Bark Beetle Incident Watershed Assessments

Project Summary

Completion Date: 2011

Partner

  • USDA Forest Service

JWA completed a project to provide the technical components of watershed assessments for the Bark Beetle Incident area on the Medicine Bow/Routt, Arapahoe/Roosevelt and portions of the White River National Forests in Colorado and Wyoming. JW Associates completed 12 Phase 1 Watershed Assessments for the USDA Forest Service's Bark Beetle Incident (BBI) team in the Rocky Mountain Region (Region 2). These Watershed Assessments cover the following three National Forests:

  • White River National Forest

  • Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests

  • Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests

Project Actions

  • Watershed prioritization within 15, 5th level watersheds based in part on wildfire hazard.

  • Fire hazard modeling to identify areas of concern

  • Application of Fire Behavior Assessment Tool (FBAT) using LANDFIRE data with adjustments based on forest mortality from bark beetle infestation.

Benefits

  • Mitigate negative effects of wildfire through targeted projects & planning efforts

Map of BBI Assessment Watersheds

Descriptions, maps and assessment reports for each of the watersheds are below. Clicking on the maps provides a larger map that shows the locations and 6th level watersheds used for prioritization. 

BBI_Map_New.jpg

Overview map of assessment areas

Click on map to enlarge

Big Thompson

The fourth-level Big Thompson Watershed was modified because the watersheds on the plains would skew the results of the prioritization.

The Big Thompson Watershed Assessment has been taken further through the stakeholder process. That process provided a final prioritization and an opportunities and constraints analysis. Please refer to the Big Thompson Watershed/Wildfire Assessment page for information on that work.

Blue River Watershed

The fourth-level Blue River Watershed was modified because the one of the watersheds was lower in elevation and not forested and would skew the results of the prioritization.

The Blue River Watershed Assessment has been taken further through the stakeholder process. That process has provided a final prioritization and an opportunities and constraints analysis. Please refer to the Blue River Wildfire/Watershed Assessment page for information on that work.

Click on map to enlarge

Click on map to enlarge

Cache La Poudre

The fourth-level Cache La Poudre Watershed was modified because the watersheds on the plains would skew the results of the prioritization.

The Cache La Poudre Watershed Assessment has been taken further through the stakeholder process. That process provided a final prioritization and an opportunities and constraints analysis. Please refer to the Cache La Poudre Watershed/Wildfire Assessment page for information on that work.

Clear / Bear Creek

This watershed is a combination of the fourth-level Clear Creek Watershed and the fifth-level Bear Creek Watershed. They were combined because:

  • Clear Creek is a small fourth-level watershed

  • Bear Creek is part of the Upper South Platte Watershed that has been assessed before Bear Creek became part of the fourth-level Upper South Platte watershed.

  • They are adjacent and similar in the characteristics that are in this assessment.

The watershed assessment area was modified because the watersheds on the plains would skew the results of the prioritization.

Click on map to enlarge

Click on map to enlarge

Crow/Medicine Bow/Upper Laramie/Upper Lodgepole

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

This watershed is composed of portions of the following 4 fourth-level watersheds:

  • Crow

  • Medicine Bow

  • Upper Laramie

  • Upper Lodgepole

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Eagle River

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

This watershed is composed of the fourth-level Eagle River watershed. Portions of the Headwaters of the Eagle River (French Creek-Homestake Creek watershed) have been included in the Arkansas Headwaters Wildfire/Watershed Assessment.

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Click on map to enlarge

Click on map to enlarge

Little Snake

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

During the preliminary analysis it became obvious that the western portion of the watershed was much different from the eastern portion. A smaller assessment area was used in the analysis.

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information

Lower Colorado Headwaters

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

The Lower Colorado Headwaters watershed is the lower part of the fourth-level Colorado Headwaters watershed. That watershed has been divided into two parts for these Phase 1 assessments. The upper portion of the Colorado Headwaters watershed is being assessed as the Upper Colorado Headwaters watershed.

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Click on map to enlarge

Click on map to enlarge

North Platte

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

The North Platte watershed is fourth-level watershed. The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Roaring Fork

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

The Roaring Fork watershed is fourth-level watershed. Portions of the Headwaters of the Roaring Fork Watershed (portions of the Roaring Fork and Fryingpan Headwaters) have been included in the Arkansas Headwaters Wildfire/Watershed Assessment.

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Click on map to enlarge

Click on map to enlarge

Saint Vrain

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

The fourth-level Saint Vrain Watershed was modified because the watersheds on the plains would skew the results of the prioritization. The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

The Saint Vrain Watershed Assessment has been taken further through the stakeholder process. That process has provided a final prioritization and an opportunities and constraints analysis. Please refer to the Saint Vrain Watershed/Wildfire Assessment page for information on that work.

Upper Colorado Headwaters

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

The Upper Colorado Headwaters watershed is the upper part of the fourth-level Colorado Headwaters watershed. That watershed has been divided into two parts for these Phase 1 assessments. The lower portion of the Colorado Headwaters watershed is being assessed as the Lower Colorado Headwaters watershed.

The Upper Colorado Headwaters Watershed Assessment has been taken further through the stakeholder process. That process has provided a final prioritization. Please refer to the Upper Colorado Watershed Assessment page for information on that work.

Click on map to enlarge

Click on map to enlarge

Upper North Platte

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

The Upper North Platte watershed is fourth-level watershed. During the preliminary analysis it became obvious that the northern portion of the watershed was much different from the southern portion. A smaller assessment area is used in this analysis.

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Upper White

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

This watershed is the fourth-level Upper White Watershed. The watershed assessment area was modified because the watersheds on flatter ground outside of the forested areas would skew the results of the prioritization. The following fifth-level watersheds were removed from the assessment area:

  • Crooked Wash-White River

  • Strawberry Creek-White River, except for the sixth-level watershed Flag Creek that was retained in the assessment area

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Click on map to enlarge

Click on map to enlarge

Upper Yampa

This watershed assessment followed a procedure prescribed by the Front Range Watershed Protection Data Refinement Work Group titled “Protecting Critical Watersheds in Colorado from Wildfire: A Technical Approach to Watershed Assessment and Prioritization”. See Watershed Wildfire Protection Group for more information.

This watershed is the fourth-level Upper Yampa Watershed.

The Phase 1 analysis has been completed. Please review the report for more information.

Previous
Previous

Aurora Source Water Protection Plan

Next
Next

Big Thompson Forest Health Assessment