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Published: 19 June 2018 19 June 2018

Reserve, NM, June 19, 2018—A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has been assigned to assess post fire conditions for the Buzzard Fire, on the Reserve Ranger District, Gila National Forest. A BAER team addresses situations in burned areas to recommend emergency treatments to protect life, property, water quality, and natural and cultural resources on National Forest lands. BAER is “first aid”—immediate stabilization that often begins before a fire is fully contained. BAER does not seek to fix or replace what is damaged by a fire, but rather to reduce further damage to forest lands that have experienced a loss of watershed function. BAER treatments in the southwest are some of the first activities to be accomplished as fires go out. The objective is to get treatments in place ahead of monsoon rains to lessen the effects of flooding and extreme runoff.
A variety of emergency treatments have been approved to treat areas of the Buzzard Fire.

They include:
· Aerial seeding of approximately 2000 acres of high severity burn areas in stands of mixed conifer trees. The high severity burn areas occurred almost exclusively in mixed conifer areas.

· Removing debris (logs, brush and excess soil) from roadside ditches, water diversion ditches, and culverts along 23 miles of roads within and surrounding the Buzzard Fire. This will allow runoff water to flow freely in the ditches.

· Installing rolling dips and water diversion ditches on roads to move runoff water from roads surfaces to decrease sedimentation, reduce soil erosion, and improve watershed conditions.

· Removing woody debris from stream channels that cross Forest Road (FR) 94, FR 38, FR 233, and FR 3070.

· Repairing and improving trail drainage along the Continental Divide Trail that passes through high and moderate severity burn areas.

· Installing warning signs on roads and at trailheads to alert visitors of burned area hazards.

· Providing a road storm patrol of heavy equipment that will keep road ditches, culverts, and water diversion ditches cleaned out and free of debris after heavy rain storms during monsoon season.

“Our team has assessed the area and we are ready to hit the ground running to begin treatments to protect property and natural resources in the fire area,” says BAER Team Leader, Mike Natharius. BAER Team projects and treatments of initial road work and channel clearing began on Monday, June 18.

For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila