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Tag: wildfires
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  • Spatial Variations in Vegetation Fires and Emissions in South and Southeast Asia during COVID-19 and Pre-pandemic

    Abstract: Vegetation fires are common in South/Southeast Asian (SA/SEA) countries. However, few studies focused on vegetation fires and the changes during COVID compared to pre pandemic. This study fills an information gap and reports total fire incidences, total burnt area, type of vegetation burnt, and total particulate matter emission variations. Results from the short term 2020 COVID versus 2019 non COVID year showed a decline in fire counts varying from -2.88 to 79.43%. The exceptions in South Asia include Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, and Cambodia and Myanmar in Southeast Asia. The burnt area decline for 2020 compared to 2019 varied from -0.8% to 92% for South/Southeast Asian countries, with most burning in agricultural landscapes than forests. Several patches in S/SEA showed a decrease in fires for the 2020 pandemic year compared to long term 2012–2020 pre pandemic record, with Z scores greater or less than two denoting statistical significance. However, on a country scale, the results were not statistically significant in both S/SEA, with Z scores ranging from -0.24 to -1, although most countries experienced a decrease in fire counts. The study highlights variations in fires and emissions useful for fire management and mitigation.
  • Post-wildfire Curve Number Estimates for the Southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA

    Abstract: The curve number method first developed by the USDA Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service) is often used for post-wildfire runoff assessments. These assessments are critical for land and emergency managers making decisions on life and property risks following a wildfire event. Three approaches (i.e., historical event observations, linear regression model, and regression tree model) were used to help estimate a post-wildfire curve number from watershed and wildfire parameters. For the first method, we used runoff events from 102 burned watersheds in Colorado, southern Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and eastern Utah to quantify changes in curve number values from pre- to post-wildfire conditions. The curve number changes from the measured runoff events vary substantially between positive and negative values. The measured curve number changes were then associated with watershed characteristics (e.g., slope, elevation, northness, and eastness) and land cover type to develop prediction models that provide estimates of post-wildfire curve number changes. Finally, we used a regression tree method to demonstrate that accurate predications can be developed using the measured curve number changes from our study domain. These models can be used for future post-wildfire assessments within the region.
  • A Christmas Story – kind of…

    MAUI, Hawaii – When a fire burns hot enough to melt engine blocks and granite countertops, it is at least 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything it touches at that point is compromised. So, when it’s time to clean up a destroyed house or structure, everything must be removed since the debris can contain lead, asbestos and other toxic particles. That can be a challenging reality for wildfire survivors when they must decide what to do about their property.
  • CONTRACT AWARDED, CONSTRUCTION STARTED IN GALLINAS WATERSHED

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, awarded a $7 million contract June 10, 2022, to implement engineering solutions to protect key water infrastructure in the Gallinas Watershed, near Las Vegas, New Mexico, in response to the recent damage caused by the local wildfires.
  • COCHITI LAKE REOPENS TO RECREATION

    Cochiti Lake will reopen for recreation beginning Thursday, May 19, 2022.
  • Historic wildfires test Corps’ Willamette Valley projects

    The wildfires that closed in on the Corps’ 13-dam system in the Willamette Valley caused minor damage at four dam sites.
  • Corps employees volunteer from across U.S. for NorCal wildfire mission

    USACE employees have volunteered from as far away as Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New York, Alabama and Alaska; they have volunteered in timeframes as brief as 3 days, and as long as 90 days straight. And whether their workday is spent on the phone troubleshooting issues for property owners or in the field analyzing the condition of properties, each one plays an important role in helping to return these distressed communities back to a sense of normalcy.
  • Silver Jackets team learns about Gatlinburg wildfires

    SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 25, 2018) – More than a year after deadly wildfires ravaged Gatlinburg and Sevier County, Tennessee, the state’s Silver Jackets team is grappling with the catastrophe in hopes of saving lives and properties as emergency managers plan for future disasters.
  • In California, Army Corps of Engineers pledges on-going help for wildfire victims

    SAN FRANCISCO - With thousands of people forced from their homes by wildfires in three Northern California counties, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has pledged to continue to provide available space to accommodate evacuees at two Corps-operated campgrounds in the area free of charge, officials said.
  • District Hosts Bi-Annual Rio Grande Basin Meeting

    The Albuquerque District hosted the Rio Grande Basin meeting on September 17-18, to discuss the impacts of the devastating wildfires during the past two years in the upper basin, and the resulting prior and present flooding.