated. All treatments focused on the cutting or mastication of brush and small trees to reduce forest density and ladder fuels while maintaining the larger, more fire-resilient trees. In areas where mechanized treatment was difficult or impossible, fuels were cut into short lengths and constructed into large piles.
Pile burning in November 2022.
The final phase of the Glenshire-Brockway project was the burning of piles by the Tahoe Hotshots. The Hotshots ignited and chunked just over 200 acres of piles in a single day, consuming all the remaining cut fuels within the project area.
With the project complete, Truckee now has a strong wildfire buffer to its southwest. This buffer could provide a critical advantage for firefighters trying to slow or stop an approaching wildfire. The project should also improve overall forest health and wildlife habitat across this important ecological area adjoining Martis Valley.
Hotshots igniting burn pile in November 2022.
Smoke from pile burning in November 2022.
This project would not have been possible without the collaboration of The Tahoe National Forest, Truckee Fire Protection District, Vail Resorts (Northstar), Truckee Tahoe Airport District, Teichert Aggregates, Sierra Pacific Industries, McDonald, and the Truckee Donner Land Trust. Special thanks to Jeff Dowling, formerly with the TFPD, for his role in bringing private landowners together to get this important work completed.
All photos by Dan Alvey.
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