The Forest Service Plans to Spray Roundup Near Tahoe Ski Resorts and the Backlash Is Growing

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The controversy over glyphosate spraying in California’s forests has officially reached Lake Tahoe. A yearlong Mother Jones magazine investigation is casting new scrutiny on the Forest Service’s plans to spray the herbicide across thousands of acres in the Tahoe Basin as part of fire restoration work following the 2021 Caldor Fire.

The plans include spraying up to 75,000 acres affected by the Caldor Fire, with application areas near the base and parking lot at Sierra-at-Tahoe and in forests close to Kirkwood and Heavenly ski resorts. The plans also include spraying in campgrounds, around trailheads and close to homes in the community of Meyers.

Glyphosate, best known by the brand name Roundup, is used to kill shrubs, flowering plants and hardwood trees that compete with replanted conifers after fires. The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has classified it as a probable carcinogen, and manufacturer Bayer has paid more than $12 billion in legal settlements to people who say the product made them sick.

Mother Jones analyzed more than 5 million California pesticide records and found that forest spraying has reached record levels, with 266,000 pounds of pure glyphosate applied in state forests in 2023 alone. That is nearly five times the amount used two decades ago.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), community members, and partner agencies submitted comments, including concerns about safeguards and environmental protections. The Forest Service addressed TRPA’s requests to ensure that any herbicide use is managed in a manner that protects water quality, sensitive species, and recreation, in alignment with environmental threshold standards.

TRPA regulations discourage the use of terrestrial herbicides, but do not prohibit it if the application meets requirements.

For anyone who hikes, camps, forages or recreates in the Tahoe Basin, the debate is worth following closely.

Reporting from Active NorCal.

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