JUST THE BAER FACTS: Recreation Specialists Assess Forest Service Trails in Dixie Burned Area

In addition to threats to human life and safety, the Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program assesses potential threats to Forest Service (USFS) property and infrastructure such as biking, hiking and motorized OHV trails.

BAER recreation specialists are assessing the effects of the fire to trails within the Dixie burned area. They identify potential threats to public users of the trails because of the effects of the fire and related suppression activities during rainstorm events.

After assessing the trails within the Dixie burned area, BAER Recreation Specialists may recommend BAER stabilization trail treatments to lessen the impacts to USFS trails that will improve drainage. They may also recommend post-storm inspections and response to address any threats during and after rain events.

Recently Lassen National Forest BAER specialists Gabriel Hobson, Glen Logan and John Davis, and Chuck James from the Stanislaus National Forest completed their field assessment in Phase 1 of the Dixie burned area.

The following four photos are of the Lake Almanor Recreation Trail #51019 which is located near Canyon Dam that offers non-motorized bikers and hikers the chance to see a variety of wildlife.

Lake Almanor Recreational Trailhead Sign:

Numerous potential hazard trees along trail:

Burned Trail Information signs:

Numerous potential hazard trees along trail:

The next two photos are of the Yellow Creek Trail (6E27). The trail is a non-motorized trail. The photos show debris and soil dry ravel and the total loss of trail tread:

The last three photos are of the Rock Creek Trail (6M40) which is a motorized trail. The photos show soil dry ravel that partially covers the trail tread:

PHASE 1 DIXIE POST-FIRE BAER SOIL BURN SEVERITY MAP RELEASED

Due to the large size and continual active burning of the Dixie Fire, the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team divided the burned area into two phases for their assessment and analysis. BAER specialists recently completed their data gathering and analysis for Phase 1 of the Dixie burned area to produce a Phase 1 soil burn severity (SBS) map on August 25—analyzing 365,678 acres. The map and the data display SBS categories of unburned/very low, low, moderate, and high. Approximately 43% of the 365,678 acres are either unburned/very low and/or low soil burn severity, while 52% sustained a moderate soil burn severity and only about 5% identified as high soil burn severity.

The SBS map also shows the acreage for each of the landowners for the 365,678 acres in the Phase 1 assessment to be: 176,460 acres for the Plumas National Forest; 93,466 acres for the Lassen National Forest; 94,648 acres of private/unknown lands; 889 acres for the State of California-Department of Fish and Game; 98 acres for the USDI Bureau of Land Management; 67 acres for the USDI Bureau of Indian Affairs; and 50 acres for the State of California-Lands Commission.

The low category of soil burn severity indicate that there was only partial consumption of fine fuels and litter coverage remains relatively intact on the soil surface. Residence time at the soil surface was short, leaving root systems and structure undamaged. Recovery time in the low category will vary based on ecological community but is expected to recovery in the short-term.

A moderate category of soil burn severity indicates consumption of litter and fine fuels at the soil surface. In forested communities, the heat from moderate severity fire will result in water repellant conditions at the mineral soil surface. The canopy in the forest is browning and it is expected that trees will drop needles and leaves that can provide some litter cover at the soil surface. In these systems, recovery can take longer for tree species to re-establish.

The moderate soil burn severity category in lower-elevation communities indicates complete consumption of shrub cover that can but does not necessarily result in water repellant conditions at the soil surface. Several shrub species in the lower-elevation communities do re-sprout after fire and recovery time will be variable. Moderate soil burn severity category in the lower-elevation shrub communities that did not express water repellant behavior can still result in a runoff potential category of high as a result of the soils inherent qualities and the removal of effective vegetative cover.

A high soil burn severity category is the result of higher intensity fire behavior or longer residence time at the soil surface. This category is found in forested or dense woodland communities and the litter and fuels, including an overstory canopy, was consumed. The soil structure is weakened, roots are charred and water repellant soil conditions persist through the upper horizon of mineral soil. Recovery time in the conifer systems can be significant.

The Dixie BAER assessment team used initial remote sensing imagery with its field validated soils data, to develop and produce a map showing soil burn severity levels for the burned area. The BAER team and the US Geological Survey (USGS) both use the soil burn severity maps as an analysis tool to estimate post-fire flows and debris flow probability. 

The BAER team relied on its refined soil burn severity map to produce data used in its subsequent modeling and determination of post-fire runoff and sedimentation. In specific areas that experienced moderate-to-high burn severity, there could be increased runoff from steep hillslopes and resultant increases in post-fire soil erosion and potential debris flows.

The Dixie Fire soil burn severity map can be downloaded at the “Dixie Post-Fire BAER” InciWeb site (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7811/) as a JPEG or PDF version under the “Maps” tab.

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/sto/.

