Incidents All News

CALIFORNIA CONDORS FIND MICRO-TRASH FOLLOWING HUGHES FIRE  As the Hughes fire was winding down, Angeles National Forest (NF) District Biologist Cheyenne Laeske observed a group of eight California condors on a road shoulder. She was saddened to see them picking through trash and litter.  California condors are considered critically-endangered with fewer than 600 living individuals (and about 200 of those are in captivity).

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Preparing for Rain after California Wildfires POST-FIRE WATERSHED CONDITIONS—KEY MESSAGESWhile many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires cause damage that requires special efforts to prevent problems afterwards.Summer monsoon thunderstorms and winter rain events in California mountain areas can result in high water runoff and flooding.

Hughes Post-Fire BAER Soil Burn Severity Map ReleasedFebruary 4, 2025

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Understanding Soil Burn SeverityWe tend to think of wildfire burn severity in terms of the visual impacts to above-ground vegetation, but the post-fire landscape response (erosion, flooding, and mass movement) is generally more strongly correlated to soil burn severity. When characterizing soil burn severity, looking at the vegetation is a good starting place to understand the conditions on the ground. 

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Fire Severity and Fire Intensity Effects

Forest Service BAER Team Begins Post-Fire Assessment of Hughes FireFebruary 1, 2025

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) LimitationsWhile many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires result in damage that requires special efforts to reduce impacts afterwards. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water run-off may increase and cause flooding, soil and rock may move downstream and damage property or fill reservoirs putting community water supplies and endangered species at-risk.

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Key Elements of A BAER Assessment

BAER INFORMATION BRIEF: Forest Service BAER Program Overview

THREE PHASES OF WILDFIRE RECOVERYThere are three phases of recovery following wildfires on federal lands:- Fire Suppression Repair- Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)- Long-Term Recovery and Restoration