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Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 4

 

To Seed or Not to Seed? – The best approach to revegetation 

September 23, 2022 – Tery Susman, UC Master Gardener of Mariposa County – To seed or not to seed…that truly is the question.

Over the Garden FenceAdapted from the California Native Plant Society Fire Recovery Guide:

https://cnps.org/gove/priority-initiatives/fire-recovery

ANR Publication 8366 – Recovering from Wildfire: a Guide for California’s Forest Landowners: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8386

Our human tendency is to fix what we perceive as a potential problem or as something “broken” or “untidy”. Our first thought is to reseed flowering plants and grasses on our fire scorched property to speed up vegetation establishment and soil stability; fixing what is “broken”. However, recent research has shown that seeding is not more effective than letting the area recover naturally; and given the risk of introducing invasive species, it is generally no longer recommended.

Natural regeneration gives the land a chance to recover on its own from the existing soil seed bank, nearby seed sources, and the resprouting of surviving perennial plants.

The research indicates two important points regarding reseeding grasses following wildfire:

  • This management practice is usually not cost-effective
  • It appears to create more problems than it solves

Potential negative effects of this practice include:

  • Seeds of invasive annual grasses like wild oats, ryegrass, and bromes develop shallow root systems that have little to no effect on slope stability
  • Seeding provides marginal effects/results in the first year following fire or not at all and no significant effect when slower native perennials are the plant of choice in the first year
  • Seeding uses up more ground moisture and reduces regrowth of native plants that regenerate from resident seed bank in the soil
  • Native grass seeding may cause gene pollution of resident native grasses especially if the grasses sowed were of a different gene type and collected in other areas of the state
  • Seeding may have long-term negative effects on the ecosystem by changing plant community composition over time
  • Seeding can attract pocket gophers leading to more opportunities for soil piping, a situation in which runoff and/or water-saturated soil enters gopher holes and erodes the soil below the ground
  • Seedbed preparation can cause disturbance to slopes, soil, pre-existing vegetation, and the surrounding seedbank
  • Seeding can give property owners a false sense of security that this one practice will mitigate most post-fire land issues

Seeding is no longer the recommended practice following a wildfire. However, many experts also agree that for specific erosion control problems, it may be necessary to seed native perennial grass to mitigate these issues.

MMG Seed Photo 2

Potential positive effects of seeding grasses:

  • Native or sterile non-native grasses can reduce non-native invasive plant encroachment by competition
  • Seeding can increase infiltration and reduce surface runoff and resulting soil erosion
  • Seeding may be used purposely to reduce shrub regrowth on range and pasture lands

Before you decide to plant grass seed on wildfire damaged soil and slopes, reach out to Natural Resources Conservation Services (NCRS) for a site-specific evaluation of your post- fire property needs:

Natural Resources Conservation Services – (209) 966-3431 www.nrcs.usda.gov.wps.portal.nrcs/site/ca/home

There are distinct reasons that may be addressed by seeding, but in general natural regeneration is the best option. Remember, lands have recovered many times after wildfires. Once human-made debris is removed, in most cases the land will heal on its own. It just takes time!

To seed or not to seed? In most cases the answer is not to seed. Next: YOU can help prevent wildfire spread.

Related:

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 3

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery: Part 2

Over the Garden Fence – The Partnership Between Humans and Nature During Fire Recovery

For assistance, contact our Helpline at (209) 966-7078 or at mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu. We are currently unable to take samples or meet with you in person but welcome pictures.

The U.C. Master Gardener Helpline is staffed; Tuesdays from 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and Thursdays from 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Clients may bring samples to the Agricultural Extension Office located at the Mariposa Fairgrounds, but the Master Gardener office is not open to the public. We will not be doing home visits this year due to UCANR restrictions.

Serving Mariposa County, including Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Don Pedro
Please contact the helpline, or leave a message by phone at: (209) 966-7078
By email (send photos and questions for researched answers) to: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu

For further gardening information and event announcements, please visit: UCMG website: https://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener
Follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mariposamastergardeners

Master Gardener Office Location:
UC Cooperative Extension Office,
5009 Fairgrounds Road
Mariposa, CA 95338

Phone: (209) 966-2417
Email: mgmariposa@ucdavis.edu
Website: http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener

Visit the YouTube channel at UCCE Mariposa.

 

 

 

 

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Wildfire Recovery Work Vital to Preserving Local Waterways

 

September 20, 2022 – In an effort to safeguard waterways affected by the 2022 wildfires, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), in coordination with the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the California Conservation Corps (CCC), announced it has completed emergency watershed protection work for the Oak and McKinney fires.

California’s climate-driven wildfires not only destroy lives and structures but also threaten human health and the environment by leaving behind dangerous chemicals and toxic pollutants from burned buildings in their wake. This, combined with wet weather, decreased vegetation and denuded hillsides, creates a dangerous potential for toxic runoff for months, even years after a wildfire is extinguished. Without trees, vegetation, and a stable soil structure to absorb rainwater, tons of ash, debris, heavy metals, and nutrients are more likely to flow directly into watersheds.

Cal OES works closely with state partners to prevent toxic runoff from entering waterways by installing physical filtration barriers. The placement of these emergency protective measures helps safeguard watersheds from the potential impacts of dangerous toxins found in wildfire ash and debris. By intercepting water flow from slopes, the barriers act as filters to remove dangerous contaminants before they can pollute the waterway.

After a wildfire, a team of flood fight specialists from DWR conduct assessments of damaged or destroyed structures within the burn scar, determining precisely where emergency protective measures should be placed, as well as what type (straw wattles, compost socks, silt fences, etc.). Once the burn scar has been completely assessed by DWR, the CCC deploys Corpsmembers to install the runoff barriers.  Similar to the emergency removal of household hazardous waste by the Department of Toxic Substances Control, this process happens automatically and property owners do not need to sign up or submit a Right of Entry Permit.

Types of Watershed Protection Measures

  • Straw wattles are burlap tubes of compressed straw. They provide perimeter protection along contours or at the base of slopes, inlets, and roadways to reduce soil erosion and runoff, and retain sediment. Straw wattles are also used to intercept water running down a slope. You can use wattles over bare soil or in conjunction with erosion control blankets, on steep slopes, around drains for inlet protection, or as a perimeter control for job sites. Straw wattles are weed-free and help stabilize slopes by slowing, spreading, and filtering overland water flow. They are flexible and conform to the soil surface.
  • Compost socks are a type of contained compost filter berm. The filter sock is typically a mesh tube filled with composted material that is placed perpendicular to the direction of sheet flow to control erosion and retain sediment in disturbed areas. A compost filter sock has an oval or round cross-section and provides a three-dimensional filter to retain sediment and other pollutants (e.g., suspended solids, nutrients, metals, and motor oil) and allow clean water to flow through.
  • Silt Fences are made of a filter fabric that has been entrenched, attached to supporting poles, and sometimes backed by a plastic or wire mesh for support. The silt fence detains sediment-laden water, promoting sedimentation behind the fence.

The Oak Fire watershed protection mission in Mariposa County started on August 24, with operations wrapping on August 30. Work on watershed protection in Siskiyou County for the McKinney Fire began on September 1 and ended on September 9.  Currently, Cal OES, DWR, and CCC are preparing to mobilize for a similar operation for the Mill Fire, also in Siskiyou County. Watershed work for the Mill Fire is slated to start on September 16 and run through September 21.

Additional information on how Cal OES helps protect natural environments after a wildfire can be found here.
Source: Cal OES

 

 

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