RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – The US Forest Service has released a summary of its findings regarding the damage caused by the 5,824 Davis Fire that started on September 7th.

The report had generally good news about soil degradation and the risk of invasive species displacing native plants.

Until it was contained on September 25, the Davis fire burned 14 homes, two commercial buildings, and 22 outbuildings such as sheds and garages.

“Much of the Davis Fire burned in a patchwork pattern of relatively low ground burn severity,” the report said. “This type of beneficial burning mimicked prescribed fire and resulted in low tree mortality and removal of understory vegetation.”

Seventy-one percent of the land burned was of low burn severity, the Forest Service said. The soil is expected to recover quickly and have low rates of soil erosion. Twenty-four percent of the burned land has high potential for erosion and runoff and is expected to have delayed recovery, the Forest Service said.

“Effects on burned area and water flows from these storms are expected to be greatest in the first five years after the fire and will become less noticeable as vegetation and land cover and soil condition recover,” it said. it shows in the report of the Forestry Service. “This will likely result in clean water within and downstream of the burn zone.”

Drought will delay recovery.

“In the short period of time after the fire was stopped, the emergence of grasses and shrubs, as well as the appearance of vegetable plants in the burned area, were observed,” the report states.

No recreation sites of the Forestry Service were affected.

“The greatest risk to human health and safety in the burned area is the possibility of falling hazard trees and rocks, particularly during high winds, heavy rains and winter storms,” ​​the report said. “These events can destabilize trees and rocks, making them more likely to fall and cause injury or damage.”

The report listed these recovery strategies:

Strategies:

• Human life and safety: Post general warning signs on National Forest System lands in designated areas within or immediately adjacent to the Davis Fire burn area. The signs will contain language that specifies items to be aware of when entering a burn area, such as falling trees and limbs, rolling rocks and flash flooding. The signs will be removed once the hazards are mitigated.
• Property: Implementation of stabilization measures on Forest Service roads, which include installation of road drainage structures, road crown remodeling, increased runoff ditch preparation, channel cleaning, and critical hazard drainage shielding.
• Natural Resources: Reduce invasive plant infestation on approximately 158 acres of National Forest System lands in the burned area through early detection surveys to document spread and concurrent rapid response manual and chemical treatments. This strategy also reduces the economic and environmental impact of invasive species infestations by controlling infestations when they are small and unestablished.

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