Weeds are a worry in wake of fire

Mike Riehle, Rob Schantz, and Craig Busskohl on Cache Mountain.

Before the ashes had cooled from the Cache Mountain fire, a local Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team was on the ground assessing damage and risk to the landscape.

According to the team's assessment, the fire area poses relatively low risk for ongoing, long-term damage. Unlike the Eyerly fire, where slopes above the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook are at considerable risk for landslides, there is a low risk of watershed damage in the Cache Mountain fire area.

Mark Wilcox, a Sisters Ranger District hydrologist, leads the BAER team, whose members include ecologist Maret Pajutee, fish biologist Mike Riehle, soil scientist Craig Busskohl and silviculturalist Rob Schantz.

According to Pajutee, one of the main risks to "ecosystem integrity" in the Cache Mountain fire area is an invasion of noxious weeds such as knapweed.

Knapweed is an aggressive weed that chokes off the livelihood of native plants wherever its seeds germinate.

There were already some populations of knapweed in the fire area, Pajutee said, and the disturbance of the fire opened the door for its expansion.

Not only did the fire leave some areas unprotected, bulldozers and vehicles plowed up the soil to make fire lines, further disturbing the environment.

The equipment itself provides a "vector" for weed seeds to move from one area to another.

However, Pajutee noted, firefighters took extraordinary precautions even in the midst of fighting the fire to avoid spreading weeds.

After the initial attack phase of the fire was over, equipment was thoroughly washed to get mud and seeds out of treads, tires and undercarriages before it was sent to the fire lines.

This was especially important for the equipment that came in from Montana, a state that is suffering a massive infestation of knapweed.

According to Pajutee, the Sisters Ranger District BAER team was granted $20,000 for ongoing weed monitoring and mitigation.

"Mostly, we'll try to pull as many as we can and get that seed source out of there," Pajutee said.

After the initial pulling, foresters will keep an eye out for new growth and attack that.

The BAER team assessment revealed the "spotty" nature of the Cache Mountain fire. Of 3,884 acres surveyed, only 72 acres suffered "high severity" burning -- where the landscape is charred.

Another 756 acres saw moderate-severity burning, which left some live trees and plant life; and 3,056 acres saw only low-severity burning.

Whereas the Eyerly fire will require significant rehab work, including erosion control measures and re-seeding, the Cache Mountain fire area will likely recover rather quickly on its own.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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