ABSTRACT
Over the last several decades there has been an increase in the number of large wildfires in the western US (Westerling et al. 2006). The increase in wildfires is a major concern for the public and resource managers because of the potentially large increases in runoff and erosion, and the resulting adverse effects on life, property, and aquatic resources. Flooding after the 1996 Buffalo Creek Fire southwest of Denver, Colorado caused two fatalities and repeatedly washed out a state highway, and the increased sediment load reduced the storage capacity in Strontia Springs Reservoir by approximately one-third (Agnew et al. 1997). Debris flows after the 2002 Coal Seam and Missionary Ridge Fires in western Colorado damaged homes, roads, and railways (Cannon et al. 2003). The high sediment and ash loads after high severity fires greatly increase water treatment costs and reduce macro-invertebrate and fish populations (Rinne 1996, Rieman and Clayton 1997, Minshall et al. 2001, Kershner et al. 2003).
