Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Information

BAER Fire Reports 2012 - 2021
[This Central Washington Fire Recovery website is no longer updated and will be deactivated in 2025]

BAER Fire Reports Archive 2012-2021
[PDF files of old website]

As large wildfires occur in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment team will be assembled to analyze post-fire condition of burned watersheds and to plan emergency stabilization treatments for fire areas.

BAER Wildfire Reports will be added to this site as seaso progresses and other wildfire areas are analyzed.There is other general information about BAER, rehabilitation, flood preparation, photos and links to weather and flood warnings.

Concerned landowners should contact local Conservation Districts for private property concerns and/or County Public Works about specific road or bridge concerns.

The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to identify and manage potential risks to resources on National Forest System lands and reduce these threats through appropriate emergency measures to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER is an emergency program for stabilization work that involves time-critical activities to be completed before the first damaging storm event to meet program objectives.

BAER Objectives

Determine whether imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands exist, and take immediate actions, as appropriate, to manage the unacceptable risks.

If emergency conditions are identified, mitigate potential threats to health, safety, human life, property and values-at-risk.

Prescribe emergency response actions to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources, to minimize threats to life or property resulting from the effects of a fire, or to repair/replace/construct physical improvements necessary to prevent degradation of land or resources.

Implement emergency response actions to help control water flow, sediment and debris movement and potentially reduce threats to the BAER values identified. Treatments may be applied when an analysis shows that planned actions are likely to reduce risks substantially within the first year following containment of the fire.

Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of emergency treatments that were applied on National Forest lands.

While many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires result in damage that requires special efforts to reduce impacts afterwards. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water run-off may increase and cause flooding, soil and rock may move downstream and damage property or fill reservoirs putting community water supplies and endangered species at-risk.

The BAER team presents these findings in an assessment report that identifies immediate and emergency actions needed to address post-fire risks to human life and safety, property, cultural and critical natural resources. This may include early detection and rapid response (EDRR) treatments to prevent the spread of noxious weeds into native plant communities. The BAER report describes watershed pre- and post-fire response information, areas of concern for life and property, and recommended short-term emergency stabilization measures for Forest Service lands that burned.

In most cases, only a portion of the burned area may actually be treated. Severely burned areas, steep slopes, and places where water run-off will be excessive and may impact important resources, are focus areas and described in assessment report if they affect values-at-risk. Time is critical if emergency stabilization measures are to be effective.

A BAER assessment team conducts field surveys and uses science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization measures. The team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” map by using satellite imagery which is validated and adjusted by BAER team field surveys to assess watershed conditions and model potential watershed erosion and runoff from wildfire effects on the landscape. The map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of low/unburned, moderate, and high which may correspond to a projected increase in watershed response. The higher the burn severity, the less the soil will be able to absorb water when it rains. Without absorption, there will be increased run-off with potential of flooding.

BAER Funding

Special Emergency Wildfire Suppression funds are authorized for BAER activities and the amount of these expenses varies with the severity of the fire season. Some years see little BAER activity while other years are extremely busy.

Because of the emergency nature of BAER, initial requests for funding of proposed BAER treatments are supposed to be submitted by the Forest Supervisor to the Regional Office within 7 days of total containment of the fire.

Concerned landowners should contact local Conservation Districts for private property concerns and/or County Public Works about specific road or bridge concerns.

BAER Process

BAER assessment teams are staffed by specially trained professionals that may include: hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, biologists, botanists, archeologists, and others who evaluate the burned area and prescribe temporary emergency stabilization treatments to protect the land quickly and effectively. BAER assessments usually begin before a wildfire has been fully contained.

A BAER assessment team conducts field surveys and uses science-based models to rapidly evaluate and assess the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization treatments. The team generates a “Soil Burn Severity” map by using satellite imagery which is then validated and adjusted by BAER team field surveys to assess watershed conditions and watershed response to the fire. The map identifies areas of soil burn severity by categories of low/unburned, moderate, and high. The higher the burn severity, the less soil will be able to absorb water when it rains. Without absorption, there will be increased run-off with the potential of flooding.

