A burned area emergency response team has finished assessing damage to soils from the Pipeline Fire. They found that over half of the more than 26,500-acre blaze burned at a low severity for soils, but that some more heavily impacted areas pose increased dangers.
The team’s analysis of the Pipeline burned area will help officials determine what emergency treatments are needed to stabilize soils in moderate and high severity areas.
The work is designed to help protect public lands as well as threatened and endangered species habitat, native plants and cultural resources.
The team’s findings will also provide data about the fire’s impacts to watersheds. That’ll be key in identifying which communities could be more vulnerable to post-fire flooding.
Overall, about 1,300 acres, or 5%, of the Pipeline Fire burned at a high severity for soils with a third classified as moderate.