Wildfire and water - Revision history

TanyaPetach at 00:24, 24 July 2026

2026-07-24T00:24:19Z

TanyaPetach at 00:18, 24 July 2026

2026-07-24T00:18:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 23 July 2026
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	Many PBR projects in the basin are supported by water agencies, in collaboration with land managers and environmental NGOs. For example, the [https://www.kvcollab.org/ Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative] (KVRC) in the Colorado River headwaters in north-central Colorado receives direct funding and staff involvement from Northern Water as well as grants from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado River District, and Reclamation.		Many PBR projects in the basin are supported by water agencies, in collaboration with land managers and environmental NGOs. For example, the [https://www.kvcollab.org/ Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative] (KVRC) in the Colorado River headwaters in north-central Colorado receives direct funding and staff involvement from Northern Water as well as grants from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado River District, and Reclamation.


	===Notable recent wildfires in the Colorado River Basin===		===Notable recent wildfires in the Colorado River Basin===

TanyaPetach at 00:18, 24 July 2026

2026-07-24T00:18:22Z

Show changes

JeffreyJLukas: /* Overview */

2026-07-23T19:43:25Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:43, 23 July 2026
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	[[File:DragonBravoFire.jpg\|thumb\|600px\|Figure 1. Smoke plume from the Dragon Bravo Fire over the Grand Canyon on July 11, 2025. (Photo: National Park Service/M. Quinn)]]		[[File:DragonBravoFire.jpg\|thumb\|600px\|Figure 1. Smoke plume from the Dragon Bravo Fire over the Grand Canyon on July 11, 2025. (Photo: National Park Service/M. Quinn)]]

	Watersheds across the western United States are being increasingly impacted by wildfires. Since 2000, West-wide average annual burned area has more than doubled, and the number of "megafires" (>100,000 acres) has increased from about one per year to over five per year.<ref name="williams2025" /> ~~Overall~~, wildfires ~~are~~ also ~~spreading~~ faster, ~~burning~~ at higher overall severity, and at higher average elevations than in the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="parks2023" /><ref name="alizadeh2021" /> In the Colorado River Basin, many large high-severity wildfires have impacted runoff-generating watersheds (Table 1, below), from the subalpine spruce-fir and lodgepole forests of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, to the ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests of Arizona (Figure 1) and New Mexico.<ref name="mcgrath2023" /><ref name="kampf2022" />		Watersheds across the western United States are being increasingly impacted by wildfires. Since 2000, West-wide average annual burned area has more than doubled, and the number of "megafires" (>100,000 acres) has increased from about one per year to over five per year.<ref name="williams2025" /> In general, recent wildfires have also spread faster, burned at higher overall severity, and burned at higher average elevations than in the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="parks2023" /><ref name="alizadeh2021" /> In the Colorado River Basin, many large high-severity wildfires have impacted runoff-generating watersheds (Table 1, below), from the subalpine spruce-fir and lodgepole forests of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, to the ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests of Arizona (Figure 1) and New Mexico.<ref name="mcgrath2023" /><ref name="kampf2022" />
	The dramatic shifts in wildfire occurrence and severity in the past several decades have multiple causes, including warming and drying of the atmosphere and vegetation due to anthropogenic climate change, increases in fuel loading and forest density from past forest uses and fire suppression, and increases in development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and in wildland recreation, leading to additional structural fuels and more opportunities for ignition during periods of high fire danger.<ref name="parks2020" /><ref name="boisrame2022" /><ref name="higuera2023" />		The dramatic shifts in wildfire occurrence and severity in the past several decades have multiple causes, including warming and drying of the atmosphere and vegetation due to anthropogenic climate change, increases in fuel loading and forest density from past forest uses and fire suppression, and increases in development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and in wildland recreation, leading to additional structural fuels and more opportunities for ignition during periods of high fire danger.<ref name="parks2020" /><ref name="boisrame2022" /><ref name="higuera2023" />

JeffreyJLukas at 19:36, 23 July 2026

2026-07-23T19:36:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:36, 23 July 2026
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	Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including [https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6ef2af96207046baa8451cf20def46cb Denver Water] and [https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-management/watershed Salt River Project], have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.		Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including [https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6ef2af96207046baa8451cf20def46cb Denver Water] and [https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-management/watershed Salt River Project], have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.

	More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.		More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality.<ref name="gillespie2026" /> These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.<ref name="beechie2010" />

	PBR projects in the basin are ~~often~~ supported by water agencies in collaboration with land managers and environmental NGOs. For example, the [https://www.kvcollab.org/ Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative] (KVRC) in the Colorado River headwaters in north-central Colorado receives direct funding and staff involvement from Northern Water as well as grants from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado River District, and Reclamation.		Many PBR projects in the basin are supported by water agencies, in collaboration with land managers and environmental NGOs. For example, the [https://www.kvcollab.org/ Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative] (KVRC) in the Colorado River headwaters in north-central Colorado receives direct funding and staff involvement from Northern Water as well as grants from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado River District, and Reclamation.

