South Yuba River Citizens League outlines Aspen restoration project in Lakes Basin; implementation awaits NEPA signature

Ann Marie Holt, forest conservation project manager with the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), presented details of a grant-funded Aspen restoration and fuels-reduction project in the Lakes Basin area of the Tahoe National Forest.

Holt said the project, funded by the Wildlife Conservation Board and scoped after an earlier watershed-wide Aspen assessment, targets about 2,292 acres along Packer Lake Road and the Gold Lakes Highway corridor. Planned treatments include mechanical and hand thinning to restore aspen stands, cutting and piling for future pile burning and preparation for broadcast burning to be conducted by the Forest Service. The project also proposes installing beaver-dam analogs to enhance meadow hydrology at Salmon Meadow.

Holt noted the project is on National Forest land but uses state funding, so SYRCL completed the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption process and is awaiting a federal NEPA signature tied to a larger landscape resilience project. Implementation was planned to start in fall 2025, with mechanical and hand work occurring September–November and beaver-dam analog installation in the second year, but all work was contingent on NEPA and required permits (e.g., streambed alteration, water quality permits) being finalized.

Board members asked about contractor procurement; Holt said the group had already held an early contractor consultation and has a contractor identified for implementation. SYRCL emphasized pre-implementation monitoring had been completed to establish baseline ecological data, and that the project aims to increase connected aspen stands, improve meadow condition and reduce fuels for forest health and resilience.