The Christine Fire was caused by a roadside start and was responded to by local fire departments. Texas A&M Forest Service was requested and brought heavy equipment and aerial resources to assist. Two dozers are currently making good progress building line and several air drops on the East flank have lowered fire behavior. Additional heavy equipment is enroute from Fredriksburg and will staff the fire tonight. Crews plan to work into tonight and then come back in the morning to continue work. Conditions tomorrow will be dry and breezy with elevated fire weather concerns in the area. All residents in the area should expect to see fire resources working and take precautions.

 There are still a few trails closed at West Beach due to yesterdays prescribed fire.  The short Long Lake Trail section immediately south of the entrance station will be closed until fire crews can remove any dangerous snags.

 

 Weather permitting, firefighters and resource managers from Indiana Dunes National Park plan to burn approximately 42 acres of woodland and grassland at West Beach in Portage today. At Mnoke Prairie, on the border of Burns Harbor and Porter, crews plan to burn 56 acres of prairie grasses and woodlands.
The burns are expected to begin around noon. Fire crews will complete the burns, then remain on scene to monitor for hot spots through the remainder of the day. 

Visitor services should not be effected, however some trails at West Beach may be temporarily closed doe to smoke. 
Maps of all the planned spring burns can be found at https://bit.ly/INDUSpring2022Fires

More information on prescribed fire in the National Parks can be found at https://www.nps.gov/articles/what-is-a-prescribed-fire.htm

  INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK: The National Park Service is planning 8 prescribed fires this spring at Indiana Dunes National Park. Approximately 944 acres are expected to be burned. Fire is used as a tool for the park's long-term restoration and hazard fuel reduction efforts.

Clear management goals and objectives have been established for each burn unit. Before burning, a designated set of conditions must exist including ideal wind speed and direction, and relative humidity. Weather conditions will be monitored throughout the duration of the burn to ensure the fire is completed safely.

Fire Management Officer MaryEllen Whitenack says, “The prescribed fire program here at Indiana Dunes National Park is a combined effort between the Park’s Natural and Cultural Resources Management Division and our Wildland Fire Staff. Safety of the public is paramount while meeting our natural resources and fuels management goals.”

Near the center of the park, a 547 acre fire is planned just south and east of Dune Acres. The Howes Prairie/Lupine Lane prescribed fire is one of the oldest planned prescribed fires at the National Park. Managers conducted the first ever prescribed fire at the Dunes here in 1986.

In Porter, the west half of the Mnoke Prairie will be burned. This 56 acre parcel is at the extreme west end of Beam Street.

Near Ogden Dunes and Portage, the National Park will be burning 150 acres in and around the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk area. And on the west and south side of Ogden Dunes, parallel to US 12, 95 acres are planned to burn. Prescribed fire around Ogden Dunes is conducted to reduce the threat of wildfires to the town while helping to maintain native ecosystems.

Inside of West Beach, 2 parcels will be burned. The first, along the south side of the entry road, and on the north side of Long Lake is approximately 31 acres. An additional 11 acre piece along the boundary line on the east of side of West Beach will help to further reduce the threat of wildfire to Ogden Dunes.

An online map of the planned prescribed fire areas can be found at https://bit.ly/INDUSpring2022Fires

Residents of Lake and Porter Counties may sign up to receive prescribed fire notifications through the Smart911 system. Go to www.smart911.com to sign up for this free service that provides emergency notifications, a private 911 safety profile and a vulnerable needs registry. Additionally, the National Park announces prescribed fire activity on its Facebook page, www.facebok.com/IndianaDunesNPS

JIM POST-FIRE BAER ASSESSMENT REPORT RELEASED

The Forest Service Cleveland National Forest (USFS) completed its post-fire assessment for emergency stabilization measures and actions on National Forest System (NFS) lands burned by the Jim Fire.  The emergency treatments and activities are designed to decreased possible impacts to critical values from the burned area such as: life and safety, property, critical natural resources, and cultural resources.  NOTE: Attached below as “Related Information” is a PDF document called “Jim Post-Fire BAER Assessment Report_PUBLIC”.

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events-be prepared to take action. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service website: https://www.weather.gov/sgx/.

Jim Post-Fire BAER Assessment Overview

The BAER assessment team characterizes the burned watersheds in terms of a typical post-fire watershed response for:

•       Geologic response,

•       Hydrological response, and

•       Soil hillslope response to develop a comprehensive post-fire watershed response.

Factors the team considers:

•       Steep slopes, channels filled with ash and sediment, and high burn severity – all result in sediment being easily mobilized, and

•       The lack of precipitation interception where the vegetation canopy is consumed.

