N RANCHING
atural Resources
water sources important to cattle and wildlife. For post-fi re restoration efforts,
the maps can help managers make better decisions about reseeding, given that the introduction of seeds on moderate to severely burned soils too soon after a fi re may result in more problems than benefi ts. “In many cases,” Doan-Crider said, “it might be best to allow soils and their microbial communities some time to recover. You might be sur- prised, but grasses and other veg- etation are very well adapted to recovering on their own after fi re over time, if the conditions are right. Sometimes they need some help, but many times they don’t.”
Burn severity maps
can help landowners develop a plan of attack for recovery.
In addition, many agencies un-
der pressure to “do something” report high rates of failure for re- seeding right after a fi re, particularly for moderate to severely burned soils. This can be expensive and possibly bring in unwanted invasive species that can spread to other areas. The dNBR maps, in the hands of trained resource management professionals, can help landowners weigh all of those factors and make prudent decisions. Doan-Crider said that other uses for the maps should
also be evaluated. “There is no reason these maps can’t be used to determine new fencing boundaries for grazing deferment, or even for determining the level of disaster funding received by individuals who have experienced different levels of burn severity. Some ar- eas may require more time to recover, and landowners may not be able to graze those areas anytime soon. If models can be developed to correlate burn severity with recovery time and conditions, maybe funding can be calibrated accordingly,” Doan-Crider explained.
56 The Cattleman September 2016 In her report to the NRCS, she wrote, “The potential
for these maps to be used for landowner outreach after wildfi res has been largely unexplored and warrants further attention. While burn severity maps are criti- cal in identifying areas that need immediate attention because of erosion or danger to sensitive resources, we believe they offer several other benefi ts for agency Extension and outreach.” Agencies in Texas, such as the Texas A&M Forest
Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, have received some training in the application of these maps. Doan-Crider is working with NRCS to help make dNBR maps available to landowners; however, this is a relatively new technology for the private sector and there remains a learning curve to distribute and ap- ply the information. For more information about burn severity maps, you can contact Dr. Diana Doan-Crider at
d-crider@tamu.edu.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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