Post-Fire Monitoring

 

Grab Samples help us to measure pollutant concentrations and assess trends in changes in stream chemistry over time.

Lidar can be used to measure volume of sediment deposition at a restoration site.

CPRW and our research partners use a variety of monitoring techniques upstream, within and downstream of our post-fire restoration projects to help estimate and quantify sediment storage and water chemistry trends. Some methods are performed on a regular interval, while others are performed after large storm events. Monitoring techniques include:

  • Lidar, Survey, and Sediment Staking to measure volume of sediment deposition

  • HOBO Loggers, staff gauges and groundwater wells to measure flow and stage characteristics

  • Grab Samples to measure pollutant concentrations and assess trends in changes in stream chemistry over time

  • Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI) to measure changes in bank erosion potential

We have partnered with researchers at Colorado State University, CU Boulder, Grand Mesa University, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Riverscape Science & Stewardship, and the Rocky Mountain Research Station to study the impacts of our work. This extensive research and monitoring focuses on how our stream and wetland restoration efforts, particularly low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR), affect hydrology, ecology, water quality, and wildlife, often in the context of post-wildfire recovery in Colorado. Topics of research include:

Sediment & Hydrology

  • Sediment and nutrient buildup in channels and floodplains (Pawlowski)

  • Post-fire impacts on sediment accumulation and groundwater storage (Jones)

  • Floodplain storage and flow path effects on flood attenuation (Christensen)

Biogeochemistry & Water Quality

  • Restored wetlands acting as carbon/nitrogen sinks after wildfire (Fegel)

Vegetation & Ecology

  • Vegetation and floodplain changes 1–5 years after restoration (Atkinson)

  • Wet meadow restoration for wildfire resilience (Rhea)

Microbiology

  • How stream corridor microbiomes shift after Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR) (James)

River & Stream Dynamics

  • Hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecologic evolution of restored river sites (Scott)

  • Water dynamics in beaver-restored stream corridors (Sholtes)

Wildlife

  • Brook trout movement patterns around LTPBR structures (Knutson)

Tim Fegel, a researcher with the Rocky Mountain Research Station, conducts a site visit at the South Fork project.