BAER specialists recently completed their field data evaluation to produce a Soil Burn Severity (SBS) map for the approximately Jim Fire.

The map and the data delineate Unburned/Very Low, Low, and Moderate SBS categories. 

The BAER team field assessed the Jim Fire burn area and determined that no acres were identified as having High SBS conditions.

Across the Jim Fire burned area, approximately 60% of the fire is either Unburned/Very Low and/or Low SBS, while 40% sustained a Moderate SBS.

The photo above left shows soil that still contain roots that are considered intact—so a moderate soil burn.

The photo above right shows a landscape image of the Jim Fire area.

The BAER assessment team used ERMiT (erosion risk management tool) to describe its sediment delivery prediction analyses and displayed their peak flow modeling results in the image above.

The USGS (US Geological Survey) combined basin hazards by basin and stream segment probability which was converted to “BAER Values” for 24 mmh 15-min storm intensity:

•       IT IS A SCREENING TOOL ONLY!

•       Team used the data to identify Critical Values in “high risk area” for field work

•       Word of Caution - The USGS post-fire debris flow hazards map displayed on their website shows a default design storm with at 24 mm/hr.

•       USGS shows the 24 mm/hr data for three reasons:

•       1) post-fire debris flows are most often triggered by high-intensity, short duration bursts of rain,

•       2) a 24 mm/hr rain burst is likely to happen in most areas of the western U.S. (i.e., a 1-5 year recurrence interval), and

•       3) this value is known to trigger debris flows at USGS monitoring sites in burn areas.

Per Forest Service BAER Program policy, the above image shows the categories of list of critical values at potential risk as identified and determined by the BAER assessment team for the Jim Fire burned area.

The BAER team identified Critical Values that fall into the four BAER categories and evaluated the threats posed by the post-fire watershed responses that were just described by the team hydrologists, soil scientists, and geologist.

Some Critical Values have more than one BAER value associated with them (for example, a Forest Service (USFS) road has a USFS property/investment value and may have a human life-safety component that is threatened by one or more post-fire response events).

There are no threatened nor endangered species identified within the Jim Fire burn area.

For Non-USFS values, the BAER team did evaluate them and worked with Agency partners and cooperators to share the team’s data, information, and findings.

Forest Service Road 3S04 is a main road that traverses 1.9 miles through the upper part of Jim Fire area.

There is less than one mile (.8 miles) of road in the moderate soil burn severity.

The BAER assessment team expects a higher post-fire response in the eastern portion of the burn area, which is near, or at the ridgetop that may help to mitigate a post-fire response.

These two Forest Service roads, 6s14 Holy Jim and 6s13 Trabuco, are outside the fire footprint but the BAER team expects post-fire impacts and high risk to certain sections of these roads.

The BAER assessment specialists identified the Holy Jim Trail as safety and property critical values at potential risk from damaging storm events.

The Holy Jim Trial has 1.6 miles within the fire footprint with 1 mile with moderate soil severity burn where the loss of the trail or sections of the trail is likely after storm events.

There is a high risk in certain sections of the trail.

After the Holy Fire, the Holy Jim Trail was buried, and access was limited in the Trabuco Canyon and is likely to happen again to a lesser extent for the Jim Fire.

The BAER team’s bigger concerns are where the trails are in, or below Moderate soil burn severity areas.

There is also team concern where trails cross drainages with increased flow rates can be anticipated due to loss of vegetation and soil cover with a high potential to cause trail tread erosion and degradation.

Fact: Dozer fire containment lines are vectors for weeds.

Native or naturalized plant communities are considered critical BAER values.

The BAER assessment team specialists determined that there is a high and very high risk to those areas from the threat of invasive weeds.

The fire can also provide a suitable seed bed for invasive weeds.

The Fig plant that is in riparian areas can easily spread into recently burned areas.

Winter storms will come next season—but upcoming summer monsoon rains are also hazards to recent burn scars!

The key to mitigating the biggest threats is preparing for and communicating hazards of post-fire effects to appropriate responders and the public. 

Th Forest Service is actively participating in cooperator/partner preparedness such as NOAA National Weather Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), USDI Geological Survey (USGS), and Orange and Riverside Counties to coordinate and accomplish critical tasks before damaging storms. 

JIM POST-FIRE BAER SOIL BURN SEVERITY MAP RELEASED

USDA Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is a multi-disciplinary team that assesses post-fire impacts on federal lands following significant wildfires. The role of the assessment team is to characterize fire effects within the burned area to identify imminent post-fire threats to human life, safety, property, infrastructure, and critical natural and cultural resources on NFS lands and recommend emergency response actions designed to mitigate identified risks.

