Emergency crews have begun assessing the damage done by the Cedar Fire in Kern and Tulare Counties last month.
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The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team arrived Wednesday, Sept. 7 at the Kern River Ranger District to begin their assessment of the Cedar Fire. Located on the Kern River and Western Divide Ranger Districts, the Cedar Fire covered nearly 30,000 acres of the Sequoia National Forest, impacting multiple communities and residents within Kern and Tulare Counties. The Team’s primary mission is to assess potential threats to life, property, and critical cultural and natural resources as a result of the wildfire.
The BAER Team is comprised of U.S. Forest Service employees who specialize in multiple resource areas working together to assess time critical activities to be completed before the first damaging storm event. BAER Team specialists are currently conducting field surveys and using science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area.
The BAER Team’s focus is to minimize potential post fire effects to life, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER Team specialists are determining affects from the Cedar Fire on soils, invasive species, hydrology, archeological sites, recreation, and roads.
· Archeologists are evaluating the damage to previously recorded historical sites.
· Engineers and recreation staff are determining the need to eliminate hazard trees along roads within the burn area.
· Soil scientists are evaluating soil burn severity and assessing watershed conditions. They use this information to help gauge where runoff might be the heaviest and how to mitigate damage from runoff during heavy rainfall. Soil scientists are working very closely with hydrologists in defining how areas downstream may be affected by heavy runoff due to the Cedar Fire.
Following the fire assessment to evaluate the overall soil burn severity, a determination will be made as to the necessity of any emergency stabilization treatments. The primary objectives are to protect life and safety, property, and reduce further resource damage that may be caused by flooding as a direct result of the fire. The BAER Team’s focus is the potential for accelerated erosion and runoff from loss of vegetation and charred soils.
When the BAER Team completes their assessment of damage from the Cedar Fire, a proposed rehabilitation plan is submitted to the Forest and Region for approval. Once approved, the Forest will receive funding to complete rehabilitation efforts within the fire area. These efforts may include installing: water or erosion control devices, temporary barriers to protect critical resources, and warning signs. Values at risk are identified and time is critical if the emergency stabilization treatments are to be effective.
It is anticipated that the fire assessments will be completed next week and the plan delivered to the Forest Supervisor the following week. Once approved, treatments will be installed within one year from the date of containment of the Cedar Fire and may be monitored for up to three years.
