After the Caldor Fire devastated some of Tahoe’s favorite trails, extensive restoration work is required
While firefighters were able to successfully keep the Caldor Fire from claiming homes and businesses in South Lake Tahoe, the fast moving wildfire laid waste to some of the region’s favorite trails. As the U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association continue to assess the extent of the damage, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund has launched the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund to aid in the extensive trail restoration work that will be required.
“Based on early assessments, there’s no question that there is going to be a lot of trail restoration work in our region’s future,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “We’ve pledged to our trail building partners that through the establishment of the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund, we will be ready to help support this important work as they are able to get crews out to rebuild some of Tahoe’s most beloved trails.”
“The most popular mountain bike trails in the South Lake Tahoe area sustained heavy damage from the Caldor Fire, including burned bridges, signs and trail retaining structures. Between damage from fire itself as well as from dozers constructing suppression lines, more than 15 miles of trail suffered damage in the Tahoe Basin,” said Patrick Parsel, TAMBA trails director. “Additionally, areas that burned hottest will be prone to increased damage from winter storms due to lack of vegetation and hydrophobic soils which can contribute to debris flows and landslides. We will need to rebuild the damaged infrastructure as well as mitigate the potential for increased runoff by installing erosion control measures.”
Trail builders anticipate there will be increased maintenance needs on these trails over the next 10 years as trees come down and stump/root holes collapse. Donations to the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund will be used to repair the diverse trails that provide experiences for hikers, mountain bikers and other recreational users. Trail restoration efforts will leverage innovative, sustainable designs to protect the environment and minimize climate change impacts.
Learn more about the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund here.
