![Debris catcher](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Debris_catcher.jpg)
Burned area emergency response (BAER) is an emergency
risk management reaction to post
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
conditions that pose
risks
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environme ...
to human life and property or could further destabilize or degrade the burned lands. Even though
wildfires
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...
are natural events, the presence of people and man-made structures in and adjacent to the burned area frequently requires continued emergency risk management actions. High severity wildfires pose a continuing
flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
,
debris flow
Debris flows are geological phenomena in which water-laden masses of soil and fragmented rock rush down mountainsides, funnel into stream channels, entrain objects in their paths, and form thick, muddy deposits on valley floors. They generally ...
and
mudflow
A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a significa ...
risk to people living within and downstream from a burned watershed as well as a potential loss of desirable watershed values.
The burned area emergency response
risk management process begins during or shortly after wildfire containment with risk assessments evaluating the effects of the wildfire against values needing protection. These risk assessments can range from simple to complex. An organized interdisciplinary team of subject matter experts (e.g., hydrologists, soil scientists, botanists, cultural resource specialists, engineers, etc.) used among other assessment tool
hydrological modelingan
soil burn severity mappingto assess potential flooding and vegetation recovery after the
Cerro Grande Fire in 2000.
A BAER plan is developed based on the risk assessments and burned area land management objectives. The BAER Plan identifies the most effective treatments to address the identified risks. Plan implementation timeframes are dictated primarily by anticipated future events (e.g., next significant rainstorm) which also influence treatment options.
Strategies and treatments
Burned area emergency response has mostly concentrated on risk reduction treatments with varying degrees of success. Risk avoidance, transfer and retention treatments are integral in the burned area emergency response risk management process.
Risk reduction
Risk reduction treatments are designed to protect human life and safety and reduce flood severity, soil erosion and prevent the establishment of non-native plants. On 10 wildfires studied in Colorado, rainfall amount and intensity followed by bare mineral soil explained 63% of soil erosion variation. Research has shown that the risk of flooding, debris flows and mudflows are significantly increased with increasing rainfall intensities and burn severity and that some risk reduction treatments help for low but not high intensity rainfall events.
[Robichaud, P.R.; Elliot, W.J. 2006. Protection from erosion following wildfire. Written for presentation at the 2006 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Sponsored by ASABE, Portland Convention Center, Portland, OR. 9–12 July 2006. ASABE Paper No. 068009. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.]
Mulch
A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth and enhancing the visual appeal of the area.
A m ...
es, erosion cloth and seeding retard overland flow and protect soil from rain drop impact and increase soil moisture holding capacity.
Landscape
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
structures (e.g., log erosion barriers, contour trenches, straw
wattles) trap sediment and prevent slope rilling. Strip tillage and chemicals break up or reduce
hydrophobic soils and improve infiltration. Wood and straw mulch reduced erosion rates by 60 to 80%, contour-felled log erosion barriers 50 to 70%,
hydromulch 19% and
post fire seeding had little effect the first year when rainfall events were small and intensities low.
In stream flood control treatments slow, delay, redistribute, or redirect water, mud and debris. Straw bale check
dams
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...
, silt screens and debris
retention basin
A retention basin, sometimes called a wet pond, wet detention basin, or stormwater management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage stormwater r ...
s slow water flow and trap sediment. Riparian vegetation stabilizes streambanks. Roads and culverts are armored and debris removed as needed. Water diversion implements protect facilities and property.
The chance of introducing new invasive plants to the burned area is reduced by restricting access or thoroughly cleaning all equipment, people and animals of seeds before entering a burned area. Research has shown that non-native plant cover is positively associated with post-wildfire seeded grass cover. Even though post-wildfire seeding operations require seed mix purity standards and the number of contaminated seeds may be small on a percentage based, that the application of very large amounts of seed (thousands of pounds) ensures that a significant number of non-native plant seeds will be distributed.
Risk avoidance
![Tennant Fire - 2021 07 29-17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Tennant_Fire_-_2021_07_29-17.49.28.731-CDT.jpg)
Avoidance treatments remove values at risk from risk prone areas. Frequently homes and other values are located on
alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to semiarid climates, but a ...
s at the base of watersheds. The presence of the alluvial fans indicates a history of significant flooding, debris flows and mudflows with potential personal and property damage potential. Mobile property is temporally or permanently relocated.
Evacuation planning and
early warning system
An early warning system is a warning system that can be implemented as a chain of information communication systems and comprises sensors, event detection and decision subsystems for early identification of hazards. They work together to for ...
s are frequently used to protect people at risk. Flood peaks increase more rapidly with increases in rainfall intensity above a threshold value for the maximum 30 min intensity of approximately 10 mm per hour. That this rainfall intensity could be used to set threshold limits in rain gauges that are part of an early warning flood system after wildfire.
[Moody, J.A. and D.A. Martin. 2001b. Post-fire, rainfall intensity-peak discharge relations for three mountainous watersheds in the western USA. Hydrological Processes, 15(15):2981-2993.]
Risk transfer
Often it is not feasible to avoid or reduce risks.
Flood insurance
Flood insurance is the specific insurance coverage issued against property loss from flooding. To determine risk factors for specific properties, insurers will often refer to topographical maps that denote lowlands, floodplains and other areas tha ...
is a means of transferring risk to another party for values with insurable value.
Risk retention
Accepting the risk is an option when values at risk are small and inevitable or when the risks cannot be reduced, avoided or transferred (i.e., infrequent catastrophic events).
See also
*
Cuba Emergency Response System
*
Emergency management
Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...
References
{{reflist
External links
National Interagency Fire Center
Wildfires in the United States
Emergency management