Tree Poisonings at Burnt Cedar Beach, Lake Tahoe

Since 2022, a total of 28 mature pine trees have been found poisoned on the private Burnt Cedar Beach in Incline Village, Nevada. Six trees were damaged in 2022, another six in 2024, and the latest wave of 16 trees was discovered in 2024, including ten trees identified in the August 2 incident when an unknown substance was found around their bases. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is treating the three episodes as connected and is investigating possible motives.

The Independent

Deputies from the Washou County Sheriff’s Office have collected soil samples, deployed a trail camera that captured a brief light near the site on August 2 at about 2 a.m., and are requesting security footage from residents. Lt. Chad McKinnon said investigators suspect a nearby resident may be trying to improve a property’s lake view to increase resale value “My gut instinct tells me this is someone that lives nearby that is trying to improve the value of their home, whether they want to resell it soon, so they think maybe this is a way to help improve the lake view to get more money,” — Lt. Chad McKinnon. The Incline Village General Improvement District, which manages the beach, reported that diesel fuel and possibly copper sulfate were applied to the tree trunks, with drilled holes suggesting injection of the chemical.

The Independent

Aaron Vanderpool, a staff research associate at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, explained that mature pines help slow runoff and absorb nutrients that could otherwise cloud Lake Tahoe’s water. Matt Patellos, a parks worker involved in the cleanup, described copper sulfate’s effect as a slow internal decay of the trees “The copper sulfate will basically slowly kill and rot the tree from the inside out,” — Matt Patellos. The damage is estimated at $300,000, and the median price for a single-family home in Incline Village is about $1.5 million, with lakefront estates ranging from $10 million to over $30 million.

The Independent

• “My gut instinct tells me this is someone that lives nearby that is trying to improve the value of their home, whether they want to resell it soon, so they think maybe this is a way to help improve the lake view to get more money,” — Lt. Chad McKinnon “My gut instinct tells me this is someone that lives nearby that is trying to improve the value of their home, whether they want to resell it soon, so they think maybe this is a way to help improve the lake view to get more money,” — Lt. Chad McKinnon

The Independent

• “The copper sulfate will basically slowly kill and rot the tree from the inside out,” — Matt Patellos “The copper sulfate will basically slowly kill and rot the tree from the inside out,” — Matt Patellos

The Independent