Elk Fire Burned Area Emergency Response

The Bighorn National Forest has announced a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment team is being established for the Elk Fire burning in the Bighorn National Forest and Sheridan County. 

According to the BNF, Forest Service BAER assessment teams are established by Forest Supervisors before wildfires are fully contained. BAER assessment teams coordinate and work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Weather Service, local counties, State Department of Transportation, and other federal, state, and local agencies to strategically assess potential post-fire impacts on National Forest System lands burned from wildfires.

The Elk Fire BAER assessment team will evaluate conditions to determine the level of potential risks to human life, safety, property, critical natural and cultural-heritage resources, and determine if there are appropriate and effective measures that can be implemented in a timely manner to reduce unacceptable risks from potential flooding and debris flow threats.

BAER assessment teams are staffed by trained professionals that may include hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, biologists, archaeologists, recreation and trail specialists, geographic information specialists, and others who evaluate the burned area. The team will generate a soil burn severity map using satellite imagery and then ground truth the imagery with field surveys.

The team’s findings and recommendations to the Forest Supervisor will be presented in a final report. The report identifies immediate and emergency actions needed to address potential post-fire risks to human life and safety, property, cultural-heritage, and critical natural resources on National Forest System lands.

Federal assistance to private landowners regarding potential post-fire impacts is the primary responsibility of the Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Emergency Watershed Protection program by clicking here. 

For Elk Fire updates check Facebook, click here, or call 307-303-7642. For Forest information including current road closures and stage 2 fire restrictions, Find the Bighorn National Forest webpage by clicking here.