By Lisa A. Hokholt, Public Affairs Specialist, Los Alamos NRCS Emergency Response Office Smoke from the Cerro Grande Fire near Los Alamos, New Mexico, as seen from a distance in May 2000. All of the neighborhoods along the foothills in this photograph were also seriously affected by the wildfire. About 20,000 acres in the Cerro Grande Fire were of medium to high intensity and were treated with conservation measures.
Hydrophobic soils can result from high intensity burns.
When these conditions exist, the watershed will produce more surface runoff and create a higher risk for downstream flooding. This aerial view of a high intensity burn area shows that all trees and undergrowth have been destroyed. As soon as practical after aerial seeding, straw bales are distributed at a rate of about 25 bales per acre so that workers and volunteers can easily hand-distribute the straw mulch across the charred mountainside. Also shown is contour felling of burned tree trunks, a technique that helps slow the velocities of overland flows and thus reduce erosion. The Cerro Grande Fire watersheds are part of the larger Rio Grande River drainage system.