Case Study - Post Wildfire Treatments for Hot Burn Areas Using Successional Reclamation Principles

John A. McCullah, CPESC #311, CA Contractor, CA Community College Instructor

When and where, after a wildfire, is seeding and mulching beneficial to employ? Could concepts such as "Successional Reclamation" help develop seeding and amendment choices, such as to add Arbuscular Mycorrhizae and minimal fertilizer? What non-standard treatments might be feasible for wildfire areas experiencing "hot burns" which result in long-term periods without revegetation? This presentation asks the questions and then provides answers, while proposing additional future trials.

• Consider the paradigm of Natural Succession and apply successional reclamation theories when developing approaches to land use mitigations.
• develop alternative revegetation plans for areas impacted by wildfire.
• develop some practical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of track walking and mycorrhizae treatments for hot burns.

Presented by John A. McCullah, CPESC #311, CA Contractor, CA Community College Instructor – Owner, Erosion Specialist, Fluvio-Geomorpho

John was on IECA BoD for 5 years. He is a CPESC since 1986 and a CA Contractor. With a BS in Watershed Geologiy from Humboldt State University and an AA in Biology, John combines practical experience and academics to teach on topics ranging from Construction Site BMPs, Bioengineering for Slope and Bank Stability, Watershed Restoration, and Environmentally-Sensitive Streambank and Channel Stabilization. John has been producing Dirt Time Videos since 2006, with a dirttime.tv video library numbering dozens.