[Az-Geocaching] Prescott Fire: Caches affected or burned?

[Fred Coe]

>
> My opinion, putting a cache in a fire-proof container is a bit of
> overkill....even if it survived the fire, who would want to go
> tromping thru the ashes and black sticks to find it? :-)
>
> Trisha "Lightning"

Trisha, and all,

I've always found visiting a burned area a very educational experience.
Depending on several factors (vegetative type, fire intensity, and duration
of the burning, terrain, and weather) there are frequently islands of
unburned material, vegetation that may be burned off on the surface, but
will re-sprout with a little moisture, and the ash usually makes a pretty
good seed bed for the next generation of vegetation.  Indeed, some plants
need the heat of fire in order to open whatever seed pod they have.  Rarely
does a landscape become a 'moonscape'.

When burned area is 'moonscaped' it is because the fire has been so intense
that the ash has actually glazed over--it actually crunches when walked on.
These intensive fires consume all the life, including the micro-organisms in
the soil.  These areas usually require extensive rehab and
replanting/reseeding in order to recover in a (human) generation or two.
Run off is a serious concern in these cases because no moisture can soak
into the burned area, it all runs off.  this can create problems downstream,
in areas that were not burned.

If the ash has a powdery consistency, then natural regeneration will likely
take place, and within a season or two the area will be green and lush
(assuming no severe rain or heavy run off until the vegetation gets
established). In these cases, most rehab efforts concentrate on erosion
and/or water run off control measures.

In both cases it could be a long time before the areas were the same as they
were before the fire.  That is not to say they will be ugly or barren, but
they will be different. Depending on what kind of vegetation burned,
recovery may be essentially complete within a year.  For instances, early
this month 38,000 acres burned south of Tucson (the Ryan Fire).  Most of it
was grassland.  Probably by next spring, most people won't be able to tell
there was a fire in those grasslands.

Now that the fire is contained, (which is different from controlled, and
out--and yes there are definitions for contain, control and out) many people
are relieved, but the final effects of this fire (all of them for that
matter) won't be known until after the rains arrive.  Heavy rain could cause
landslides/mudslides, contamination of streams, damage to fisheries, loss of
water sources (for domestic and wildlife use), loss of recreational
opportunities, and further damage to homes and other private property.  All
because someone was either stupid or careless.

You might what to consider a cache in the burnt area, and include news
clippings and photographs of what the area of the cache looks like now. That
way cachers can see the changes that have occurred. It will also serve as a
reminder of Smokey's message...

At the next AZ Geocaching Get-together (that I can get to!), I'll try to
remember to bring my fire pack and some typical hand tools (seems like there
is quite a bit of interest on this list).  As I type this, we have a 10%
chance of dry lightning in SE AZ this afternoon/evening.  Kinda makes me
think I should take a nap while I have the chance...

--Fred
Team Boulder Creek
Tucson, AZ