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Contour Felled Logs--This treatment involves fell- <br />ing loge on burned-over hillsides and laying them on <br />the ground along the elope contour, providing me- <br />chanical barriers towater flow, promoting infiltration <br />and reducing sediment movement; the barriers can <br />also trap sediment. The terms "log erosion barriers" or <br />"log terracettea° are often used when the logs are <br />staked in place and filled behind. Logs were contour- <br />feIled on 22 ac (9 ha) of the 1979 Bridge Creek Fire, <br />Deschutes National Forest in Oregon (McCammon <br />and Hughes 1980). Trees 6 to 12 in (150-300 mm) d.b.h. <br />were placed and secured on slopes up to 60 percent <br />at intervals of 10 to 20 tt (3 to 6 m). Loge were staked <br />and holes underneath were filled. After the first storm <br />event, about 63percent ofthecontour-felled logs were <br />judged effective in trapping sediment. The remainder <br />were either partially effective or did not receive flow. <br />Nearly 60 percent of the storage space behind con- <br />tour-felled loge was full to capacity, 30 percent was <br />half-full, and 10 percent had inaignifieant deposition. <br />Common failures were flow under the log and not <br />placing the logs on contour (more than 25° off contour <br />caused trap efficiency to decrease to 20 percent). Over <br />1,600 yd3 (1,225 m3) of material was estimated <br />trapped behind centaur-felled loge on the 22 ac or <br />about 73 yd3 ac 1(135 m8 ha ').Only 1 yd3 (0.7 m~) of <br />sediment was deposited in the intake pond for a <br />municipal water aupplybelow. Miles and others (1989) <br />monitored contour-felling on the 1987 South Fork <br />Trinity River fires, Shasta-Trinity National Forest in <br />California. The treatment was applied to 200 ac (80 ha) <br />within a 60,000 ac (20,240 ha) burned area. Trees <br /><10 in (250 mm) d.b.h. spaced 15 to 20 ft (4.5 to 6 m) <br />apart were Felled at rate of 80.100 trees ac 1 (200- <br />250 trees ha 1). The contour-Felled loge trapped 0 to <br />0.07 yd3 {0 to O.Ob mg) of soil per log, retaining 1.6 to <br />6.7 yd3 ac 1(3 to 13 m3 ha 1) of soil onsite. Miles and <br />others (1989) considered sediment trapping efficiency <br />low and the coat high for this treatment (table 8). <br />Sediment deposition below treated areas was not <br />measured, however. <br />Contour Trenching-Contour trenches have been <br />used as a BAER treatment to reduce erosion and <br />permit revegetation of fire-damaged watersheds. Al- <br />though theydoincreaseinfiltration rates, the amounts <br />are dependent on soils and geology (DeByle 1970b). <br />Contour trenches can significantly improve revegeta- <br />tion by trapping more snow, but they don not affect <br />water yield to any appreciable extent (Doty 1970, <br />1972). This BAER treatment can be effective in alter- <br />ingthe hydrologic response from short duration, high <br />intensity storms typical of summer thunderstorms, <br />but does not significantly change the peakflowe oflow <br />intensity, long duration rainfall events (DeByle <br />1970a). Doty (1971) noted that contour trenching in <br />the sagebrush (Artemisia app.) portion (upper 15 <br />percent with the harshest sites) of a watershed in <br />central Utah did not significantly change streamflow <br />and atormflow patterns. The report by Doty (1971) did <br />not discuss sediment. Coatales and Costalea (1984) <br />reported on the use of contour trenching on recently <br />burned steep slopes (40 to 50 percent) with clay loam <br />soils in pine stands ofthe Philippines. Contour trench- <br />ing reduced sediment yield by over 80 percent, from <br />ZS to 5 t ac 1(63 to 12 Mg ha 1), <br />Other Hillslope Treatments-Treatments such as <br />tilling, temporary fencing, installation of erosion <br />control fabric, use of straw wattles, lopping and <br />scattering of slash, and silt fence construction are <br />used to control sediment on the hillslopea. No pub- <br />lished quantitative information is available about <br />the efficiency and sediment trapping ability of these <br />treatments after wildfires. <br />Channel Treatmettts--Channel treatments are <br />implemented to modify sediment and water move- <br />mentinephemeral or amallrorderchannels, toprevent <br />flooding and debris torrents that may affect down- <br />stream values at risk. Some in-channel structures <br />slow water flow and allow sediment to settle out; <br />sediment will later be released gradually as the struc- <br />ture decays. Channel clearing is done to remove large <br />objects that could become mobilized in a flood. Much <br />leas information has been published onchannel treat- <br />ments than on hillslope methods. <br />Straw Bale Chcrk Dams-Miles and others (1989) <br />reported on the results of installing 1300 straw bale <br />check dams after the 1987 South Fork Trinity River <br />fires, Shasta-TrinityNational Forest, California. Most <br />dame were constructed with five bales, About 13 per- <br />cent ofthe straw bale check dame failed due to piping <br />under or between bales or undercutting of the <br />central bale. Each dam stored an average 1.1 yd3 <br />(0.8 mg) of sediment. They felt that filter fabric on the <br />upside of each dam and a spillway apron would have <br />increased effectiveness. They considered straw bale <br />check dams easy to install and highly effective when <br />they did not fail (table 8). Collins and Johnston (1995) <br />evaluated the effectiveness of straw bales on sedi- <br />ment retention after the Oakland Hills fire. About <br />5000 bales were installed in 440 straw bale cheek <br />dame and 100 hillslope barriers. Three months after <br />installation, 43 to 46 percent of the check dams were <br />functioning. This decreased to 37 to 43 percent by <br />4.5 months, at which time 9 percent were side cut, 22 <br />percent were undercut, 30 percent had moved, 24 per- <br />centwere filled, l2 percent were unfilled, and 3 percent <br />were filled but cut. Sediment storage amounted to <br />55 yd3 (42 mg) behind straw bale check dams and <br />another 122 yd3 (93 m3) on an alluvial fan. Goldman <br />and others (1986) recommended that the drainage <br />area for straw bale check dams be kept to less than <br />20 USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-63.2000 <br />