In The News – North Lake Tahoe Fire starts Worm Project Phase 2
July 20, 2026 | Member Submitted
Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 7/20/2026, Staff Report
In 2025, the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD), in partnership with the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID), launched the 176.5-acre Worm Project, a wildfire fuels reduction initiative named for the long, narrow shape of the treatment area.
The project is creating an intensively managed forest buffer around neighborhoods above Highway 431 in Incline Village, extending from private property boundaries onto IVGID and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands. By reducing hazardous vegetation, the project helps lower wildfire risk, improve firefighter access, and strengthen the protection of lives, homes, and critical infrastructure.
Work includes thinning understory vegetation and removing smaller, suppressed trees while retaining approximately 10–15% of native brush in a mosaic pattern. This approach supports wildlife habitat, protects soil stability and water quality, and preserves the area’s natural forest character.