After wildfires, specialists assess the fire’s impact on the soil. What they find offers a forecast of how much erosion and runoff could occur in the burned area.
More than 33,000 acres of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley national forests burned in the Yellow Lake Fire.
Burned area emergency response experts said Wednesday about 86% of that area has low or very low soil damage and intact topsoil.
Another 13% of the burn area has moderate damage with substantial plant loss and potential damage to roots near the surface.
Less than 1% of the land has high-severity burns with complete loss of plants and deep root damage. The risk of erosion is high in that area.
The low percentage of severe burns means the fire area overall is less susceptible to flooding or landslides as it recovers.
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache supervisor Dave Whittekiend said low-severity burns can help the overall health of the forest. Fire can clear out dead and decaying material from the forest floor, which leads to more nutrient-rich soil that benefits the whole ecosystem.
The human-caused Yellow Lake Fire sparked Sept. 25. As of Oct. 28, it is about two-thirds contained. The recent colder temperatures and snowfall have weakened the blaze. Firefighters predict it will take multiple heavy snowstorms to reach full containment.
