[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 135 (Friday, August 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE TAHOE FIRE AND FUELS TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TOM McCLINTOCK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 12, 2022

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
groundbreaking work of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team in the Lake Tahoe 
Basin.
  The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team is a group of dedicated professionals 
who have protected the homes and businesses of the Tahoe community for 
over a decade. Since its founding in 2008, they have treated over 
65,000 acres in the Lake Tahoe Basin's wildland-urban interface. This 
includes forest thinning by both hand and machine, as well as 
prescribed burns. Over twelve years, they have invested $133 million 
into forest health community projects to reduce fuels in the forests 
and protect the Lake Tahoe region from wildfires.
  Most importantly, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team played an integral 
part on the evening of August 30, 2021, when the Caldor Fire reached 
the Tahoe Basin with a destruction path of 200,000 burned acres and 
1,000 destroyed structures left behind it. On this day, this team 
sprang into action to defend the communities of Christmas Valley, 
Meyers, and South Lake Tahoe. Remarkably, they successfully saved all 
structures in South Lake Tahoe from the destruction of the fire. This 
was all made possible because of their prior efforts to reduce forest 
fuels and increase defenses around homes and community buildings. 
Without their past and present efforts, the totality of the destruction 
in these Lake Tahoe communities would be unimaginable.
  The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team understands, and has demonstrated for 
years, the importance of proactive forest management in preventing 
wildfires. These efforts have protected communities in the Tahoe Basin 
and significantly improved the resilience of the surrounding landscape.
  Madam Speaker, it is impossible to overstate the necessity of fire 
protection or to measure the countless contributions this team has made 
to our community. It has been my privilege to represent such a 
dedicated group who continuously defends one of California's most 
remarkable natural treasures. I thank Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team for 
their extraordinary impact on the Lake Tahoe community, and the 
countless individuals they have protected due to their tireless 
efforts.

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