Ute Park Fire Damage Assessment and Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Plan

Ute Park Fire Damage Assessment and Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Plan PREPARED FOR NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PREPARED BY SWCA ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS AUGUST 2018 UTE PARK FIRE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND BURNED AREA EMERGENCY REHABILITATION PLAN Prepared for New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Prepared by SWCA Environmental Consultants 5647 Jefferson Street NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109 Telephone: (505) 254-1115; Facsimile: (505) 254-1116 www.swca.com SWCA Project No. 51014 August 2018 Cover Photo: Aerial photograph taken during drone reconnaissance showing small patches of moderate and low- severity fire effects on tree canopies, adjacent to high-severity patches. [Photo by Jesse Shuck, SWCA Environmental Consultants] CONTENTS Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................. 2 Burned Area Description ........................................................................................................................ 4 Watershed Condition .............................................................................................................................. 5 Values at Risk ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Summary Treatment Recommendations .............................................................................................. 13 Agency and Stakeholder Coordination ................................................................................................. 20 Chapter 2 Pre-Fire Conditions ................................................................................................................ 21 Fire Background ................................................................................................................................... 21 Community Descriptions ...................................................................................................................... 21 Ute Park ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Cimarron ........................................................................................................................................ 21 Philmont Scout Ranch.................................................................................................................... 23 Additional Private Property ........................................................................................................... 23 Colin Neblett Wildlife Management Area ..................................................................................... 24 Fire History........................................................................................................................................... 24 Land Hse............................................................................................................................................... 24 Geology and Soils ................................................................................................................................ 26 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Major Surface Water and Groundwater Sources ........................................................................... 30 Water Quality ................................................................................................................................. 30 Vegetation/Forest Resources ................................................................................................................ 32 Vegetation Community Descriptions ............................................................................................. 34 Fuel Type .............................................................................................................................................. 37 Weather Summary ................................................................................................................................ 38 Fuel Moistures ............................................................................................................................... 40 Fire Regime .................................................................................................................................... 41 Insect and Disease ................................................................................................................................ 43 Chapter 3 Post-Fire Damage Assessment and Rehabilitation Measures ............................................. 45 Burn Severity ........................................................................................................................................ 45 Normalized Burn Ratio .................................................................................................................. 45 Composite Burn Index ................................................................................................................... 47 Idaho State University- RECOVER Application ........................................................................... 50 Engineering and Hydrology ................................................................................................................. 50 Reconnaissance-Level Assessment ................................................................................................ 51 Hillslope Processes ........................................................................................................................ 63 Channel Processes .......................................................................................................................... 67 Water Quality Issues ...................................................................................................................... 70 Engineering and Hydrology Recommended Treatment Opportunities .......................................... 72 Next Step Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 83 Soil Resources ...................................................................................................................................... 87 Soil Burn Severity .......................................................................................................................... 87 Water Repellent Soils .................................................................................................................... 88 i Potential Physical, Chemical, and Biological Fire Effects on Soil Resources ............................... 89 Debris Flows, Landslides, and Rock Falls ..................................................................................... 90 Recommendations for Stabilizing of the Soils ............................................................................... 94 Vegetation ............................................................................................................................................ 97 Post-fire Vegetation Condition Assessment .................................................................................. 97 Rehabilitation and Restoration Recommendations for Understory Vegetation ........................... 106 Vegetation Restoration for Wildlife Habitat ................................................................................ 110 Forestry Resources ....................................................................................................................... 111 Vegetation Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring ....................................................................... 117 Transportation System ........................................................................................................................ 117 U.S. Highway 64 .......................................................................................................................... 117 County and Private Roads ............................................................................................................ 118 Literature Cited ...................................................................................................................................... 121 Appendices Appendix A. Monitoring Recommendations Appendix B. BAER Team and Stakeholders Appendix C. Funding Matrix Appendix D. Supporting Literature, Manuals, and Guidelines Appendix E. Composite Burn Index Form Appendix F. Restoration Guidelines for Soil Stabilization Appendix G. Drone Photogrammetry (submitted digitally) Figures Figure 1.1. Aerial photograph taken during drone reconnaissance showing small patches of moderate and low-severity fire effects on canopy, adjacent to high-severity patches. .............. 3 Figure 1.2. Soil burn severity map of the Ute Park Fire. .............................................................................. 5 Figure 1.3. Debris flow generated from the Ute Park Fire that impacted Ute Park on July 13, 2018, following approximately 0.3 inch of rain directly on the burn scar upslope from Ute Park. ..........................................................................................................................................

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