Recommended Dos and Don’t for Post-Fire Mitigation

DON’T…

o       Walk, drive or ride bikes on fire-affected soils.

o       Remove trees or brush unless they represent an immediate threat to health and safety.

o       Divert runoff onto areas where it will cause flooding or damage to adjacent property.

o       Disturb treated areas following application of straw mulch, erosion control blankets, hydraulic practices, seed or fiber rolls.

DO…

o       Minimize disturbance of fire-affected soils, especially slopes.

o       Follow the City guidelines for installation of mitigation measures.

o       Allow vegetation, including trees and brush, to grow through the winter before pruning or removing dead material.

o       Protect slopes by mulching with weed-free straw and/or erosion control blanket.

o       Place fiber rolls on the contour and not on an incline.

o       Use sand bag barriers where the objective is to DIVERT water; for example, to prevent runoff from flowing down a burned slope.

o       Place gravel bags where the objective is to FILTER water flow while retaining sediment and debris; for example, around storm drain inlets.

o       Inspect mitigation measures before predicted rainfall of ½” or greater and after storms where accumulated rainfall exceeds ½”.

o       Regularly inspect sediment control devices, including check dams, gravel bag berms and brow ditches removing sediment when it has accumulated to 1/2 the height of the structure.