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<br />News - Department of Natural Resources <br /> <br />Page 2 of 3 <br /> <br />uesplte me lOSS ot grouna-awelllng small ammalS, nesting olros ana a relanvelY small numoer 01 elK <br />and deer (compared to Colorado's overall populations), biologists remain optimistic about long <br />range effects. "From what I've seen so far, a minimal number of wildlffe was lost," Zaccagnini said. <br />"We did lose some individual animals - that's to be expected - but in many places, you can see <br />green islands in the blackened areas of the fire - places that were not bumed. These are areas of <br />refuge for wildlife. It appeared that in some spots, the fire left the valleys alone, and jumped from <br />ridgetop to ridgetop. We found that many deer had gone down to the river and survived. We saw a <br />deer with two fawns this morning, walking in an area near the burn." <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Once it is safe to return to the site of the fire and look things over, Zaccagnini said, most people <br />would be surprised to discover that a forest fire rarely bums all the trees in an area. <br /> <br />"There will be live trees in pockets that survive the fire, like an oasis. Irs not just a big, black <br />skeleton of the forest like people imagine. The Hayman fire's path left a mosaic, I'd estimate that <br />the forest is about 50 to 60 percent burned within the fire boundaries, and there are areas where <br />only the ground cover was burned. There are a few places, however, where it appears as much as <br />90 percent of an area was burned," Zaccagnini said. "But some animals will return quickly to the <br />area. Terrestrial species will come out okay, or even ahead, following the fire. The biggest problems <br />will be the aquatic environment.. <br /> <br />Silt, sediment, ash and soot can overwhelm waterways and make it difficult for fish to survive. With <br />Colorado facing drought conditions even before the fire, unusually low water levels will make it <br />harder for fish to survive debris entering water, as there is Iillle possibility of dilution. <br /> <br />Zaccagnini and other Division of Wildlife representatives will be working with the Forest Service and <br />other agencies on a specialtearn called the Bumed Area Emergency Rehabilitation team (BAER). <br />The Natural Resources Conservation Service and State Forest Service are also expected to be <br />instrumental in forest restoration. Using on-the-ground information and f1y-overs of the bumed area, <br />the tearn will make an assessment of short-term and long-term damage. <br /> <br />"We'll be creating a plan for reseeding, stabilization and restoration of habitat; Zaccagnini said. <br />"The old age forest will be replaced with a new forest and new growth. The food supply and habitat <br />that was in short supply will be beller- we'll probably see an increase in deer and elk in the next <br />few years. Our biggest concern is impact of erosion on water quality." <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Eric Odell, a habitat biologist with the Division of Wildlife's Northeast Region, will also be working <br />with the BAER team to determine the best course of action to minimize additional problems as the <br />forest reg rows. One of the most difficult challenges occurs after a forest fire is contained. When <br />rains hit a burned-out area, the lack of trees and undergrowth allows water to run off quickly, <br />carrying soil, soot and ashes into drainages. Heavy rains and flooding can erode watersheds and <br />wash sediment into streams and rivers. <br /> <br />One way to control erosion is to seed bumed soil with quick-growing grass. In most forest areas, <br />native plants and grasses are preferred or required in any reseeding projects, but native grass <br />usually needs a full year to take root. Planting non-native grasses can displace native plants. <br />Instead, immediately following a fire, managers often re-seed with mixtures of quick-growing annual <br />grasses that will only live for a year and plant slower-growing native seeds at the same time. (The <br />temporary non-native grasses selected are sterile and will not reproduce.) In that first year, these <br />plants help hold the soil and afterwards they die off and make room for native plants. <br /> <br />"While everyone else is wishing for a big downpour to help stop the fires, in order to restore the <br />bumed areas we need light rain and we need it to wait a month for ideal conditions; Odell said. <br />"Too much rain too quickly can cause flooding, mudslides and erosion of soil, soot and ash into <br />water drainages." <br /> <br />"But the trick is, we need just enough rain to help sprout the seeds. Often, plants with a fibrous root <br />mass are planted after a fire to hold the soil in place. What happens between now and when re- <br />vegetation takes place is critical. If there is one really big storm - an inch of rain in an hour - and <br />there's nothing there to trap run-off, it can be prelly bad. But, ff we get about a quarter-inch of rain in <br />24 hours, that would be a great help. It would give us time to start some kind of vegetation, and lay <br />down straw mats to slow erosion. Whatever happens next with the rain is going to tell a different <br />story." <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />http://dnr.state.co.uslnewslpress.asp ?pressid= 1978 <br /> <br />7/25/02 <br />