0308 Q4 CON PNPK South Fork Aerial Seeding & Mulch

Long-term drought and high fuel loading in southwest forests have led to prolonged and extreme fire conditions. Wildfires cause flooding post-burn, by altering the ability of soils to absorb water and the capacity of watersheds to process post-fire precipitation events. This is particularly apparent in Southwest ecosystems where wildfire is commonly followed by a monsoon season characterized by intense summer thunderstorms.

Powerful precipitation events after wildfire triggers runoff, flooding, erosion, and debris flows. Like fire, these secondary events threaten human life, property, and natural and cultural resources on all lands. They negatively impact water quantity and quality, reservoirs, and infrastructure, threaten wildlife, decrease ecosystem function, dangerous conditions such as flooding and debris flows for downstream communities, and destruction of natural and cultural values.

The Purpose of this project is to implement an emergency seeding and mulching application to restore soil productivity in critical High and Moderate Soil Burn Severity areas of the South Fork Fire and allow for vegetation recovery to provide coverage to denuded or depleted burn areas on National Forest System lands. The majority of work is expected to be completed aerially due to the elevation and roadless terrain of the project areas.

This emergency action must be accomplished so that vegetation can begin to grow at the end of the monsoon season and into autumn in the high country in September through October. Areas will be treated with a designated seed mixture and an application of wheat straw. Application will be done aerially on slopes between 20 to 65%.