The plan includes reforestation work across thousands of acres burned in the Caldor Fire. It proposes possible use of glyphosate and four other herbicides to control vegetation that could suffocate young trees.
Glyphosate is a widely used weed-killing chemical, but it remains controversial due to ongoing debate about potential health risks, including cancer concerns.
Under the proposal, herbicides would be applied by trained crews using backpack sprayers. Aerial spraying would not be allowed. The plan also includes restrictions such as no application within 100 feet of water bodies and no spraying before forecasted heavy rain.
The forest service said that if any glyphosate were to reach water, the levels would be very small and would remain below federal drinking water safety standards.
Still, some residents say the proposal raises serious concerns about transparency and public health.
“There are no words to explain how against the spray I am and how freaked out I am by this. There’s study after study after study about the carcinogens in them. I made a formal complaint with the California EPA and I was basically just told to go ‘F’ myself that it’s not a problem unless you’re exposed,” said resident Abby Lichtman.
At the meeting, TRPA’s executive director Julie Regan said that the agency does not have a permitting role in the forest service project but is requesting closer coordination before any implementation.
“We’ve sent a formal letter to the forest service requesting coordination with TRPA, the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, and others to protect the lake’s water quality. The purpose of our letter was to request a sit-down, a meeting before any site-specific implementation, including herbicide use in the project area, would occur,” Regan said.
TRPA also said it is expanding water quality monitoring efforts, including new testing for glyphosate downstream of the Caldor burn area.
The debate comes as glyphosate continues to face scrutiny worldwide. In 2015, the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency classified it as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic when used as directed.
In a statement to KUNR, the forest service said no herbicide use is planned for 2026 or 2027. It said herbicide treatments would only occur later in the reforestation process if needed, and only in areas where manual vegetation removal is not feasible, such as steep or inaccessible terrain.
The agency also said all treatment areas would be clearly marked with public notification signs.
