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7 Kinnikinnick, and Common Juniper. South facing slopes are sparsely vegetated, whereas the north facing slopes are mostly covered by pine forest. Bedrock consists of Sphinx- Legault-Rock outcrop (granitic) and shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in material / weathered from granite (Soil Conservation Service (SCS), 1992). Soils contain 1-2% organics, /"-- ".. and the depth to bedrock ranges from 8 to (0 inch~CS, 1992). The organic litter layer on unburned forest areas is approximately Saseflow in the area is negligible due to the shallow soil depths and the impermeable nature of the bedrock. Most tributaries to Buffalo Creek are ephemeral and resemble characteristics of sand washes. / Hydrophobic Soils During a forest fire, variable local fire temperatures will determine the severity of burned vegetation and organic litter on the ground surface. When the organic matter is burned, it is believed to release gases and certain compounds which translate into the soil and create a water repellent layer (Savage et al. 1972). Water repellency in soils is a result of the coating of particles with organic substances which "reduce the affinity shown by the soil for water" (DeBano et al., 1967). The organic substances responsible for water repellency are thought to be long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons (Savage et al., 1972). The depth to which water repellency exists is dependent on the temperature and duration that the fire existed at the soil surface. Water repellency has been known to be destroyed at very high temperatures that may occur at the soil surface. DeBano et al. (1966) found that extremely high fire temperatures can be enough to destroy non-wettability in the first few inches of soil, but below this depth, slightly lower temperatures create an environment where non-wettability is not destroyed but intensified.