Using a helicopter to broadcast native plant seeds, conservation officials of Wasatch-Cache National Forest have begun to rehabilitate parts of the Stansbury Mountains burned in last summer's wildfires.
About 720 acres scorched by the Box Canyon fire in Tooele County are to be treated this week as part of the National Fire Plan.
A helicopter is needed to spread seeds over so many acres. Through the winter, seeds of the bluebunch wheatgrass (Elymus spicatus) a native species, will lie dormant beneath the snow. The grass seeds should germinate in the spring.
"In all cases, when we're re-veging, we really aim for using native grasses whenever possible," said Dan Jiron, the forest's Salt Lake District ranger. Part of the effort is to head off an invasion of noxious weeds that could move in after a range fire, he said.
By establishing a good natural vegetation cover, "you can short-circuit" the noxious weeds. Also, reseeding can help prevent soil erosion.
Not every burned area needs reseeding. "We evaluate each one," he said. Red Butte and Big Cottonwood canyons near Salt Lake City also burned last summer, but have begun to heal and may not need reseeding.
However, in those areas, even if reseeding doesn't take place "we probably will be doing some other related projects," Jiron added.
Reseeding Box Canyon is especially important because it is a watershed area for Tooele County, where water is scarce. "All the land there is precious for water," he said. It can act as a source of underground water for wells.
"Having a high erosion situation would be unacceptable" in that area, Jiron added.
According to the ranger, extinguishing a wildfire can be only the beginning of the battle. "After that, we really need to take a look at each area," deciding whether rehabilitation is needed.
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