The Jim BAER assessment team coordinated early with other local and federal agencies such as county officials, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), National Weather Service (NWS), and USDOI Geological Service (USGS) to share information about burned watershed conditions and their predicted response during certain rain events.

After the team’s assessment of the Jim burned area, Cleveland National Forest land managers will establish a separate BAER team to implement the protective and stabilization treatments that have been approved by the Forest Service Regional and National offices.

The team began their assessment immediately after the fire threat passed. Their focus was on direct effects to the burned landscape caused by the fire, rather than from fire suppression activities which are the responsibility of the Incident Management Team assigned to the fire. Post-fire effects such as loss of vegetation and change in soil stability commonly increase the likelihood of threats that include accelerated soil erosion, increased sediment delivery, flooding and debris flows.

BAER specialists recently completed their field data evaluation to produce the Soil Burn Severity (SBS) map for the approximately 551-acre Jim Fire (number of acres analyzed by the BAER team on March 11, 2022—total number of acres may have changed since that date). The map and the data delineate Unburned/Very Low, Low, and Moderate SBS categories.  The BAER team assessing the Jim Fire determined that no acres were identified as having high SBS conditions. Across the Jim burned area, approximately 60% of the fire is either Unburned/Very Low and/or Low SBS, while 40% sustained a Moderate SBS.

It is important to note the SBS map product is an estimate of fire effects on soils and not direct effects to vegetation. SBS characterizes the soil surface and below-ground impact, whereas effects on vegetation are estimates of mortality based primarily on changes in vegetation canopy. Changes in overhead and understory vegetation canopy are often used as initial indicators of overall burn severity, but do not necessarily coincide with SBS.

Changes in soil cover, water repellency, and soil physical/biological conditions guide the interpretations to determine the severity burn level of the soil. Water repellency can occur naturally in soils and changes as a function of fire are a frequently discussed as a post-fire effect. Fire can increase the strength and thickness (or depth) of water repellent layers in soil, considerably affecting post-fire water runoff and possibly extending time for recovery of the burned area.

Low SBS occurs from partial consumption of fine fuels where broken limbs, leaves and ground cover are relatively unchanged and intact on the soil surface. Burning at the soil surface was short in time and discontinuous, leaving root systems and soil physical and biological conditions undamaged. Based on the ecological community, burned vegetation will generally recover to pre-fire conditions within 1-to-2 years. Low SBS generally indicates a low to very low risk. Lower risk for accelerated runoff, erosion, flooding and debris flows within and below these areas compared to moderate and high SBS areas.

Moderate SBS occurs where 50 to 80 percent of pre-fire soil cover (litter and ground fuels) was consumed by fire. Charring of the mineral soil is patchy or sporadic and plant roots within the soil may be scorched but are rarely consumed. Water repellency is often found at the surface, sometimes increasing in strength and depth which reduces the ability of precipitation to infiltrate the soil surface. The extent of scorched leaves on trees and shrubs is limited to riparian areas and some high elevation hill-slopes. Shrub canopy removed by fire in moderate and high SBS areas varies and can reflect a range in mortality from high to low, which is why a closer look at the ground is required to determine the SBS level. Unburned leaves from fire-damaged or killed trees will provide ground cover to replace the organic soil cover that was consumed by the fire. Where greater amounts of reduced soil cover and increased water repellency occur, increased overland flow of water from precipitation is expected, most notably in locations where the overstory canopy no longer exists. Canopy only exists in several of the low and moderate SBS mainstem channel riparian areas. Recovery of burned understory vegetation in these areas can take 3-to-5 years thereby. increasing the short-term potential for post-fire threats.

For the Jim burned area, no acres were identified by the BAER team to be high SBS which typically the result of high-fire severity that corresponds with longer burning time at the soil surface. As a result of the high, longer duration heat nearly all the pre-fire soil cover and ground fuels have been consumed. The surface mineral soil structure can be reduced to powder (single grain) sometimes several inches thick with a continuous cover of white or gray ash. The fine and small roots of shrubs and grasses tend to be completely consumed. Water repellency does not exist at the surface because the organic materials have been vaporized and forced downward into pore spaces and voids between soil particles below the damaged soil surface. Water repellency layers tend to be stronger, thicker and occur deeper compared to Moderate SBS. Fire-adapted shrubs and vegetation such as bear clover, manzanita, and deer brush can sprout back within 2-to-3 years because of intact roots systems. However, seed sources for some grass species are consumed in High SBS which may take five or more years to re-establish to pre-fire conditions. Generally, there is 100% tree mortality in High SBS and tree recovery will take many years without planting. In High SBS, the exposed bare soil is very prone to post-fire impacts. The damaged soil is very easily detached with rain events causing excessive soil erosion, resulting in higher volumes of sediment delivery to adjacent creeks and rivers. There is increased likelihood for flooding and debris flows. These threats can individually or cumulatively increase the risk to human life and safety, property, infrastructure, and important critical natural and cultural resources.

