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Hewlett Fire 'Burn Zone' Recovery Will Take 3-5 Years

Courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service

The Burned Area Emergency Responseteam of the US Forest Service has completed its assessment of the Hewlett fire burn zone and released their finding.

The human-caused fire burned more than 75-hundred acres northwest of Fort Collins. Forest Service spokesperson Reghan Cloudman says over 1,000 acres were burned so severely the ground is unable to absorb rain water, which will lead to erosion and run off into nearby watersheds that feed the Cache La Poudre River.

“ It’s definitely a concern, but that’s the reason we’re going to do some of these mitigating factors like aerial mulching to minimize that and it may just be an issue that the treatment of the water may be a bit more pricey than before the fire happened.”

Along with aerial mulching, Cloudman estimates that within 3-5 years of natural re-vegetation and recovery, the soil stability will return and rates of erosion will be similar to what they were before the fire.

http://youtu.be/6OrqwwB19vo

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