Soil Burn Severity (SBS) maps are critical components to post-fire analysis.

SBS maps are needed to calculate debris flow hazard probabilities, perform runoff analysis, and identify treatment options. The US Forest Service makes SBS maps of nearly all recent fires on USFS lands available for download on its BAER Imagery Support Data page.

The USFS’s Central Washington Fire Recovery website, which is a valuable resource for recent WA wildfire information, describes the low, moderate, and high level of Soil Burn Severity. Burn severity can vary across the fire area depending on topography, weather conditions, fuel types, and rate of fire spread. The Field Guide for Mapping Post-Fire Soil Burn Severity is one of many additional resources offered by the USFS on assessments and mapping of post-fire watershed conditions.