The Jim BAER assessment team used initial remote sensing imagery with field-validated soils data to produce the final SBS map. The BAER team and the US Geological Survey (USGS) both use the SBS map as an analysis tool to estimate post-fire erosion with subsequent sediment delivery, stream flows and debris flow probabilities.

The Jim Fire soil burn severity map can be downloaded at the “Jim Post-Fire BAER” InciWeb site (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8000/) as a JPEG or PDF version under the “Maps” tab.

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events-be prepared to take action. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service website: https://www.weather.gov/sgx/.

KEY ELEMENTS OF A BAER ASSESSMENT 

Forest Service BAER assessment teams are established by Forest Supervisors before wildfires are fully contained. The teams coordinate and work with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), National Weather Service (NWS), local counties, State Department of Transportation, and other federal, state, and local agencies to strategically assess potential post-fire impacts to the watersheds burned from wildland fires.

The BAER assessment teams are evaluating watershed conditions to determine the level of potential risks to human life, safety, property, critical natural and cultural-heritage resources, and determine if there are appropriate and effective emergency stabilization measures that can be implemented on federal lands in a timely manner to reduce unacceptable risks from potential flooding and debris flow threats.

The BAER assessment team conducts field surveys and uses science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area.

BAER assessment teams are staffed by specially trained professionals that may include: hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, geologists, biologists, botanists, archeologists, geographic information system mapping specialists, recreation and trails specialists, and others who evaluate the burned area and prescribe emergency response actions to protect the land quickly and effectively.

BAER assessments usually begin before a wildfire has been fully contained.

The BAER assessment team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” map by using satellite imagery which is then validated and adjusted by BAER team field surveys to assess watershed conditions and watershed response to the wildfire. The map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of low/unburned, moderate, and high which corresponds to a projected increase in watershed response.

The BAER team presents these findings and treatment recommendations to the Forest Supervisor in an assessment report that identifies immediate and emergency stabilization actions needed to address potential post-fire risks to human life and safety, property, cultural-heritage and critical natural resources on National Forest System lands.

The BAER report describes watershed pre- and post-fire response information, areas of concern for human life, safety and property, and recommended short-term emergency stabilization actions for federal lands that burned.

In most cases, only a portion of the burned area is actually treated.

If the BAER assessment team determines there may be potential emergency situations, the short-term goal is to have flood and erosion control protection measures completed before the first large, damaging rain events occur.

Timely implementation is critical if BAER emergency response actions are to be effective.

The BAER assessment team coordinates with other federal and local agencies, and counties that assist private landowners in preparing for increased run-off and potential flooding.

Federal assistance to private landowners regarding post-fire potential impacts is the primary responsibility of the NRCS through the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program (www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/landscape/ewpp/)

NRCS in coordination with additional state, local and federal agencies conduct damage survey reports for the private land adjacent to and downstream from the burned areas. NRCS uses these reports, along with the BAER team’s assessment report, to develop recommended emergency measures for businesses and private home and landowners to reduce the impacts to their property from potential increased water and debris flows.

SPECIAL NOTE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains over the burn scars. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events-be prepared to take action. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/sgx/.

FOREST SERVICE BAER PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to identify and manage potential risks to resources on National Forest System lands and reduce these threats through appropriate emergency measures to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER is an emergency program for stabilization work that involves time-critical activities to be completed before the first damaging event to meet program objectives:

BAER Objectives:

-   Determine whether imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands exist and take immediate actions, as appropriate, to manage the unacceptable risks.

-   If emergency conditions are identified, mitigate significant threats to health, safety, human life, property and critical cultural and natural resources.

-   Prescribe emergency response actions to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources, to minimize threats to critical values resulting from the effects of a fire, or to repair/replace/construct physical improvements necessary to prevent degradation of land or resources.

-   Implement emergency response actions to help stabilize soil; control water, sediment and debris movement and potentially reduce threats to the BAER critical values identified above when an analysis shows that planned actions are likely to reduce risks substantially within the first year following containment of the fire.

