Services / Environmental Science
Wildfire Events
Hydrosphere provides planning and analysis services related to wildfire events to municipal, state and federal agencies. These services include hazard identification, risk analysis and mitigation, assessment of hydrologic and soil responses to forest management methods, and analysis of fire scenarios. Fire disturbance scenarios range from small controlled burns to watershed-wide high intensity stand replacement wildfires. Our experience includes both wildland and urban interface areas, and we've dealt with the complexities of mitigation and fire suppression on private and municipal lands, open and closed national forest, and designated wilderness areas.
Our studies have addressed the impact of hydrophobic soils on the flood regime, how peak flows generated from burned areas compare with the 50- and 100-year flood flows, and how post-fire flooding may impact reservoir and water supply operations. Hydrosphere's staff has completed watershed analyses in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and New Mexico. One of our hydrologists holds a red card and has over 10 years of active fire fighting experience in pine/spruce/fir forests.
- Our watershed - wildfire services include:
- Evaluation of potential ignition source and location; probable direction, rate and extent of fire spread
- Development of wildfire mitigation plans
- Design and implementation of streamflow monitoring programs
- Analysis of potential changes in peak and average streamflow
- Analysis of potential erosion and sedimentation
- Evaluation of post-fire impacts to reservoir and water system operations
- Assessment of impacts to runoff and erosion from forest management methods, including mechanical thinning, traditional logging, and broadcast burning
More information about specific projects in which Hydrosphere's wildfire services were employed is available at Wildfire in the Sante Fe Watershed and San Pedro Wildfire Hazard Assessment.