The Mesa Fire burned 34,719 acre east of Council, Idaho, including lands in the Payette National Forest. Even before the fire was contained on August 25, 2018 a team of Forest Service specialists were conducting field assessments to prescribe burned area emergency response (BAER) treatments. BAER is a specific effort to reduce further damage due to the land being temporarily exposed in a fragile condition. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water runoff may increase and cause flooding; sediment may move downstream and damage houses or fill reservoirs, putting habitat and community water supplies at risk. The BAER program is designed to address these situations through the key goals of protecting life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems.
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