A BAER team presents these findings in an assessment report that identifies immediate and emergency actions needed to address post-fire risks to life and safety, property, cultural and critical natural resources. This includes maintaining native plant communities to prevent the invasion of noxious weeds. The BAER report describes watershed pre- and post-fire response information, areas of concern for life and property, and recommended short-term emergency stabilization treatments for Forest Service lands that burned.

In most cases, only a portion of the burned area is actually treated. Severely burned areas, steep slopes, and places where water run-off will be excessive and may impact important resources are focus areas and described in the BAER assessment report if they effect values-at-risk. Time is critical if the emergency stabilization treatments are to be effective.

There are a variety of emergency stabilization treatments that the BAER team can recommend for Forest Service land. Stabilization treatment examples are: mulching with agricultural straw or chipped wood and digging of below-grade pits to catch run-off and store soil sediment to keep roads and bridges from washing out during floods. A team also assesses if there is a need to modify drainage structures by installing debris traps, allowing drainage to flow if culverts become plugged, adding additional culverts, installing rolling dips, and constructing emergency spillways. BAER treatments cannot prevent all damage, especially debris torrents in areas that are prone to sliding and have lost critical root structure from plants.

BAER Phases

There are three phases of recovery following wildfires on federal lands:

Fire Suppression Repair
Emergency Stabilization: Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)
Long-Term Recovery and Restoration

Fire Suppression Repair is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities and usually begins before the fire is contained, and before the demobilization of an Incident Management Team. This work repairs the hand and dozer fire lines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts.

Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is a rapid assessment of burned watersheds by a BAER team to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and take immediate actions to implement emergency stabilization measures before the first major storms. Fires result in loss of vegetation, exposure of soil to erosion, and increased water runoff that may lead to flooding, increased sediment, debris flows, and damage to critical natural and cultural resources. BAER actions such as: mulching, seeding, installation of erosion and water run-off control structures, temporary barriers to protect recovering areas, and installation of warning signs may be implemented. BAER work may also replace safety related facilities; remove safety hazards; prevent permanent loss of habitat for threatened and endangered species; and prevent the spread of noxious weeds, and protect critical cultural resources.

Long-Term Recovery and Restoration utilizes non-emergency actions to improve fire-damaged lands that are unlikely to recover naturally and to repair or replace facilities damaged by the fire that are not critical to life and safety. This phase may include restoring burned habitat, reforestation, other planting or seeding, monitoring fire effects, replacing burned fences, interpreting cultural sites, treating noxious weed infestations, and installing interpretive signs.

BAER Limitations

What BAER Can Do:

Install water or erosion control devices.
Plant for erosion control or stability reasons.
Install erosion control measures at critical cultural sites.
Install temporary barriers to protect treated or recovering areas.
Install warning signs.
Replace minor safety related facilities.
Install appropriate-sized drainage features on roads, trails.
Remove critical safety hazards.
Prevent permanent loss of T&E habitat.
Monitor BAER treatments.
Monitor for new populations of noxious weeds & treat as needed.

What BAER Cannot Do:

Replant commercial forests or grass for forage.
Excavate and interpret cultural sites.
Replace burned pasture fences.
Install interpretive signs.
Replace burned buildings, bridges, corrals, etc.
Repair roads damaged by floods after fire.
Replace burned habitat.
Monitor fire effects.
Treat pre-existing noxious weeds.

BAER Interagency Coordination

Multiple agencies work with the BAER team and look at the full scope and scale of the situation to reduce the potential threats to life and property; however, BAER treatments cannot prevent all of the potential flooding or soil erosion impacts, especially after a wildfire changes the landscape. It is important for the public to be and stay informed and prepared for potential dramatic increases in number and magnitude of run-off events.

One of the most effective BAER strategies is interagency coordination with local cooperators who assist affected businesses, homes, and landowners prepare for rain events. The Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) work together and coordinate with local agencies and counties that assist landowners in preparing for potential run-off. It is important that landowners work directly with NRCS and other agencies to determine actions needed to protect structures and other assets.

BAER assessment plans and implementation of the BAER emergency treatments are a cooperating and coordinated effort between many federal agencies such as the Forest Service, NRCS , National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Geological Survey, and National Weather Service, also including state, tribal governments, local agencies, and emergency management departments. It is important that BAER coordinates its assessment and treatment implementation with all affected and interested cooperating agencies and organizations regarding other post-fire recovery and restoration efforts.