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MT. PLEASANT — After a devastating fire season, a Utah community has undertaken a massive rehabilitation project to repair the burn scars, prevent flash flooding and restore wildlife habitat.
During the summer, the Wood Hollow Fire scorched thousands of acres. Now, three crop duster planes are making runs to the fire area, each carrying 1,500 pounds of seeds. The seeds are a special mix of native grass and shrubs, that by next summer should help turn the hillsides from black to green and prevent erosion.
"These pilots have computers on board and we give the shapes of these seeding polygons we want done," said DWR Habitat Program Manager Mark Farmer. "They load them into their computers and fly lines their computers tell them to fly so they know exactly where they are, and where they need to dump their seed."
Their target is 25,000 acres of scorched area. To do that, the planes are loaded with enough seeds to broadcast 14 pounds per acre, and 50 seeds per square foot. The seed for this fire is a special recipe, a mix of what biologists believe this area needs to recover and flourish.
Crews on the ground can refill the plane with another load of seeds in just a couple of minutes.
The mixture crews fill the planes with is mixed at the state's Great Basin Research Center and seed warehouse in Ephraim, from which 2 million pounds of seeds will go to fire ravaged areas. They will provide seeds for burned areas from the Wood Hollow, Dump and Clay Springs fires.
Next week, two bulldozers will begin dragging a giant chain across the seeded areas to help the seeds begin to grow.
"As that chain rolls across the ground it creates a perfect seed bed for the seed to germinate and help us have really good success," said Alison Whittaker for the Great Basin Research Center.
That success will be measured in three years by the grasses and shrubs that grow on the land.
"We try to get 10 percent of the grasses and shrubs to grow," said Habitat Restoration Coordinator Jason Vernon. "If we shoot for that as far as the seeding goes, then we can have a successful seeding, get the ground covered and stabilize the soil and provide habitat for our wildlife."
One important ingredient needed is water; A wet spring is critical to allow the grasses and shrubs to establish.
Much of this area is winter range for deer and elk, so wildlife managers are worried the next year could be tough on the herds.
