Using Mulch to Control Erosion after a Wildfire

Article Written by:
Yvonne Barkley, University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, ID

 

 

Straw mulch med.jpg

Using mulch to control erosion after a wildfire is a very common practice. Research has shown that mulching is the only treatment which consistently and significantly reduced erosion rates after a burn by immediately increasing the percent of ground cover, compared to gradually increasing cover by growing vegetation such as grass.

Mulch is used to cover the soil, thereby reducing rain impact, overland flow, soil erosion and the rapid …

Assessing Forestland Conditions After a Wildfire

Article written by: Yvonne Barkely, University of Idaho Extension, Moscow, ID

 

Assessing your forestland med.jpg

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 …