As the burnt areas of the Rim Fire have begun to cool, a Tuolomne
environmental organization has begun to explore what can be done to minimize
erosion of land near the river.
Eric Wessleman with the Tuolomne River Trust says a mix of seeds from native trees and plants should be spread across the burnt areas with an aerial seeding program,
"Once the fire's out you'll have this ash sitting there which is perfect for the seeds to settle into and then when the moisture comes then the seeds can germinate."
That is the short term response to the fire, but Wessleman says his group and government agencies should review forestry management policies like thinning and fuels reduction,
"We can't just keep putting band-aids on the problem. We need to find sustainable management practices and implement them so that we stop this cycle of fire from happening."
Wessleman says local, state and federal funding will be needed to perform erosion mitigation and to enact fire prevention programs.
Members of the Tuolomne River Trust plans to tour the burnt areas as soon as possible.
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