Article Written by:
Yvonne Barkley, University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, ID and
David C. Powell, USDA Forest Service
Western larch, also called tamarack, is the largest of the American larches and is one of the few deciduous conifers. Occurring only in the Upper Columbia River Basin of North America, western larch can reach heights of 150-175 feet and commonly live to be hundreds of years old.
Long-lived and with few serious natural enemies, western larch is able to persist in …
After a fire, many homeowners wonder what to do with the trees in their landscape. It is important to determine which trees might recuperate and which will need to be removed. A publication by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension tells how to take care of residential trees after wildfire.
Article Written by:
Yvonne Barkley, University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, ID
Predicting the mortality of conifers after a wildfire is important for post-fire planning and management. Fire resistance varies greatly with plant species and factors such as age. In general, young, fast-growing trees on good sites will be better able to withstand damage from fire than over-mature, slow-growing trees on poor sites.
Additional general statements that hold true across species are:
Evaluating damage to your home after a wildfire should be done at the first opportunity. Your insurance agent should be the first person you contact. The agent will be able to tell you how to proceed with a claim. Do not start to clean up or throw away anything until your agent has inspected the damage. Do start taking pictures and video as soon as you arrive back home.
It may be necessary for a construction professional to come and …
Article written by: Yvonne Barkely, University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, ID
The condition of your forestland after a wildfire should be assessed as soon as possible after the event. Fire-based forest ecosystems are extremely resilient and are supremely adapted to disturbance by fire. From a management perspective damages are defined as the unfavorable effects of fire-caused changes that make management objectives difficult to achieve or unobtainable. Benefits are the favorable effects of fire-caused changes and are factors that contribute to …
Article Written by:
Yvonne Barkley, University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, ID
One common physical change to forest soils after wildfires is water repellency. Water repellent soils have a limited ability to retain or absorb water, which can result in increased erosion, altered substrate water recharge and quicker stream flow delivery with the increased potential for flooding. Wildfires create water repellent layers by partially volatilizing organic compounds in the soil that then condense onto cooler soil particles and form a waxy …
.…
Article Written by:
Yvonne Barkley, University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, ID and
David C. Powell, USDA Forest Service
Ponderosa pine is a large tree, growing to 180 feet in height and three to four feet in diameter and has several common names. Young, vigorously growing ponderosa pines are often called bull or blackjack pines and have dense crowns of deep green foliage and dark brown to black bark. Slower growing, older trees that have developed the characteristic yellow-green foliage and …
