April 2026 Newsletter

Did you know that May is Wildfire Preparedness Month? The Fire Adapted Communities Program is hosting a series of pop-ups and educational events around the basin during the month of May to help communitites get prepared!

The image promotes wildfire preparedness events, urging community members to create defensible space around their properties.

 

Let's Get to Work 

Tahoe RCD’s Fire Adapted Communities program looks forward to continuing collaboration with residents, neighborhoods, and local agencies to reduce wildfire risk in the Lake Tahoe Basin.  

Resilient Communities: Defensible Space 

As the snow continues to melt and warmer weather approaches, now is the ideal time to work on your defensible space. If you are feeling overwhelmed or unsure of where to start, here is a quick guide to break down three things you can do to make a huge difference. 

Focus on Zone 0.

 Zone 0, or the “non-combustible zone” is the first 0-5 feet surrounding a structure and is the most crucial part of maintaining defensible space. Here are the top 3 things you can do in Zone 0 to protect your home.

  1. Remove all combustible materials that are within 0-5ft from the home.
  2. Screen vents with ⅛ of an inch mesh to prevent large embers from getting in the home without restricting air flow.
  3. If a fence is made of a combustible material such as wood, upgrading to fire-safe material in Zone 0 is best.
Guide for fire safety in Zone 0: Remove combustibles, screen vents, and upgrade wooden fences to fire-safe materials.

 

Fire Adapted Communities - Creating Change 

The season is picking up with many new groups joining the program. To learn more about these communities, check out these recent articles:

Existing groups on the South Shore and North Shore had their annual meetings this Spring. Leaders came together to hear updates from FAC Staff and local Fire Departments, share ideas with one another, and gain insights on ways to continue to build and strengthen their Fire Adapted Communities in 2026.

A group of people seated in a conference room, attentively listening to a speaker in front of a large screen.
A group of people gathered in a room, engaging in conversation and activities, with tables and a presentation area set up.
A group discussion is taking place in a room with participants seated, some taking notes, and a person in uniform present.
A group of people sitting around a table in a meeting room with an official discussing matters, an American flag in the background.
A group of people seated in a conference room, attentively listening to a speaker in front of a large screen.
A group of people gathered in a room, engaging in conversation and activities, with tables and a presentation area set up.
A group discussion is taking place in a room with participants seated, some taking notes, and a person in uniform present.
A group of people sitting around a table in a meeting room with an official discussing matters, an American flag in the background.

 

From Forests to Front Doors: How Resilience is Built

by Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team Program Manager, Annabelle Monti

Resilient communities depend on resilient forests, and building both takes time and commitment.  

Across the Lake Tahoe Basin, partners are implementing fuels reduction, forest restoration, and vegetation management projects designed to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health. While these projects may look different on the ground, their collective impact is what matters most.  

The TFFT helps coordinate this work so individual projects connect into a broader strategy. When treatments are aligned across ownerships and jurisdictions, they create safer conditions for wildfire response, reduce fire intensity, and support healthier forest structure over time.

Active forest management plays a critical role. Decades of fire suppression have left many forests unnaturally dense and more vulnerable to severe wildfire, drought, insects, and disease. Restoration work helps reintroduce balance while reducing risk.

Community actions, like defensible space and home hardening, are most effective when paired with this landscape work. True resilience is built when forests and communities are managed together, with long-term commitment and shared responsibility.

A group of people gathered outside a blue cabin in the woods, engaged in conversation, some sitting, some standing, with a dog.

Additional Resources

Upcoming Events

  • Meet the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) Webinar - Thursday,  May 21st  6-7:30 PM (Zoom)
  • Wildfire Preparedness Campaign Workshop Series
    • Firewise: Step by Step | Tuesday, May 5th from 6:00-7:30 PM at Fairway Community Center 330 Fairway Dr Tahoe City, CA 96145 
    • Building a Fire Adapted Culture: Understanding Our Role in Living With Fire | 5/28/26 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (online)
  • Incline Wildfire Mitigation and Preparedness Seminar - Wednesday, May 20th from 5:30-7:30 PM
  • Wildfire Safety Expo – Saturday, May 30th South Tahoe Middle School South Lake Tahoe from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Join us for a community education and preparedness event.
  • North Tahoe Fire Community Day - Saturday, June 6th 222 Fairway Drive tahoe City from 11:00 AM- 2:00 PM
  • Tahoe Douglas Fire and Family Day - Saturday, June 27th Kahle Community Center Stateline from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  • Upcoming community meetings - visit our calendar for the meeting schedule.
The image promotes a free workshop on wildfire preparedness, focusing on the Firewise program, on May 5th in Tahoe City. Snacks provided.

Get involved today by joining your Fire Adapted Community, attending an upcoming event or webinar, volunteering at a neighborhood work day, or taking steps to create defensible space around your home. Together, we can take proactive steps today to protect our homes, neighborhoods, and the Tahoe Basin for years to come.

 

The image features three logos: Tahoe Resource Conservation District, Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities, and Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team.

 

Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities

tahoelivingwithfire.com | 530-543-1501 ext. 114 | fire@tahoercd.org

 

The image features the logo of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, representing public lands.

This project was funded due to the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which authorized the sale of BLM administered federal lands within a designated boundary in the Las Vegas Valley and required proceeds to be used on projects to fund federal, state and local projects that benefit communities and public lands.

 

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