Reflecting on a Historic 2025 Field Season: A Letter of Gratitude
As I sat at my desk reading a recent letter from Milan Yeates, the Community Forestry Program Supervisor at the California Tahoe Conservancy, I felt an overwhelming…..
As I sat at my desk reading a recent letter from Milan Yeates, the Community Forestry Program Supervisor at the California Tahoe Conservancy, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Milan wrote to thank our CHIPS Forestry field crew for their remarkable work as the 2025 field season came to a close, and his words were a powerful reminder of the incredible dedication our team brings to the Sierra Nevada every single day.
Tackling the Rugged Terrain
Working in the Tahoe Basin is no small feat. Milan highlighted how our crews navigated challenging, rugged terrain and overcame unforeseen problems in the field with steady, unwavering effort. Through their hard work, we successfully completed 53 acres of critical fuel hazard reduction work along the west and south shores of Lake Tahoe.
Our manual treatments involved grueling physical labor, including cutting, piling, and chipping hazardous fuels. This effort directly protects Tahoe Basin communities from wildfire threats while simultaneously improving the health of our forest ecosystems.
The Scope of Our 2025 Projects
To give you an idea of just how hard the team worked, here is a snapshot of the diverse projects we tackled this season:
Timberland: A massive 20 acre cut and pile project.
Tahoe Pines: Chipping and piling across 11.6 acres.
Tahoe Park Heights & Simplon Pass: Treating 4 acres at each site through cutting, chipping, piling, and re-piling.
McKinney: Cutting and prepping 3.8 acres for chipping.
North Upper Truckee Estate Court & Crystal Way: Cutting, chipping, and piling a combined 6 acres.
Sacramento: Tackling 3.8 total acres, including heavy fuel loading clean up, chipping, cutting, and piling.
Celebrating Exceptional Leadership
Milan's letter specifically commended the outstanding leadership of our 2025 crew leaders: Sam Simmons, Jermaine Jim, and Jerome Jim. Their guidance was instrumental in safely and effectively leading the crews through this demanding season.
I am also deeply moved to share that the Conservancy awarded Sam Simmons the Certificate of Excellence as a 2025 CHIPS Crew Leader. Sam was recognized for his exceptional leadership and mentoring, positive role modeling, critical thinking, and his remarkable ability to adapt to meet our crucial project goals.
Looking to the Future
Reading Milan's closing words, noting that our team's daily effort "did not go unnoticed," is the highest compliment we could ask for. It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside the California Tahoe Conservancy, and we are eagerly looking forward to continuing this vital partnership to protect and restore the beautiful Tahoe Basin.
To our entire CHIPS field crew: thank you. Your grit and dedication are the heartbeat of this organization.
Investing in Our Future:
At Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions (CHIPS), our mission is rooted deeply in the soil, forests, and communities of the Sierra Nevada. Building true forest resilience requires…..
CHIPS Partners with Columbia College to Train the Next Generation of Wildland Firefighters
At Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions (CHIPS), our mission is rooted deeply in the soil, forests, and communities of the Sierra Nevada. Building true forest resilience requires more than tools and land management prescriptions; it requires dedicated, highly trained people. That is why we are immensely proud to partner with and sponsor the Columbia College Wildland Fire Program.
Empowering Local Talent Through Education and Action
Located right in our regional backyard, Columbia College serves as California's premier training ground for wildland firefighters. Through an intensive semester cohort, students receive rigorous, hands-on instruction in essential skills, from chainsaw safety and wildland fire behavior to physical conditioning and fuels management.
Our partnership with Columbia College bridges the gap between academic achievement and meaningful, real-world employment. Through workforce initiatives supported by California Jobs First, CHIPS helps ensure that students not only receive top-tier classroom and field instruction, but also gain access to paid work experience and direct career pathways in forest stewardship.
From the Classroom to the Forest Floor
Sponsoring and celebrating these students is a natural extension of what CHIPS does every day. The skills taught at Columbia College align directly with the critical restoration and wildfire mitigation work our crews perform throughout the Sierra Nevada.
When graduates are recognized at events like Columbia College's Wildland Fire Celebration of Academic Achievement at the Dogwood Theater, they are stepping directly into vital roles across our region:
Fuels Management Specialists & Sawyers: Executing hand thinning, piling, and brush clearing to create defensible space around mountain communities.
Wildland Firefighters & Engine Crews: Responding to active incidents and protecting critical infrastructure and natural resources.
Restoration Technicians: Enhancing native ecosystems, meadow habitats, and overall forest health.
Building a Resilient Sierra Nevada Workforce
By investing in Columbia College's wildland fire students, CHIPS is helping construct a sustainable, local workforce. These men and women are not just learning a trade; they are committing to protect the very communities, watersheds, and forests where they live.
We celebrate every student who answers the call, completes this demanding training, and steps forward to safeguard our region. Together with Columbia College, CHIPS remains dedicated to providing the resources, mentorship, and career opportunities needed to keep the Sierra Nevada safe, resilient, and thriving.