JUST THE BAER FACTS: Forest Service BAER Specialists Assess Vegetation in Dixie Burned Area

When a wildfire burns, burned tree snags are often the most noticeable feature remaining on the landscape. Less apparent are effects to the plant species in the understory, many of which are forbs and shrubs that are adapted to promptly return to the post-fire landscape. In addition to assessing potential threats to life and safety, property, and cultural resources during rain events following burned areas, the Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program also assesses potential threats to natural resources, which includes an assessment of native plant communities.

Lassen National Forest botanist (Kirsten Bovee) and Plumas National Forest ecologist (Michelle Coppoletta) have been evaluating the risk of invasive plant introduction and spread in native plant communities within the Dixie Fire. They are finding that mere weeks after the fire swept through the Highway 70 corridor, many native and invasive species are already resprouting. These include native willow along the North Fork of the Feather River (Photo 1 background), but also invasive Himalayan blackberry (Photo1 foreground). 

Areas that have experienced multiple recent fires, such as the hillslope within both the Rich and Dixie Fire perimeters, are particularly susceptible to weed establishment and spread, due to full sun conditions and bare mineral soil exposed as litter and duff were consumed by fire (Photo 2).

The spread of invasive plants compromises native plant communities and all that they support—from fish, to mammals, to the life support of the fungal network underground, to trees, shrubs, and herbs.

The following three photos show some native plants that are already making a reappearance on the burned landscape:

·       Black oak (Quercus kelloggii, Photo 3) is sending up new stems from a root crown that continues to draw water and nutrients from the plant surviving in the below-ground root network. 

·       Caribou coffeeberry (Frangular purshiana ssp. ultramafica, Photo 4) is a rare shrub that grows only on serpentine soils in the northern Sierra Nevada.

·       Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax, Photo 5) lilies have protected their actively growing leaf tissue within rosettes of densely packed old leaves and have already added inches of new growth to the base of its leaves that burned during the fire. They will carpet the landscape with billowy clusters of white flowers in the years to come.

Dixie Post-Fire BAER team botany assessments will prioritize high value and vulnerable native plant communities and result in proposed land treatments, such as an Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) strategy, to prevent the fire-related introduction and spread of invasive species.

Photo 1:

Photo 2:

Photo 3:

Photo 4:

Photo 5: 

JUST THE BAER FACTS: BAER WATERSHED SPECIALIST SHARES DIXIE BAER ASSESSMENT PHOTOS

The BAER assessment team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” (SBS) map by using satellite imagery that generates an initial BARC (Burned Area Reflectance Classification) map. The BARC map is then validated and adjusted by BAER team specialist’s field surveys to assess watershed conditions and watershed response to the wildfire. The final SBS map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of low/unburned, moderate, and high which corresponds to a projected increase in watershed response.

BAER watershed specialist Abby Gettinger shares her photos taken from her recent field assessment of the Dixie burned area.

The first photo is an example of soil hydrophobicity that was exhibited at a soil burn severity point. The water is sitting on top of the soil surface in a bead rather than infiltrating into the soil due to soil hydrophobicity. Abby and the other BAER specialists with her were able to catch their reflections and the treetops in the droplet! Soil hydrophobicity is one of the factors that the BAER team evaluates when assessing the soil burn severity of the Dixie burned area.

Abby’s next two photos are from along the east side of Forest Service 27N65 Road:

                          

The fourth and fifth photos are from along Forest Service 26N35 Road in a re-burned area from the 2000 Storrie and 2012 Chips wildfires:

                          

Abby’s next photo is taken off of Forest Service 25N21 Road, and the 2nd one is off of Forest Service 26N18 Road:

                           

And the last two photos are from along Forest Service 27N98 Road when Abby and Lassen National Forest Soil Scientist Doug Peters were evaluating the Dixie burned area ground conditions to compare the area with the initial BARC map to help them finalize the BAER team’s SBS map of the Dixie burned area: 

                           

Emergency Watershed Protection Program | NRCS California (usda.gov)

NRCS EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROTECTION (EWP) PROGRAM

What is the EWP

The Emergency Watershed Protection Program, EWP, was created by Congress to respond to emergencies caused by natural disasters. The program is designed to help people reduce imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fire, drought, earthquakes, windstorms and other natural disasters.

The purpose of the EWP program is to help communities with a common problem. It is generally not an individual assistance program. All projects undertaken must be sponsored by a political subdivision of the State such as a city, county, or a flood control district.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is responsible for administering the program.

What kind of assistance is available

There are two types of assistance available:

Exigency – An imminent threat to life and property exists and requires immediate federal action. Work must generally be completed within five days of accessing the site in order to protect life and property.

Non-Exigency – A situation where the threat to life and property is high enough to constitute an emergency, but the situation is not considered urgent and compelling. Work in this category does not require immediate action, but should be completed as soon as possible (within 220 days from starting work).

