Fred,
Thanks for the information. As I mentioned in another post, I am
probably still in a bit of shock from the "bug-out" (I am not a
fire-fighter!) with being so close to the "freight-train" sound effect
of the advancing fire, and from seeing the very-burnt landscape while
it was still smoldering and with hand-crews and water-drops still
being used on hot-spots. And the "officials" have already addressed
the erosion concern in the local paper.
I was using the term "moonscape" in a descriptive sense only, not in a
technical sense.
Trisha
On Sun, 19 May 2002, "Fred Coe" wrote
>
>
> >
> > 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
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
> Arizona's Geocaching Resource
> http://www.azgeocaching.com
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