	==Data and tools==		==Data and tools==
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	<ref name="lumbrazo2026">Lumbrazo, C., Howe, E. R., Dickerson-Lange, S. E., Pestana, S., Cramblitt, J., Dedinsky, K., Smith, K., & Lundquist, J. D. (2026). Can we maximize snow storage through fire-resilient forest treatments? Insights from experimental forest treatments in the Eastern Cascades, WA, USA. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 8, 1707812. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1707812</ref>		<ref name="lumbrazo2026">Lumbrazo, C., Howe, E. R., Dickerson-Lange, S. E., Pestana, S., Cramblitt, J., Dedinsky, K., Smith, K., & Lundquist, J. D. (2026). Can we maximize snow storage through fire-resilient forest treatments? Insights from experimental forest treatments in the Eastern Cascades, WA, USA. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 8, 1707812. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1707812</ref>

			<ref name="gillespie2026">Gillespie, N.; Adams, P.; Croft, J.; Flitcroft, R.; Hogervorst, J.; Powers, P., & Callery, D. (2026). Integrating watershed restoration in wildfire management: opportunities, approaches, and examples. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington Office. 20 p. https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs_media/fs_document/watershed-restoration-in-wildfire.pdf</ref>

			<ref name="beechie2010">Beechie, Timothy J.; Sear, David A.; Olden, Julian D.; Pess, George R.; Buffington, John M.; Moir, Hamish; Roni, Philip, & Pollock, Michael M. (2010). Process-based principles for restoring river ecosystems. BioScience. 60(3): 209-222. https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/34786.pdf</ref>


	</references>		</references>

JeffreyJLukas: /* Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts */

2026-07-23T16:35:40Z

Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:35, 23 July 2026
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	More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.		More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.

	PBR projects in the basin are often supported by water agencies in collaboration with land managers and environmental NGOs. For example, the Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative (KVRC) in the Colorado River headwaters in north-central Colorado receives direct funding and staff involvement from Northern Water as well as grants from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado River District, and Reclamation.		PBR projects in the basin are often supported by water agencies in collaboration with land managers and environmental NGOs. For example, the [https://www.kvcollab.org/ Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative] (KVRC) in the Colorado River headwaters in north-central Colorado receives direct funding and staff involvement from Northern Water as well as grants from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado River District, and Reclamation.

	==Data and tools==		==Data and tools==

JeffreyJLukas: /* Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts */

2026-07-23T16:34:20Z

Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:34, 23 July 2026
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	===Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts===		===Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts===

	Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including ~~Denver Water (~~[https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6ef2af96207046baa8451cf20def46cb ~~Forests to Faucets~~]) and [https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-management/watershed Salt River Project], have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.		Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including [https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6ef2af96207046baa8451cf20def46cb Denver Water] and [https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-management/watershed Salt River Project], have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.

	More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.		More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.

JeffreyJLukas: /* Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts */

2026-07-23T16:33:42Z

Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:33, 23 July 2026
Line 96:		Line 96:
	===Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts===		===Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts===

	Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including Denver Water ([[https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6ef2af96207046baa8451cf20def46cb Forests to Faucets]]) and Salt River Project ~~(SRP Healthy Forests Initiative)~~, have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.		Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including Denver Water ([https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6ef2af96207046baa8451cf20def46cb Forests to Faucets]) and [https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-management/watershed Salt River Project], have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.

	More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.		More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.

JeffreyJLukas: /* Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts */

2026-07-23T16:19:06Z

Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:19, 23 July 2026
Line 96:		Line 96:
	===Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts===		===Land management to reduce fire risk and impacts===

	Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including Denver Water (Forests to Faucets) and Salt River Project (SRP Healthy Forests Initiative), have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.		Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire have been used for many years to reduce the risk of high-severity fires, particularly in mid-elevation ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests that have become much denser due to post-1900 fire suppression.<ref name="stephens2012" /><ref name="davis2024" /> These treatments can also improve snowpack retention<ref name="broxton2025" /><ref name="lumbrazo2026" /> and may modestly increase annual streamflow by reducing canopy interception and evapotranspiration, though sustained increases in water supply are uncertain and dependent on many local factors.<ref name="goeking2020" /><ref name="goeking2022" /> Several water providers, including Denver Water ([[https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6ef2af96207046baa8451cf20def46cb Forests to Faucets]]) and Salt River Project (SRP Healthy Forests Initiative), have partnered with land managers to plan, fund, and carry out forest treatments in their Colorado River watersheds to reduce the risk of severe wildfires and their impacts to water supplies.

	More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.		More recently, it has been recognized that stream and wetland restoration can bring substantial co-benefits for wildfire mitigation. Restoring the water- and sediment-retention functions of riparian and wetland areas and enlarging their footprint on the landscape can slow fire spread through "wet fuel breaks", reduce burn severity, and alleviate post-fire impacts on water quality. These restoration techniques, collectively called process-based restoration (PBR), include beaver reintroduction, emplacing logs and wood structures in stream channels such as beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), riparian plantings, meadow restoration, and, when necessary, earthmoving to reestablish natural channels and stream connectivity.

JeffreyJLukas: /* Additional Resources */

2026-07-23T16:16:20Z

Additional Resources

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:16, 23 July 2026
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	</onlyinclude>		</onlyinclude>

	==Additional ~~Resources~~==		==Additional resources==

	===[https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/3033-4942/ae2a64/meta A review of post-wildfire shifts in streamflow]===		===[https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/3033-4942/ae2a64/meta A review of post-wildfire shifts in streamflow]===

	This 2025 review paper by Ebel et al. synthesizes existing research on how wildfire alters hydrologic processes and streamflow generation in the western United States. It presents a narrative review and conceptual model highlighting the key factors that shape post-fire changes in streamflow such as seasonal precipitation, the timing overlap between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, shifts in interception and evapotranspiration relative to overall precipitation, and vegetation-related changes.		This 2025 review paper by Ebel et al. synthesizes existing research on how wildfire alters hydrologic processes and streamflow generation in the western United States. It presents a narrative review and conceptual model highlighting the key factors that shape post-fire changes in streamflow such as seasonal precipitation, the timing overlap between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, shifts in interception and evapotranspiration relative to overall precipitation, and vegetation-related changes.

	==Notes==		==Notes==