A Tree-Poisoning Mystery Is Rattling Locals in This Lake Community Surrounded By Luxury Homes

The upmarket town of Incline Village, NV, sits on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, and is home to an increasing number of billionaires who enjoy beautiful views and Nevada’s lower taxes.

It’s also the site of an ongoing mystery: Who’s poisoning the pine trees?

Earlier this month, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a series of intentional tree poisonings at Burnt Cedar Beach, a private beach accessible only to residents of the area. 

According to the Sheriff’s Department, the person or persons responsible could face felony-level charges—and these acts of violence against the area’s natural beauty have locals questioning their neighbors. 

A years-long effort to take down the trees

Twice over the last several weeks, Washoe County deputies were called to Burnt Cedar Beach regarding a “strong odor” discovered near the base of some of the area’s large pine trees. Someone had poured an unidentified substance around the roots of multiple trees, and some trees had holes drilled into their roots. 

The most recent incident may have taken place in the early morning hours of Aug. 2; a trail camera reportedly captured a brief light near the area around 2 a.m. local time. 

Law enforcement believes that the recent cases are linked to other incidents reported in previous years. Investigators have documented 28 poisoned pine trees across three incidents in the same area, leading to an estimated $300,000 in damages. 

“We take these crimes very seriously and will utilize every available resource to identify and apprehend the person or persons responsible,” said Sheriff Darin Balaam in a released statement. “The destruction of mature trees in the Tahoe Basin and the environmental damage caused by these deliberate acts are unacceptable.

A representative from the Sheriff’s Department referred Realtor.com® to the released statement when asked for further comment.

Who would do such a thing?

Authorities are still searching for a suspect and a true motive. But rumors are already swirling that the poisoner could be someone, or hired by someone, for development purposes.

Eric Sundale lives in nearby Truckee and visits the lake and its surroundings frequently to go paddleboarding and fishing with his family. He says his first thought was that the poisoner was most likely “some nut job who wanted to kill some trees,” or someone trying to get attention. But as he read more about the story, other ideas came to mind. 

“I thought to myself, somebody wants those trees out of there. ... Maybe a developer wants those trees gone. Because of the [Tahoe Regional Planning Agency], you can't cut a tree down or change a property—it's very tough. So I thought, ‘Someone's trying to get rid of these trees for development,’” he says. 

Sundale isn’t alone in his suspicions: At least one thread on Reddit includes a rundown of the various rumors circulating, including accusations against a nearby property owner, or even a particular tree removal company that could receive the business to help dispose of the trees. 

“The link between rich owners’ new homes and trees blocking their view becomes clearer by the day,” one local wrote on a local Facebook group. 

Is a lake view worth it?

Incline Village has made headlines of late beyond its trees: The town has seen an influx of ultrawealthy buyers, in large part due to Nevada’s lack of income tax on individuals. 

“We call Incline Village ‘Income Village’ because it's where all the billionaires live along Lakeshore Boulevard,” says Jenna Belden, a Lake Tahoe-area real estate agent and native of the area. “There's a lot more money that gets poured into that community because of the high-net-worth individuals who are established there.”

Some recent purchases in the town were for eye-popping numbers: One home across Lakeshore Boulevard from the beach sold in April for over $20 million. A home down the street sold in June for a relative bargain at $11.5 million. 

When home prices are this high, it’s hard to imagine a few fewer trees being worth the effort and risk of damaging the natural environment. But the theory that the trees were damaged for the sake of a better view has taken hold in the community, despite a lack of evidence to support it. 

“That would be my gut feeling,” says Belden of that theory. “It creates quite a bit of value to have a lake view, especially like a panoramic lake view as opposed to a wooded view. So I think that that probably plays into it.”

Belden believes that the difference between a lake view and a forested view can mean millions of dollars in home value. In a collection of listings shared with Realtor.com, she notes a number of five- to six-bedroom homes with prices ranging from over $7 million to nearly $19 million, with lake-view homes commanding some of the highest prices.

And in some ways, people may feel that a view of Lake Tahoe is priceless. 

“Lake Tahoe is the crown jewel,” she says. “People want to see the lake. They want to be at the lake. They want to show off the fact that they have a house that's at Lake Tahoe.”

Each local who spoke to Realtor.com made it clear that they had no proof related to the identity of the poisoner and were only speculating. 

What’s next? 

The investigation is ongoing, and the latest statements from law enforcement have no new leads to report. 

Lake Tahoe, says Sundale, is often the site of controversy and conflict between long-time residents, newcomers, environmental protection groups, and the local government. This is just the latest chapter, one that may get more complicated due to a new wave of big-money buyers moving in.  

“Between runoff from the homes, and people with lawns and their fertilizers going into the lake—it’s always been a very big story up here,” says Sundale. 

Housing development in beautiful areas is always going to be a double-edged sword. But people like Belden hope that people who do buy in Lake Tahoe see the bigger picture. 

“People really come here to buy the environment, not just buy a house,” says Belden. “But protecting that environment is pretty fundamental to protecting the long term value of their property in this market.”