Even before the fires start, some folks in the U.S. Forest Service have planned for what to do when they’re extinguished.
In the case of the Pony and Ash Creek fires in eastern Montana, federal Burn Area Emergency Recovery crews have already spent almost $1.7 million to revegetate the ground, defend against mudslides and protect water supplies. That figure likely will grow as the 2012 fire season moves into its typical August high gear.
“We’ve learned over the past decade that moving quickly with post-fire issues is very important,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Harris Sherman said in an interview with the Missoulian. “And we’ve seen that communities not responding to the threats will experience significant problems.”
Sherman oversees the Forest Service, whose BAER teams expect to spend more than $40 million this summer. The agency’s firefighting budget is $950 million in 2012.
Often, they will go to work before a fire has been declared contained, prioritizing the threats that must be addressed when the ground cools. Their reports usually are produced within two weeks of the fire’s containment and acted upon before the summer’s over.
From The Missoulian: https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/u-s-forest-service-plans-for-post-fire-issues/article_568c61c4-deb2-11e1-abfe-0019bb2963f4.html