Abstract
GIS Technology Guides Aerial Mulching in Post-Fire Watershed Protection Efforts.
Track: Emergency Medical Services/Fire
Author
The threat of wildfire does not end when the flames are extinguished; scorched hillsides are prone to landslides and excessive sediment transport to downstream property and natural resources. In California, the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District has used aerial-applied hydromulch following recent wildfires. A relatively new technique in burn response, hydromulching is intended to minimize erosion hazards and encourage vegetation regrowth. GIS technology was used for planning, execution, and evaluation of hydromulching. Elevation data, burn severity information from US Forest Service, online spatial data, and field-collected environmental parameters were used to identify at-risk slopes suitable for hydromulch application. During fly-over applications, pilots and field crews were deployed with mobile GPS to ensure accuracy of mulch placement. Ongoing empirical monitoring includes several test plots which compare erosion rates at mulched and un-mulched slopes. GIS is employed in data analysis and to extrapolate test-plot data to the watershed scale.
Andrew Raaf
Santa Barbara County Flood Control
123 E. Anapamu St.
Santa Barbara, California 93101
United States
Phone: 805-568-3445
Fax: 805-568-3434
E-mail: asraaf@cosbpw.net
Joyce Tromp
Santa Barbara County Flood Control
123 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
United States
Phone: 805-568-3455
Fax: 805-568-3434
E-mail: jtromp@cosbpw.net