Post-fire Ground Treatments

The objective of this project was to assess the efficacy of post-fire ground treatment in mitigating erosion and runoff on soil slopes subjected to wildfires. This objective was achieved through physical slope-model experiments and discrete element method (DEM) modeling. The physical experiments were conducted on block soil samples collected from U.S. Forest Service land in Colorado. The samples included were subjected to rainfall simulations characteristic of a typical short-duration, high-intensity summer storm. Rainfall simulations were completed on block samples with natural intact vegetation, burned vegetation, and burned vegetation plus straw mulch applied as ground cover. Soil erosion measured on the burned soil samples increased relative to the unburned soils. However, the presence of straw mulch on the surface of a burned soil reduced erosion to levels coincident with natural intact vegetation. The DEM models were completed on 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional assemblies of particles that included different arrangements of reinforcements to simulate soils with root networks present in unburned soils with intact vegetation compared to burned soils with the root networks destroyed from burning. Model simulations indicated that an increase in the root network inhibited particles dislodgement and decreased downslope movement of particles.

• Record URL:
  https://www.codot.gov/programs/research/pdfs/2018-Research-Reports/post-fire
• Corporate Authors:

  Colorado State University, Fort Collins

  Fort Collins, CO  United States  80523

  Colorado Department of Transportation

  Applied Research and Innovation Branch
  Denver, CO  United States  80204

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Bareither, Christopher
  • Heyliger, Paul
  • Moden, Kayla
  • Peterson, Kirsten
• Publication Date: 2018-6-26

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 174p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Discrete element method; Embankments; Erosion; Geotechnical engineering; Ground cover; Runoff; Simulation; Soil stabilization; Soils; Straw; Wildfires
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01847486
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CDOT-2018-19
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 30 2022 11:32AM