For the third time this year, a stand of mature pine trees has been poisoned on the shores of Incline Village, a wealthy lakefront enclave on the Nevada side of North Lake Tahoe. Law enforcement currently has no suspects and no motive, but the crime, no longer an isolated incident, has sent shock waves through the community.

The most recent incident was reported on Sunday at Burnt Cedar Beach, located near the west end of Incline Village’s Lakeshore Boulevard. It is the fifth tree poisoning here since 2022, with several previous attempts resulting in the deaths of 11 mature trees that line the exclusive stretch of lakeshore. 

Staff from the Incline Village General Improvement District — the village’s governing agency that oversees and manages the beaches, golf courses and ski resort — reported a noxious odor emanating from a stand of trees on the east end of the beach. Deputies from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office investigated the scene and determined that several trees had been poisoned. 

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A view from the pool at Burnt Cedar Beach in Incline Village, Nev., on June 28, 2026. 

Incline Village’s beaches are exclusive to property owners. Their access, deed-restricted in the late 1960s when the ground was broken on the resort-style lakefront development, has always been a source of controversy outside of the tiny village’s select group of property owners, resulting in years of legal challenges from outsiders.

The latest apparent poisoning took place between approximately 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 and 5 a.m. on Aug.........

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