Straw from the Sky

Large-scale wildfires, like those that have occurred across the West and Southwest U.S. this year, are receiving some new types of recovery treatments to help control erosion after a catastrophic burn. An article in the latest issue of “Erosion Control” magazine describes some aerial treatments applied by the multiagency Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) http://www.nifc.gov/BAER/Page/NIFC_BAER.html that can quickly help stabilize exposed soils and help speed the reestablishment of vegetation to burned areas.

Started by a campfire, the 2011 Wallow Fire burned 841 square miles of Arizona and New Mexico wilderness, and has the distinction of being the largest fire in Arizona history. For such a large area, expensive hydroseeding or hydromulch is not an option, so the team used straw bales, spread through the air, “like little straw raindrops” from helicopters. Once a burned area is cool enough, and before any major rainfall, aerial mulching using straw or wood shred can be a quick, effective, and relatively inexpensive way of holding soils in place. In some cases, an areas specific seed is dropped prior to aerial mulching.