Monday June 30, 2025
SYRCL —
The South Yuba River Citizens League, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, is launching the Salmon & Packer Creek Aspen Restoration Project, a major forest restoration effort aimed at revitalizing quaking aspen habitat within the Tahoe National Forest. The State of California’s Wildlife Conservation Board granted SYRCL $1.7 million for this Restoration Project.
Spanning a total of 292 acres north of Highway 49 and west of Gold Lakes Highway, this project includes degraded quaking aspen stands along Packer and Samon Creek in the Lost Sierra along Packer Lake Road. The primary goal is to restore and enhance 116 acres of aspen habitat, a critical but declining habitat in the Sierra Nevada.
“Aspen stands are vital to forest biodiversity, providing important habitat for wildlife and increasing overall ecosystem resilience,” said Anne Marie Holt, SYRCL’s Forest Conservation Project Manager. “This project reflects a strategic, science-based approach to restoring these sensitive areas.”
Of the total acreage, 205 acres are scheduled for aspen restoration and forest health treatment. These efforts will include selective thinning to remove competing conifers, and habitat enhancement strategies designed to support healthy aspen regeneration. Treatments are tailored to the terrain and ecological conditions in each unit.
The project area includes four Forest Service campgrounds—Packsaddle, Berger, Diablo, and Salmon Creek—and four special-use organizational camps—Camp Wasiu II, Camp Chrysalis, Woodland Camp, and Camp O-Ki-Hi. Pending environmental compliance completion, work is proposed to begin September 2025 and continue September – October 2026.
One highlight of the project involves installing approximately 15 Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) in Salmon Creek Meadow. These low-tech structures, built from earthen materials and small conifer saplings, mimic natural beaver dams to slow water flow, expand wet meadow habitat, and promote fringe aspen growth.
“Increasing the extent and health of meadow ecosystems like Salmon Creek Meadow will not only benefit aspen stands, but also improve local hydrology and support broader biodiversity,” Holt explained.
Project implementation is scheduled during the narrow seasonal window between early September (after the nesting bird season) and late October (before snowfall) of 2025. Given the complexity and timing constraints, SYRCL anticipates a phased, multi-year approach to full implementation.
A public tour of the project prior to implementation is scheduled for mid-August. For further details, please contact Anne Marie Holt at annemarie@yubariver.org or (530) 265-5961 x216.
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