Glenshire to Hirschdale Egress Fuel Reduction Project Set to Begin in August
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Project will restore 460 acres of forestland in the Glenshire area to a more natural and fire resilient state
Benefits include increased community and firefighter safety, improved forest health, and enhancement of a primary evacuation route for Glenshire area residents
Truckee, Calif. (July) – Truckee Fire Protection District has announced that the Glenshire to Hirschdale Egress Fuel Reduction Project will begin on Aug. 18. The project, which will implement forest management activities across 460 acres between Glenshire and Hirschdale, is a key step in improving wildfire resilience and protecting a primary evacuation route for local residents.
Led by Truckee Fire’s Registered Professional Forester Dillon Sheedy, the $1.3 million project is funded through a combination of Measure T Wildfire Prevention Funds ($557,198) and support from the Truckee Tahoe Airport District ($800,000). It is the largest multi-objective project that the new Truckee Fire Wildfire Prevention Division, funded by Measure T, has undertaken to date.
The 460-acre project will be implemented on private land and cherished open space lands in Canyon Springs (Truckee Donner Land Trust Property). The project is designed to provide multiple benefits, Sheedy said.
Protects a critical evacuation route for Glenshire and surrounding communities
Improves forest health and resilience to drought, pests and fire
Restores natural ecological conditions through science-based land stewardship
Reduces the risk, severity, and intensity of wildfires near homes and neighborhoods
Enhances defensible space to support safe and effective wildfire response
“This project is about making our forests—and our neighborhoods—safer,” said Dillon Sheedy, Registered Professional Forester with Truckee Fire. “Historically, the land around here had large, well-spaced trees and fewer dense shrubs, which helped prevent big, destructive fires. By restoring that natural balance, we’re reducing wildfire risk, protecting evacuation routes, and helping keep our homes and families safer. Healthy forests make for healthy communities—and that’s what this work is all about.”
Truckee Fire’s fuels reduction projects are prioritized based on the 2024 Truckee Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and their overall impact to the community. The Glenshire/Hirschdale area has long been recognized as a high-risk area for a catastrophic fire event. Truckee Fire’s selected contractor, Sierra Valley Enterprises from Loyalton, CA, will remove surface and ladder fuels (fuels that allow fire to jump from the forest floor to the forest canopy) and selectively thin overdense pine trees to optimize spacing using a variety of specialized heavy equipment.
“We’re mimicking the natural role of low-intensity fire by removing excess brush and thinning small trees,” Sheedy said. “In the past, these kinds of fires helped keep forests healthy and less prone to all kinds of disturbances... In an un-managed state, we can’t expect fire to do that safely or effectively so we use tools like mastication and mechanical thinning to achieve the same effect—reducing fuels and creating a more fire-resilient landscape.”
“When done thoughtfully, the land responds in a positive way - just as it has for thousands of years,” he added. “The project also provides a strategic fuel break for any future fire suppression efforts in the Glenshire area,” said Truckee Fire Wildfire Prevention Manager Eric Horntvedt. Firefighters will have a safe area to stage equipment, create fire lines and enact fire suppression actions.
“Our goal is to ensure residents can evacuate safely, and give firefighters a real chance to hold the line—especially under fire weather conditions,” Horntvedt said.
Community members may notice some short-term impacts from the project, such as equipment tracks or disturbed ground. These effects are temporary—seasonal snowpack and natural regeneration of grasses, shrubs and flowers will help treated areas recover. Close to structures, crews from Sierra Valley Enterprises will perform a higher level of treatment to ensure the forest floor looks as clean as possible.
The project will also require some temporary closures of trails and open space. For public safety, project managers and landowners are asking that residents avoid work zones and respect all posted signs until the project is complete. This includes 130 acres of land in Canyon Springs, which is owned and maintained by the Truckee Donner Land Trust. Beginning August 11, Canyon Springs will be closed for approximately one month.
John Svahn, executive director of Truckee Donner Land Trust, said the project is one of many efforts underway to make the eastern boundary of the community more resistant and resilient to wildfire.
“This is an opportunity to improve forest health for conservation purposes and also for the benefit of wildlife and the watershed,” Svahn said. “These larger-scale projects that encompass multiple property owners are more impactful in protecting our community and resources from fire.”
Canyon Springs and its network of beloved trails are in near-constant use from Truckee residents and outdoors recreation enthusiasts. The closure and disturbance is necessary to help prevent a catastrophic fire event, said Nevada County District 5 Supervisor Hardy Bullock, who pointed to the long-lasting devastation suffered by the community of Greenville in Plumas County from the massive Dixie Fire in 2021.
“Our whole economy in Truckee is based on recreation, and when you have a catastrophic fire, that economy is devastated because people no longer come there,” Bullock said. “Our way of life is based around this forest next to our houses, and the whole reason we live in Truckee is because of that forest. We need these landscape-level changes to the forest because they reduce fire risk and enhance forest health.”
Glenshire and surrounding communities also are one of the primary neighborhoods in Truckee, Bullock noted. Homes adjacent to the project area are occupied by longtime Truckee residents and aren’t vacant second or vacation homes.
“If you drive through Glenshire after 6 p.m., everyone is home because they live there,” he said. “This project protects a large number of homes and people.”
Bullock also noted that although homeowners insurance costs have escalated due to past wildfires in California, the Glenshire to Hirschdale Egress Fuel Reduction Project could potentially help reduce insurance risk and costs.
“Home insurance in California is a big problem,” he said. “People are losing their insurance, and it’s getting very expensive. I have been working with legislators to show them that communities that work to improve their landscapes and forests should get more affordable insurance. As we make these changes, hopefully insurance costs and the ability to insure our properties will start improving.”
About Truckee Fire
Established in 1894, the Truckee Fire Protection District is overseen by a locally elected board of directors and protects 125 square miles of high-risk wildland-urban interface in and around Truckee, Calif. The district provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, fire prevention and wildfire preparedness. Learn more at TruckeeFire.org or call 530-582-7850.
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Photo Captions:
Photo SV1 - Broadcasting material with the chipper for forest health and habitat.
Photo SV2 - Processor takes the tree and strips all the limbs and cuts the log to specified length.
Photo SV3 - Creating and sorting a deck after the processor cuts the wood to specific length.
Photos courtesy of Sierra Valley Enterprises, LLC
Map courtesy of Truckee Fire Protection District