USFS Selects GeomorphIS Team to Conduct August Complex Fire Botany Surveys

The USDA Forest Service has selected the GeomorphIS/Pyramid Botanical Consultants team to conduct a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Early Detection Rapid Response (EDDR) invasive plant survey and treatment within the August Complex Fire footprint on the Mendocino National Forest. The August Complex Fire burned approximately 1,032,000 acres of Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, and Glenn counties in August, September, and October 2020. Approximately 612,000 acres burned within the Mendocino National Forest (MNF), on the Upper Lake, Covelo and Grindstone Ranger Districts. The BAER is a time-limited effort to mitigate the effects of the fire on natural resources. The primary negative impact of wildfires on plant communities is the spread of invasive plant species from multiple fire-related disturbances, including suppression efforts as well as the fire itself. EDDR combines intensive surveys for invasive plants in the growing season after the fire with targeted treatment of new, localized infestations of invasive plants. The GeomorphIS team will conduct the EDDR surveys and manual treatment for invasive species in areas disturbed by fire suppression efforts, including dozer lines, staging areas, drop points, etc. (approximately 2410 acres), as well as other high priority areas within and adjacent to the fire footprint (an additional 1620 acres).