NRCS can pay up to 75 percent of emergency measures. The remaining 25 percent comes from local sources and can be in the form of cash, in-kind services or a combination of both.

What are the criteria for assistance

All EWP work must reduce threats to life and property. Work must be economically and environmentally defensible and sound from an engineering standpoint.

EWP work must yield benefits to more than one person. All work must represent the least expensive environmentally sound alternative.

Who is eligible

Public and private landowners are eligible for assistance but must be represented by a project sponsor. The project sponsor must be a public agency of a state, county, or city government, or a special district.

What does the sponsor have to do

Sponsors are responsible for providing land rights to do repair work and for securing all necessary permits.

Sponsors are also responsible for furnishing the local cost share and for implementation of work. The work can be done either through local contracts administered by the sponsor, or the sponsor can use their own equipment and personnel. If sponsors do not have capability to do the work by either of these options, work can also be done by Federal Contract.

For projects where the sponsors or their consultants prepare designs and contract documents, these documents shall be provided to NRCS for review and approval prior to advertising for bids or starting work. Technical assistance costs born by the sponsor for design and/or inspection will be compensated as an "in-kind service" toward 25 percent cost share as defined in the project agreement.

NRCS will not allow work to be done in streams outside the time limits specified in the necessary permits.

What kind of work can be done

EWP work is not limited exclusively to any one set of prescribed measures. A case-by-case investigation of the needed work is made by NRCS. EWP work can generally include:

• debris removal from stream channels, road culverts and bridge abutments;
• reshaping and protection of eroding banks;
• correction of damaged drainage facilities;
• repair of levees and structures;
• reseeding of damaged areas.

What EWP cannot do

EWP funds cannot be used to solve problems that existed before the disaster. Nor can they be used to improve the level of protection above that which existed prior to the disaster.

EWP cannot fund operation and maintenance work or repair private or public transportation facilities or utilities.

EWP work cannot adversely affect downstream water rights and EWP funds cannot be used to install measures not essential to the reduction of hazards. In addition, EWP funds cannot be used to perform work on measures installed by another federal agency.

How do I get assistance

If your area has suffered severe damage and may qualify under the EWP program, you are encouraged to contact your local flood control district or County Supervisor to request assistance. City and county governments and flood control districts are the most common sponsors of EWP projects.

The sponsor's application should be in the form of a letter signed by a qualified representative of the sponsoring organization. The letter should include information on the nature, location and scope of the problem for which assistance is requested.

Information is available from NRCS offices which explains the eligibility requirements for the EWP program.

Send applications for assistance to the local NRCS field office or to the NRCS state headquarters in Davis. The address is:

State Conservationist
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
430 G Street, #4164
Davis, CA 95616-4164

All applications should be submitted as soon as possible after the event.

NOTE: See related NRCS EWP Information Brochure link below.

JUST THE BAER FACTS: USFS BAER specialists and scientists assess soil burn severity in the Dixie burned area

In the first photo below, BAER watershed specialist Abby Gettinger captures other BAER team specialists Emily Mixer, Robert "Andy" Colter and Casey Shannon as they evaluate a low soil burn severity (SBS) area for their assessment of the Dixie burned area. They are testing to determine whether the soil is hydrophobic – aka repels water. This is important because the amount of hydrophobicity is an important component to determining how much increased runoff we can expect after a fire. Hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water and is considered when mapping watershed response to rainstorms after a wildfire.

The second photo taken by BAER watershed specialist Abby Gettinger captures a “Ghost Tree” which shows a trail of high burn severity ash that is left behind after a tree burns. This approximately 116-foot ghost tree was located on the north side of Butt Creek off the Humboldt Road within the Dixie burned area.

The next four photos were taken by BAER Soil Scientist Anna Plumb—all within the Dixie burned area.

The third image captures a drop of water placed on the burned soil which was determined to be hydrophobic.

The fourth image shows BAER specialists evaluating a high SBS (Soil Burn Severity) area; while the fifth image shows the BAER team gathering SBS data; and the last image shows the vegetation regrowth less than a month after Dixie fire activity within a high SBS area. 

      

     

FOREST SERVICE BAER TEAM BEGINS ASSESSMENT OF DIXIE WILDFIRE

After a large wildfire, sometimes special actions are necessary to provide for public safety and protect critical natural and cultural resources on National Forest System (NFS) lands. For example, loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion, runoff may increase and cause flooding, and sediment may move downstream damaging roads and infrastructure or put endangered species and cultural resources at-risk. The Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program addresses these situations on NFS lands with the goal of guarding the safety of Forest visitors and employees and protecting federal property, and critical natural or cultural resources from further damage.

