Salmon & Packer Creek Aspen Restoration Project to launch in Tahoe National Forest

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), 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. 

Aspen stands on the North Yuba. Photo courtesy of SYRCL.

Spanning a total of 292 acres in the Lost Sierra, north of Highway 49 and west of Gold Lakes Highway, this project includes degraded quaking aspen stands along Packer and Samon Creeks. Aspen stands are in decline throughout the Sierra Nevada, and the primary goal of this project is to restore and enhance critical aspen habitat.  

Additional goals of the project include forest resilience and reduced risk of high severity fire. Restoration actions include selective thinning to remove competing conifers designed to support healthy aspen regeneration. Treatments are tailored to the terrain and ecological conditions in each unit. 

“Aspen stands are vital to forest biodiversity, providing important habitat for wildlife and contributing to 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.” 

One highlight of the project involves installing approximately 15 Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) in Salmon Creek Meadow. These low-tech structures, built from woody material, mimic natural beaver dams to slow water flow, expand wet meadow habitat, and promote aspen growth along the meadow fringe. 

“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. 

Map of the Salmon & Packer Creek Aspen Restoration Project boundary. Located west of the Gold Lakes Highway and north of Highway 49 in the North Yuba River watershed.

Project implementation is scheduled to begin on September 22^nd, 2025, and will continue into late October of this year. Work will continue in fall of 2026 between early September (after the nesting bird season) and late October (before snowfall). Given the complexity of the project and time constraints, SYRCL anticipates a phased, multi-year approach to full implementation. Implementation of this project is funded by the State of California’s Wildlife Conservation Board and the U.S. Forest Service. 

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. 

For further details, please contact Anne Marie Holt at annemarie@yubariver.org or (530) 265-5961 x216. 

Original article here: Salmon & Packer Creek Aspen Restoration Project to launch in Tahoe National Forest • SYRCL