Yesterday, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) between the USDA, Tahoe National Forest and the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services (OES) for a decade long collaboration to advance county-wide fuels reduction and forest health initiatives.
“This collaboration is a vital step for protecting the East County area. The intersection of water quality, recreation, economy and fire has a pivotal impact on all areas of our east county communities,” said Hardy Bullock, District 5 Supervisor.
More than half of Nevada County’s 612,900 acres is the Tahoe National Forest land. The GNA culminates nearly a year of discussion between OES and the Tahoe National Forest around how to best work together to 
support wildfire resilient communities and landscapes in Nevada County. Included in the agreement are three primary objectives: (1) roadside hazardous fuels reduction, (2) forest health project development and implementation, and (3) vegetation management and project maintenance.
“Wildfire mitigation in Nevada County requires partnership and action at all levels. This agreement demonstrates the long-term commitment of County of Nevada and our federal land managers to proactively work together into the foreseeable future” said Craig Griesbach, Director of Emergency Services.
The GNA is a durable framework for the implementation of multi-jurisdictional and multi-benefit projects on both federal and private lands. The first project under the GNA, a 118-acre roadside hazardous fuels reduction project in east county, will roll out later this summer. The inaugural project is demonstrative of cooperative action – it is funded by County of Nevada and Truckee Meadows Water Authority with in-kind support from both the Tahoe National Forest and Nevada County OES.
The roadside vegetation project leverages and extends work implemented by the Truckee Ranger District last year.
“The wildfire mitigation work being done through this agreement is extremely important. We are looking forward to strengthening our relationship as we work together to give our firefighting resources more opportunities to suppress new fire starts while improving ingress and egress safety for our shared visitors” said Jonathan Cook-Fisher, Truckee District Ranger.
About USFS
The mission of the United States Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency was created on the principle of managing the Nation’s natural resources for the greatest good, the greatest number, for the longest time. Learn more about the agency at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/this-is-who-we-are.
About the Tahoe National Forest
The Tahoe National Forest includes more than 850,000 acres of public land intermixed with 350,000 acres of private land in a checkerboard pattern. In addition to providing many recreational opportunities and serving the public by providing information at forest services offices, the Tahoe National Forest is responsible for managing the land for current and future generations and for a variety of multiple uses. Learn more here: http://fs.usda.gov/tahoe.
