Wildfires can change a landscape rapidly. Soil erosion can increase dramatically after wildfire. This erosion can remove the topsoil and form rills and gullies that channelize water ^[1]. Once the process of erosion starts and water becomes channelized, it can be difficult to reverse. However, many ecosystems in Utah have evolved with fire and have the capacity to regrow, recover, and re-stabilize soils after wildfire. When that is not possible, active soil stabilization, seeding, and replanting may be appropriate ^[2].

Resources

Fact Sheets, Guides, and Reports

• Utah Post-Wildfire Resources | USU Extension
• Controlling Soil Erosion After Wildfire and Guiding Recovery in Southern Utah
• Fire Recovery Guide | California Native Plant Society
• Post-fire soil erosion and how to manage it
• Postfire restoration framework for national forests in California | US Forest Service Research and Development
• Seeding techniques for sagebrush community restoration after fire

Research, Publications, and Case Studies

• Research and Publications | Great Basin Fire Science Exchange
• Fire | Great Basin Native Plant Project
• Long-term vegetation recovery and invasive annual suppression in native and introduced postfire seeding treatments | US Forest Service Research and Development
• Using native annual plants to restore post-fire habitats in western North America
• Assessing Post-Fire Revegetation Efforts in Box Elder County, Utah, Using the Rangeland Analysis Platform
• Post-Fire Habitat Restoration Completion in Idaho - Mule Deer Foundation

Groups

• Southwest Fire and Climate Adaptation Partnership
• Great Basin Fire Science Exchange

References