-   Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of emergency treatments that were applied on National Forest System lands.

While many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires result in damage that requires special efforts to reduce impacts afterwards. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water run-off may increase and cause flooding, soil and rock may move downstream and damage property or fill reservoirs putting community water supplies and endangered species at-risk.

The BAER team presents these findings in an assessment report that identifies immediate and emergency actions needed to address post-fire risks to human life and safety, property, cultural and critical natural resources. This includes early detection and rapid response (EDRR) treatments to prevent the spread of noxious weeds into native plant communities. The BAER report describes watershed pre- and post-fire watershed response information, areas of concern for life and property, and recommended short-term emergency stabilization measures for Forest Service lands that burned.

In most cases, only a portion of the burned area is actually treated. Severely burned areas steep slopes, and places where water run-off will be excessive and may impact important resources, are focus areas and described in the BAER assessment report if they affect critical values. Time is critical if the emergency stabilization measures are to be effective.

A BAER assessment team conducts field surveys and uses science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization measures. The team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” map by using satellite imagery which is then validated and adjusted by BAER team field surveys to assess watershed conditions and model potential watershed response from the wildfire. The map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of very low/unburned, low, moderate, and high which may correspond to a projected increase in watershed response. The higher the burn severity, the less the soil will be able to absorb water when it rains. Without absorption, there will be increased run-off with the potential of flooding.

BAER Funding:

Special Emergency Wildfire Suppression funds are authorized for BAER activities and the amount of these expenses varies with the severity of the fire season. Some years see little BAER activity while other years are extremely busy.

Because of the emergency nature of BAER, initial requests for funding of proposed BAER treatments are supposed to be submitted by the Forest Supervisor to the Regional Office within 7 days of total containment of the fire. The Regional Forester’s approval authority for individual BAER projects is limited. Approval for BAER projects exceeding this limit is to the Washington Office.

BAER SAFETY MESSAGE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains over the burn scars. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events-be prepared to take action. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service website: www.weather.gov/sgx/.

FOREST SERVICE BAER TEAM BEGINS

POST-FIRE ASSESSMENT OF JIM FIRE

After a large wildfire, special actions may be necessary to provide for public and community safety and protect critical natural and cultural resources on federal managed lands. For example, loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water runoff may increase and lead to flooding. Sediment may move downstream damaging roads and infrastructure or put endangered species and cultural resources at risk. The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program evaluates these situations on federal lands to help guard the safety of National Forest (NF) visitors and employees, protect federal property, and critical natural or cultural resources from further damage.

A BAER team has been established by the Cleveland NF to begin a burned area assessment of the Jim Fire that recently burned on federal land. The Forest Service BAER team assesses National Forest System (NFS) lands. Information about the Jim Fire can be found online at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7987/, and information about the Jim BAER assessment can be found online at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8000/.

BAER assessments are rapid evaluations of the burned area used to identify unacceptable risks on federal lands from post-fire threats and assist land managers in preparing burned areas for potential threats from rainstorms. Teams focus on emergency actions necessary to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural and cultural resources. They assess potential post-fire impacts to the burned watersheds. Additionally, they coordinate and share information from their assessments with other federal agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and US Geological Survey (USGS), state agencies, and local affected counties. NRCS is a federal agency that has post-fire responsibilities on private lands both within and downstream of burned areas.

The Forest Service BAER team assessing the Jim Fire consists of hydrologists, soil scientist, road engineers, botanist, archaeologists, recreation specialists, and geographic information system (GIS) specialist. BAER assessment teams collect data during ground and aerial surveys and create maps using GIS and modeling to evaluate post-fire risks. The first step in the BAER assessment process is taking pre-fire and post-fire satellite imagery and data collected during ground surveys to produce a soil burn severity map. The soil burn severity provides baseline information to determine changed watershed conditions for assessing potential watershed impacts from wildfires. This information is compiled and presented to NF leadership along with recommended emergency stabilization treatments and actions in a BAER assessment report.

Rainstorm runoff is sometimes, but not always, increased in burned areas. The Forest Service BAER assessment report is shared with interagency cooperators who work with downstream private homeowners and landowners to prepare for potential post-fire flooding and debris flow impacts such as NRCS and local counties.

SPECIAL NOTE: Everyone near and downstream from the burned areas should remain alert and stay updated on weather conditions that may result in heavy rains and increased water runoff. Flash flooding may occur quickly during heavy rain events-be prepared to take action. Current weather and emergency notifications can be found at the National Weather Service website: https://www.weather.gov/sgx/.