Don Amador on Past Tour at BLM's Cow Mountain OHV Area
*Unit on Fire Now - Mendocino Complex Fire*
OPINION
Don Amador
July 29, 2018
OHV ON FIRE - GEAR UP TO SUPPORT POST-WILDFIRE RECOVERY EFFORTS
Many in the OHV community are being directly or
indirectly impacted by the horrific and deadly wildfires burning throughout the
West including those fires raging out-of-control in the BLM’s Chappie-Shasta
OHV Area near Redding and the BLM’s Cow Mountain OHV Area near Ukiah/Lakeport
in Northern California.
BLM's Chappie-Shasta OHV Area
*On Fire Now - Carr Fire*
One of the lessons I have learned over the last 10-20 years working on numerous volunteer post-fire recovery projects at OHV
recreation sites and serving on a regional forest-health/fuels management
collaborative is the important role that OHV stakeholders (i.e. clubs,
volunteers, grant partners such as the CA OHV Division, and OHV Industry grants, federal disaster relief
aid, etc.) have in the delivery and implementation of post-fire mitigation
efforts.
Post-Wildfire Hazards
Intense wildfires can destroy important OHV management
tools such as trail delineators, signs, kiosks, and campground facilities. Costly soil erosion and water quality trail
structures can often be obliterated by dozers creating access routes for
firefighters or blading fire lines around the blaze.
2012 Mill Fire - Post-Wildfire Trail Clearing
Mendocino National Forest
With winter rains coming in a relatively short period of
time, a lot of the post-fire recovery projects will be centered on soil
stabilization. Here are some of those
site-specific project areas.
Roads/Trails:
- Restoring drainage
- Clean the ditches and culverts
- Pull floatable debris from uphill of the culverts
- Water bars/Rolling Dips
Trails:
- Erosion control measures
- Trail stabilization
- Hazard tree mitigation
- Install route markers
- Install public warning signs gates and barricades
Protection/Safety:
- Hazard tree mitigation
- Cultural resource protection
Let’s continue to keep our family, friends, and
firefighters in our thoughts and prayers and gear up to support important
post-fire recovery efforts.
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