A BAER team has been established by the Lassen and Plumas National Forests to begin burned area assessments of the Dixie wildfire. BAER assessments are rapid evaluations of the burned area to identify unacceptable risks on NFS lands from post-fire threats and to assist land managers with preparing burned areas for rainstorms. The team’s focus is on the emergency actions necessary to protect life and safety, property, and critical natural and cultural resources on NFS lands. The team shares burned area information from the assessments with other federal, state, and local agencies with post-fire responsibilities on state and private lands both within and downstream of burned areas, such as USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Natural Park Service (NPS), National Weather Service (NWS), and US Geological Survey (USGS).

BAER teams consist of scientists and specialists including hydrologists, geologists, soil scientists, engineers, botanists, biologists, archeologists, and geographic information specialists. The teams collect data during ground surveys and complete GIS and modeling to evaluate the post-fire risks. The first step in the BAER assessment process is taking satellite imagery and data collected during ground surveys to produce a soil burn severity map. The soil burn severity provides the baseline information to determine changed watershed conditions for assessing potential watershed impacts from wildfires. This information is then compiled and presented to Forest leadership along with recommended BAER emergency stabilization treatments in a BAER assessment report.

Rainstorm run-off is sometimes, but not always, increased on burn scars. BAER reports are shared with interagency cooperators who work with downstream private homeowners and landowners to prepare for potential post-fire flooding and debris flow impacts. Homes or businesses that could be impacted by flooding from federal land that resulted from wildfires may be eligible for flood insurance coverage from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  Information about NFIP is available through FEMA at www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program, or www.floodsmart.gov/wildfires. Other flood preparedness information is available at www.ready.gov/floods at www.floodsmart.gov/.

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: https://www.weather.gov/sto/.

Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Limitations

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 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 storm 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 human life and safety, Forest Service property and other critical natural and cultural resource values.
• Prescribe emergency response actions to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources, to minimize threats to life or property 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.

BAER Interagency Coordination:

Post-fire emergency response is a shared responsibility. There are several Federal, State and local agencies that have emergency response responsibilities or authorities in the post-fire environment. The BAER team coordinates with these agencies to look at the full scope and scale of the situation to reduce the potential threats to human life and property. It is important that BAER efforts are communicated with all affected and interested cooperating agencies and organizations regarding other post-fire recovery and restoration efforts.

BAER treatments cannot prevent all of the potential flooding or soil erosion impacts, especially after a wildfire-changed landscape. It is important for the public to stay informed and prepared for potentially dramatic increased run-off events.

One of the most effective BAER strategies is interagency coordination to provide post-fire threat information to local cooperators who can assist affected businesses, homes, and landowners to prepare for rain events. For example, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program for post-emergency assistance on private and tribal land, the National Weather Service (NWS) has responsibility for flood warning alerts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has flood insurance and other responsibilities if the area is a Presidentially-declared emergency, Resource Conservation Districts (RCD) and counties, as well as State and local-highway and emergency services departments, Flood Control authorities, etc. It is important that landowners work directly with NRCS and other agencies to determine appropriate actions needed to protect private structures and other assets.

BAER Process:

BAER assessment teams are staffed by specially trained professionals that may include: hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, biologists, botanists, archeologists, and others who evaluate the burned area and prescribe temporary emergency stabilization actions on National Forest System lands to protect the land quickly and effectively. BAER assessments usually begin before a wildfire has been fully contained.

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.

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. Response action timing is essential to ensure the emergency stabilization measures are effective.

There are a variety of emergency stabilization actions that the BAER team can recommend for Forest Service land such as mulching with agricultural straw or chipped wood to protect soil productivity, increasing road drainage to keep roads and bridges from washing-out during post-fire floods, and early detection rapid response invasive plant treatments to prevent spread of weeds into native plant communities. BAER treatments are preventative in nature but cannot prevent all damage, especially debris torrents in areas that are prone to sliding and have lost critical root structure from plants.

The Cans and Cannots of BAER:

What BAER Can Do:

• Install water or erosion control devices
• Seed or mulch for erosion control or stability reasons
• Install erosion control measures at critical cultural sites
• Install temporary barriers to protect treated or recovering areas
• Install warning signs
• Replace minor safety related facilities, like burned guard rails
• Install appropriate-sized drainage features on roads, trails
• Remove critical safety hazards
• Prevent permanent loss of T&E habitat
• Monitor BAER treatments
• Implement EDRR treatments to minimize the spread of noxious weeds into native plant communities

What BAER Cannot Do:

• Prevent all flooding and debris flows
• Replant commercial forests or grass for forage
• Excavate and interpret cultural sites
• Replace burned pasture fences
• Install interpretive signs
• Replace burned buildings, bridges, corrals, etc.
• Repair roads damaged by floods after fire
• Remove all hazard trees
• Replace burned habitat
• Monitor fire effects
• Treat pre-existing noxious weeds

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 within7 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 forwarded onto the Washington Office.

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/sto/.

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/sto/.

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.

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/sto/.