Burned Area Emergency Response(BAER) specialists have released their data and field work on the Dollar Ridge Fire burn area as well as the Soil Burn Severity map. “The map shows that in the fire area, approximately 69 percent of the 59,897 acres analyzed by the BAER team within the Dollar Ridge Fire is considered unburned or low soil burn severity while 28 percent sustained a moderate soil burn severity, and only 3 percent burned at a high soil burn severity,” shares Ashley National Forest. “BAER post-fire assessment teams use the soil burn severity data to identify if there are areas of concern where increased soil erosion, accelerated surface water run-off, and debris flows have the potential to impact human life and safety, property, and critical natural and cultural resources from rain events. Forest Service BAER teams typically consist of scientists and specialists that consider emergency stabilization options for those critical resources.” The assessments are important in determining erosion and runoff as a result of the fire. “Significant increases in the rates of erosion and run-off are expected from steep hillslopes with high and moderate soil burn severity,” shares Ashley National Forest. “Erosion and runoff from unburned and low soil burn severity areas will not be significantly greater as a result of the fire. However, areas located downstream from moderate and high soil burn severity, even unburned areas, will likely experience increased rates of erosion, debris flows, and surface runoff due to cumulative effects.” More information can be found on the Forest Service Geospatial Technology and Applications Center website.
