Sugar Pine Reforestation

Partners: UC Davis- Tahoe Environmental Research Center, US Forest Service, California State Parks and Nevada Division of State Lands

Total Project Cost: $80,000
Tahoe Fund Goal: $36,000

Severe and prolonged drought has resulted in extensive tree mortality in Sierra Nevada forests, with more than 100 million dead trees reported.  In the Lake Tahoe Basin, tree mortality doubled from 35,000 in 2015 to 72,000 in 2016. This includes a large number of sugar pine trees on the north shore. A native pine tree, sugar pines are an important component of our forests, providing diversity and stability.

Scientists at UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center have a plan to help repopulate the hardest hit areas along the north shore of Tahoe. This project will allow them to collect seeds from more than 100 different sugar pine trees, and then grow these seeds into 10,000 seedlings that can be planted in the hardest hit areas.  The 10,000 seedlings will be distributed to public agencies and private homeowners.

Thanks to your support and a grant from the Martis Fund, a collaborative project of Martis Camp landowners, DMB/Highlands Group (the developers of Martis Camp), Mountain Area Preservation (MAP), and Sierra Watch, we have met our campaign goal. The seeds have been collected and are already growing!