ASSESSING BIO-PHYSICAL HAZARDS AND RISKS FOLLOWING THE WALDO CANYON FIRE IN COLORADO

Wildfires pose substantial challenges for the sustainability of ecosystems as well as risks and hazards for nearby human settlements. In addition to warming climates, housing development and vegetation biomass growth as a result of fire suppression policies are increasing fuel loads, contributing to larger and more catastrophic fires. Wildfires induce a series of biophysical interactions including increases in flow discharge and sediment supply, which may enhance downstream hazards such as flooding, erosion, and sedimentation. These post-fire processes can threaten human populations and alter physical aquatic habitat over various time scales. This research addresses a critical need for understanding human interactions with wildfires by investigating coupled interactions among hydrology, sediment dynamics, and vegetation loss and recovery after wildfire. Using the case of the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire, Colorado in western USA, we explore post-fire responses in vegetation, hydrology, and sediment dynamics. Data from field measurements, terrestrial LiDAR scanning, and satellite-based remote sensing provide a basis for time series analyses. Results contribute important steps toward advancing our understanding and the quantification of risks and hazards following wildfires that are important for post-fire planning and management.