The US Forest Service is moving forward with plans to apply herbicide to 2400-3600 acres of land within the Caldor Fire Burn Scar. The public is concerned over the potential impacts to Lake Tahoe's watershed, wildlife habitat, and human health. Categorized as an emergency project, the public comment period was open for 30 days. Sierra Club calls for a reopening of the public comment period, greater transparency in project aims, a reassesment of the potential for manual methods, and appropriate consideration of the Lake Tahoe Basin's sensitive ecosystems. 

Sign on to Toiyabe chapter's letter to congress here. 

Read Executive Committee member Tobi Tyler's full letter to the LTBMU below. 

Dear Ms. Herrera and Project Staff: 

The Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club respectfully requests that the United States Forest  Service reopen the public process for the Caldor Fire Restoration Project so that additional  alternatives can be fully evaluated in a transparent public forum appropriate for the ecological  sensitivity and national significance of the Lake Tahoe Basin. 

Lake Tahoe is not an ordinary landscape. The Basin contains an internationally recognized  watershed, federally protected air and water resources, sensitive wildlife habitat, and recreation  opportunities relied upon by millions of visitors and residents each year. Restoration efforts  following the Caldor Fire must therefore meet the highest environmental standards and avoid  introducing additional risks to water quality, ecosystem health, and public safety. 

We recognize the urgent need for post-fire restoration and forest resilience efforts following the  Caldor Fire, which burned approximately 220,000 acres across the Sierra Nevada and Tahoe  Basin. We also acknowledge the stated goals of the proposed project, including mechanical  thinning, hand thinning, reforestation activities, site preparation, and vegetation management  across approximately 11,700 acres.

However, the Sierra Club has significant concerns about the proposed use of herbicides as part of  the restoration project. The project proposes herbicide application for site preparation before tree  planting and for post-planting vegetation management where manual treatments are deemed  ineffective or insufficient. In the Lake Tahoe watershed, the introduction of chemical herbicides  raises substantial concerns regarding cumulative impacts to water quality, aquatic ecosystems,  wildlife habitat, recreation areas, and human health. 

The Lake Tahoe Basin is designated as an Outstanding National Resource Water under federal  law, reflecting the exceptional ecological and water quality values that require the highest level  of protection. The use of terrestrial herbicides within this sensitive watershed is inconsistent with  long-standing regional efforts to reduce pollutant loading, restore lake clarity, and protect fragile  ecological systems. While current Tahoe Regional Planning Agency regulations may allow  limited herbicide use under certain conditions, the Sierra Club believes these policies are  insufficiently protective given the Basin’s unique environmental sensitivity and increasing  climate-related stressors. 

The Environmental Assessment fails to adequately analyze reasonable non-chemical alternatives,  cumulative impacts, long-term monitoring needs, or the risks associated with herbicide transport  through surface runoff, shallow groundwater interactions, and stormwater pathways into Lake  Tahoe and its tributaries. The analysis also does not sufficiently address potential impacts to  special-status species, pollinators, recreation users, nearby communities, or downstream water  quality objectives. 

In addition to the substantive concerns regarding herbicide application, the Sierra Club is deeply  concerned that the Environmental Assessment was impermissibly vague regarding the scope,  extent, and implementation of proposed herbicide use. The EA does not clearly identify which of  the nine herbicides (Aminopyralid, Clethodium, Fluazifop, Glyphosate, Hexazinone, Imazapyr,  Sulfometuron, Triclopyr, and Indaziflam) may be used where and when, the quantities or  concentrations proposed, the precise treatment locations, frequency of application, acreage by  chemical type, or the criteria that would trigger herbicide use instead of non-chemical methods.  Nor does the document adequately disclose how herbicide drift, runoff, groundwater interaction,  or cumulative watershed impacts will be monitored and mitigated over time. 

This lack of specificity undermines meaningful public review and prevents informed analysis of  the project’s environmental consequences as required under NEPA. Without detailed disclosure  of which chemicals would be used where and when, specific methods of application,  environmental fate, and site-specific risks, the public and reviewing agencies cannot reasonably  evaluate potential impacts on Lake Tahoe’s water quality, sensitive habitats, recreational  resources, or nearby communities. Deferring critical details of herbicide implementation until  after project approval improperly postpones environmental analysis and limits the consideration  of reasonable alternatives and mitigation measures.

Given the extraordinary sensitivity of the Lake Tahoe watershed and the Basin’s status as an  Outstanding National Resource Water, the Forest Service must provide a far more detailed and  transparent analysis before approving any herbicide-based treatment program. At minimum, the  agency should recirculate or reopen the Environmental Assessment process with project-level  specificity sufficient to allow meaningful public review and informed decision-making. 

Given the scale and significance of the proposed treatments, the public deserves a more robust  and transparent review process that allows for meaningful evaluation of alternatives, prioritizing  non-chemical restoration methods wherever feasible. 

Accordingly, the Sierra Club respectfully requests that the United States Forest Service: 

• Reopen the public review process for the Caldor Fire Restoration Project. • Fully evaluate a non-herbicide restoration alternative and other reduced-chemical  approaches. 

• Provide greater public transparency regarding proposed herbicide types, application  methods, treatment locations, and monitoring protocols. 

• Strengthen protections for waterways, wetlands, recreation areas, trails, and nearby  communities. 

• Conduct additional environmental analysis regarding cumulative impacts to Lake Tahoe  water quality, wildlife habitat, and public health. 

• Prioritize manual, mechanical, and ecological restoration methods whenever feasible  before chemical treatments are considered. 

The Sierra Club also urges Congress and federal oversight agencies to apply greater scrutiny to  herbicide use in the Tahoe Basin and other sensitive watersheds until more comprehensive  environmental review and public disclosure can occur. 

The Lake Tahoe Basin is one of the nation’s most treasured natural resources. Restoration  decisions made today will have lasting consequences for watershed health, biodiversity,  recreation, and public trust for decades to come. We respectfully request that the Forest Service  pause and reopen this process to ensure that restoration efforts proceed in a manner fully  consistent with the precautionary stewardship standards the Tahoe Basin deserves. 

Sincerely, 

Tobi Tyler 

Tahoe Area Group and Toiyabe Chapter, Sierra Club 

Cc: Senator Jacky Rosen, Senator Padilla, Senator Schiff