The National Park Service has released its executive summary of the Dragon Bravo Fire’s impacts on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and surrounding forest land.
A Park Service burned area emergency response team conducted field assessments in August. It concluded that the fire burned in what it calls a “mosaic” pattern with mostly low to moderate severity.
“While localized threats to life, infrastructure, and sensitive resources exist, the fire’s burn pattern supports natural recovery in most areas,” reads the report. “Emergency stabilization treatments address immediate risks to water quality, public safety, and historic structures. Burned Area Rehabilitation treatments support longer-term recovery through invasive species control, trail maintenance, and wildlife monitoring.”
The BAER team examined how the Dragon Bravo Fire affected a variety of aspects across the landscape, including the watershed.
They say post-fire debris flows in the canyon are localized to “steep, confined drainages, like Dragon Crek and upper Bright Angel Creek, but not expected because of typical monsoon events.”
The report continues, “… while short-term increases in runoff and debris flow are expected, they are unlikely to significantly impact values-at-risk under normal storm conditions.”
The BAER team says trees and seed sources in low-severity areas are still intact while “moderate-severity patches are already showing signs of resprouting.” Biologists say while the fire mostly supported “ecological renewal,” areas that were more heavily impacted could be vulnerable to the expansion of invasive species.
Officials also say fisheries weren’t heavily impacted and the risk to the threatened humpback chub and other species listed under the Endangered Species Act are low. They also say the wildlife habitat was largely spared from heavy impacts and nesting sites for the endangered California condor were unaffected.
According to the report, 73 miles of trails were affected by the Dragon Bravo Fire. The North Kaibab Trail sustained moderate damage with 2,200 feet covered in debris. Rockfall and instability are expected to persist in some steeper areas.
Park infrastructure, including several historic buildings, saw the heaviest and most permanent damage. In all, 114 buildings and outbuildings were destroyed including the 100-year-old Grand Canyon Lodge. Numerous guest cabins also burned along with 24 buildings that were part of the National Park Service’s Headquarters Historic District. Eleven of those were classified as historic. The agency is working to secure and salvage material and artifacts in the lodge.
The Dragon Bravo Fire burned 149,399 acres, including 71,129 acres in Grand Canyon National Park. Most of the area burned at a low to moderate severity with 68% of park lands classified as low, 24% moderate and 1% high severity.
