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Wapiti Fire Soil Burn Severity Data Released 10-01-2024
Wapiti Fire
Publication Type: News - 10/01/2024 - 10:43
Wapiti Fire Soil Burn Severity Data Released
Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) specialists from the USDA Forest Service have finalized the Soil Burn Severity map for the ~125,000-acre Wapiti Fire. Soil burn severity is classified into 4 levels: unburned, low, moderate and high.
BAER soil scientists used a satellite image product to prioritize locations in the field to assess soil burn severity. These individuals sampled accessible sites to evaluate soil changes caused by the fire. They collected information on ground cover, ash color, soil depth and structure, intact roots, and water repellency in order to build a picture of soil burn severity.
The analysis showed the following distribution of severity by acres and percentage:
Unburned: 16,554 (13%), Low: 56,089 (45%), Moderate: 41,019 (32%), High: 12,167 (10%)
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. BAER teams typically consist of scientists and specialists that consider emergency stabilization options for those critical resources.
The Soil Burn Severity map isn’t an erosion risk map, but generally, increases in the rates of erosion and run-off are expected from steep hillslopes with high and moderate soil burn severity. Areas located downstream from moderate and high soil burn severity, even within unburned areas, may experience increased rates of erosion, debris flows, and surface run-off due to cumulative effects.
SPECIAL NOTE: Everyone near and downstream from the Wapiti Fire burned area should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains over the burned area. Flash flooding could occur quickly during heavy rain events. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service (NWS), Pocatello (PIH) (https://www.weather.gov/pih/) or Boise (BOI) (https://www.weather.gov/boi/) websites.
