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Meet Erin, a Rangeland Management Specialist with the Bureau of Land Management. She is supporting the York Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) by assessing rangeland infrastructure damage and vegetation impacts in the fire footprint.

Mojave National Preserve protects historic grazing infrastructure including fences, corrals, and water developments. Though there is no active grazing in the York Fire footprint, these artifacts have been part of the area’s history since the early 1900s. Rangeland Improvement Projects (RIPs) build infrastructure that facilitates the control of livestock movement and water usage. After a fire, damaged infrastructure must be repaired or replaced. Native rangeland plants, which are important food sources for wildlife and livestock, are often displaced by non-native plants, which thrive with less competition after a fire.

Erin spent the first few days of this assignment in the York Fire footprint. She documented the effect of the fire on native plants, collected samples to assess burn soil severity, and recorded infrastructure damage. After her field assessment, she began the report-writing phase. The last several days of the assignment were spent writing recommendations for replacement, repairs, invasive plant treatments, and native seeding projects. She has also researched these treatment costs.

Fires can be devastating, but these are temporary changes to landscapes that are hundreds of years old. Erin encourages the public to research the role that wildfire plays in their ecosystem and to make their homes defensible. Her work provides land managers with tools that can give native plants the upper hand and jumpstart the recovery process.

While the chance for an adult Joshua tree to live and resprout is slim, Erin observed several root sprouts from dead adult Joshua trees in the Dome Fire footprint. She hopes that the York Fire will experience a similar recovery.