Letter to community members

---

Dear Fellow Community Members,

My name is David Mercer and I am the owner of the Alpenglow Timber proposed project. There is a lot of misinformation being shared by some members of our community. It is important to me that each of you knows who I am, what I represent, and how the project is, and is not, going to impact your families and your community. 

What is it: The purpose of the Alpenglow Timber project aims to create a technologically advanced, small log lumber mill facility to which we can take logs that we harvest locally as part of our forest management activities and process them into lumber and other products that can be used in construction, agriculture and manufacturing. The facility is set to be constructed indoors on a parcel adjacent to Highway 89 north of Truckee well set back from the road and nearby housing. We have studied all aspects of the project and believe there will be negligible impact to neighbors and traffic on 89 while providing significant community benefit.  

Who I am: I was born and raised in Tahoe. It is home to my family. I love this area for its natural beauty and as a community member have always given back and worked to take care of all of us. I take great pride as a steward of our forests. I want to help us coexist and live safely with the looming threat of fire, drought and disease. I am proud to represent a small local business. I believe we are doing meaningful and impactful work. 

Why we’re doing this: I have worked in forestry for over 30 years. The current challenges to making our community resilient to wildfire and keeping our forests healthy are daunting. We need to give our forests the best opportunities to be healthy and fire resistant. Without a local solution to process the byproduct of forest management activity, it is both economically and practically infeasible to conduct the fuel reduction projects our forests desperately need for long-term health.  

Over the past 18 years, and more consistently for the last 5 years after the Chips, Camp, Bear, Dixie and other large fires, other forestry contractors and I have been turned away from the few remaining sawmills in Northern California (the closest of which is 70 miles away) because their own operations are bringing in too much supply from their burned timber lands. Without consistent access to a sawmill, the forestry contractor community in this area has two choices: letting logs rot or chipping – leaving more potential fuel on the forest floor and contributing to fire risk and methane emissions.  

The Alpenglow Timber project addresses the lack of processing which is a barrier to local forest thinning and fuels reductions projects. The sawmill will contribute to our local economy and create stable year-round housing and jobs for our current and future employees.  

How this project will impact the community: 

It disappoints me to see people reacting negatively to the project based on misinformation. This is why I am sharing the facts and benefits to the whole community:  

1. Wildfire Mitigation & Community Safety: The sawmill will enhance our region's wildfire mitigation efforts by providing a needed local outlet for smaller diameter logs allowing our forests to grow larger healthier trees that are fire resistant.  
2. Land Use Compliance: The proposed location of the facility falls within the designated land use parameter. It is consistent with the county's zoning regulations and general plan. This ensures that the project respects and utilizes the land in an appropriate and sustainable manner, reflecting responsible environmental stewardship. Historically, the nearby “Hobart Mills” was a mill operation so what we are doing is consistent with our local history and culture.  
3. Noise and Traffic: The impact to traffic on Highway 89 will be marginal per our traffic studies. In addition, we are currently driving many logs to Quincy. By reducing the need to drive 70+ miles we will reduce the highway miles and greenhouse gas emissions overall. For our neighbors, we will pave our access road which the neighboring homes use to access their properties, providing noise and dust reduction relative to the current situation. The mill itself sits more than 500 feet away from any homes and will be enclosed, mitigating noise from the operations.  
4. Economic Benefits: The Alpenglow Timber facility will have a positive economic benefit to our region. It will help offset forest thinning costs. It will create jobs, stimulate local businesses, and generate revenue that can be reinvested in our community's forests, infrastructure, and services. As an added benefit, we will be able to supply lumber for local housing and construction needs whereas currently contractors purchase lumber to build local housing that comes from Canada and other places not nearby, despite the fact that we live surrounded by forest. We believe in local, sustainable solutions. 
5. Innovative & Integrated: Establishing a local integrated sawmill facility is a forward-thinking solution that enhances the resilience of our forests and communities. This project exemplifies a balanced approach that addresses both environmental concerns and community well-being. 
6. Environmentally Sound - This project is a progressive small-scale sawmill facility. It will have a negligible impact on traffic. The project is intentionally designed so that it will not significantly increase noise or air pollution. 

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the project. Please browse our website to view FAQs, project benefits, read testimonials by community leaders who understand the need for this project and who support it, and review the CEQA document that details noise, traffic and air quality studies.