Large wildfires can devastate the landscape, destroy structures and threaten communities. Once they\u2019re extinguished and the direct threats are gone, the general public often moves on and breathes a little easier. However, Kevin Bladon, assistant professor of forest hydrology at Oregon State, says the effects of large wildfires on water quantity and quality can last for decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmaller, low severity fires can actually have positive outcomes for aquatic ecosystems,\u201d\u00a0Bladon says. \u201cHowever, the larger fires, which we\u2019ve seen more of in recent years, are the ones that cause us the most problems in terms of impacts on water,\u201d Bladon says. \u201cFires used to be more frequent and less severe, but because of fire suppression and current forest management approaches, there are a lot more contiguous fuels in our forests. When combined with a warmer, drier climate this has increased the occurrence of large wildfires in many parts of the western U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bladon says high-severity fire can increase annual streamflow, peak flows and shift the timing of\u00a0snowmelt to streams to earlier in the year. Additionally, large fires can increase temperatures, sediment and nutrients in streams, which can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems and recreational value.<\/p>\n
The sediment and nutrients in headwater streams can also travel downstream and into community drinking water sources.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile our drinking water treatment plants can, and do, remove sediment, nutrients and other contaminants from our water after wildfires, the question is, \u2018How much are we willing to pay for this?\u2019 These are expensive costs that get passed to taxpayers for many years after a fire,\u201d Bladon says.<\/p>\n
So far, Bladon\u2019s studies have been conducted in Oregon, California, Colorado, Tennessee and Canada. As large wildfires continue to occur in the West, he plans to keep his eyes and research on the west side of the Cascades.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorically, there haven\u2019t been a lot of fires on the west side of the Cascades compared to east side forests,\u201d he says. \u201cBut they are appearing more and more, and the potential impacts on our water supply is something researchers need to continue to investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bladon says it\u2019s an exciting time to be studying hydrology as it relates to wildfire because the scientific community and the public are striving to understand how large wildfires impact our water supplies.<\/p>\n
\u201cOregonians tend to be very proud of our water, healthy rivers, recreational opportunities and our many breweries, to name a few things,\u201d Bladon says. \u201cGiven that two-thirds of our water supply originates in forests, it\u2019s critical to protect those things that make our state such a great place.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Large wildfires can devastate the landscape, destroy structures and threaten communities. Once they\u2019re extinguished and the direct threats are gone, the general public often moves on and breathes a little easier. However, Kevin Bladon, assistant professor of forest hydrology at Oregon State, says the effects of large wildfires on water quantity and quality can last… Continue reading