More than 350 Acres of Forest Health Projects Completed on Land Trust Lands in 2025

An aspen stand treated for conifer encroachment on Land Trust lands.

The Land Trust completed an additional 350 acres of forest health projects in 2025. This brings the total acres of forest treated to nearly 2,000, improving wildfire resiliency, ecological health, and public safety.

At Webber Lake, 100 acres of a 305-acre project were thinned last year, increasing overall forest health around Webber Lake Campground. This project reduces encroachment of conifers into Lacey Meadow, reduces overstocked, dense stands to improve species diversity, reduces draw on the water table, and reduces risk of catastrophic wildfire. Thanks to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy for their generous grant funding this multi-year project.

Forest health restoration at Royal Gorge continued last fall, building on many past projects in collaboration with our neighbors. These landscape-scale improvements help protect the communities around Donner Summit, as well as the headwaters of the South Yuba and North Fork American Rivers. Also funded by Sierra Nevada Conservancy, this project will treat 291 acres when complete.

The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation funded 55 acres of thinning for fuels and forest health in Billy Mack Canyon, which is located between Donner Summit and Donner Lake. This helps protect the watershed above Donner Lake as well as residential areas below. Additional phases of this fuels management will continue in 2026.

Truckee Donner Land Trust supported Sierra College and Truckee Fire Protection District in thinning 60 acres around the Sierra College Campus on which the Land Trust holds a conservation easement. Located in the middle of Truckee, this is an important project for wildfire protection in our community.

Also along the wildland urban interface, the Land Trust worked with Truckee Fire Protection District to treat 136 acres at Canyon Springs adjacent to the Glenshire Neighborhood. This effort is part of a larger Truckee Fire Protection District Measure T-funded project to improve safety along the eastern border of Truckee.

Truckee Tahoe Airport and CalFire conducted roughly 80 acres of prescribed burning at Waddle Ranch, building on past forestry efforts to continue to improve the health of the forests along the Martis Valley.

In an effort to increase species diversity and improve the forest composition, Land Trust and Sugar Pine Foundation volunteers planted 180 white pines at Royal Gorge, and 200 sugar pines at Canyon Springs.

A big thanks to Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Truckee Fire Protection District, Sierra College, Sugar Pine Foundation, Truckee Tahoe Airport, CalFire, volunteers, and donors. You ensure these beautiful places are protected for generations to come.