Naturalist Night: Maintaining CATCHments, Not waterSHEDS: the Effects of Wildfire

This presentation explores how changes in watershed condition immediately following a wildfire can result in increased erosion, flooding and debris flow potential. Pre-fire, forests absorb and CATCH precipitation. Changes in vegetation and soil properties following a wildfire can result in precipitation being SHED causing increased erosion, flood flows, and debris flow potential. Fortunately most forested ecosystems generally return to CATCHing precipitation within ten years after a fire.