Theses and Dissertations Collection

Across the western United States, wildfires in sagebrush vegetation are occurring at a more frequent rate and higher intensity. Erosion following wildfire is a main concern among land managers due to the threat it poses to resources, infrastructure, and human health. The purpose of this study is to improve scientific understanding of how site physical and biological attributes effect hillslope to watershed scale sediment yield on a mountainous burned sagebrush landscape. The north-facing aspect produced more erosion post-fire due to the combination of soil, topographic characteristics, and vegetation cover pre- and post-fire. The drivers for both years post-fire was mainly wind and winter season runoff processes rather than summer thunderstorms. This study found that substantial erosion can be driven by combined wind and water processes post-fire. These results highlight the control site characteristics have on a landscapes hydrologic and erosion response and the risk winter processes pose to burned landscapes.