Burn Severity - Knowing how severly a wildfire has burned your land can help you choose what to
do (and what not to do). It is one of the keys to what techniques will or won't be
successful. This chart shows signs that can help you determine burn severity.
USFS BAER report - This report covers some of the initial assessment of the burn severity and other
characteristics of the Mullen Fire
Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool (USDA): Learn about USDA disaster assistance programs that might be right for you
by completing five simple steps.
Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) (USDA - NRCS): For lands that are part of a private agricultural operation. This
program has funds available for specific practices to address post fire concerns.
The Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program (USDA - NRCS): A federal emergency recovery program which helps local communities
recover after a natural disaster strikes. The program offers technical and financial
assistance to help local communities relieve imminent threats to life and property
caused by floods, fires, windstorms and other natural disasters that impair a watershed.
The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) (USDA - Farm Service Agency): This program provides benefits to livestock producers
for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather or by
attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government.
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) (USDA - Farm Service Agency): This program provides emergency assistance to eligible
producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease (including
cattle tick fever), adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires,
not covered by LFP and LIP.
Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) (USDA - Farm Service Agency): This program helps the owners of non-industrial private
forests restore forest health damaged by natural disasters. The EFRP does this by
authorizing payments to owners of private forests to restore disaster damaged forests.
Control Measures
Soil Erosion Control after Wildfire - There are several steps to take to reduce the amount of soil erosion. A landowner,
using common household tools and materials, can accomplish most of these methods in
the aftermath of a wildfire.
Contour Wattles - also known as straw wattles, fiber roles, bio-logs, or straw tubes are used to
form a continuous barrier to intercept water running down a slope. When installed
properly, they can increase water infiltration and reduce soil erosion.
Sandbag Barriers - inexpensive temporary walls, one to two feet high that are constructed by stacking
sand-filled or earth-filled sandbags and placing them to divert mud and other debris
flows away from buildings.
Log Erosion Barriers - Log Erosion Barriers (LEBs) are logs placed in a shallow trench on the contour
to intercept water running down a slope and trap sediment. This treatment may also
be known as contour log felling, log terraces or terracettes.
Reseeding
Seeding - Re-establishment of permanent vegetation (such as grasses and forbs) provides long-term
erosion control, may restore lost habitat values, and may help suppress noxious weed
invasion after a wildfire.However it takes time and favorable climatic conditions
to establish vegetation from seeding operations. There are other considerations as
well. Read this document for more information.
Hand Raking - is used on severely burned slopes with hydrophobic soil properties that will also
be treated by mulching for erosion control, and may also include seeding to reestablish
vegetation.
Vegetative Recovery after Wildfire - Provides info on determining fire damage on a wide variety of conifers and chances
of survival, and how aspens spring back from fires.
Cheatgrass (downy brome) and Wildfire - a noxious weed that can invade grassland communities and displace native plants;
it thrives in disturbed areas (such as some burned areas). Learn more avout this weed
and control measures.
