Rangeland drill restoration after Soda Fire (22349532674)

BLM rangeland drills were deployed Nov. 10, 2015, on the land burned by the Soda Fire, which swept across both eastern Oregon and western Idaho.
The drill seeders from Vale, Oregon, are used to plant “desirable species” or perennial grasses at the precise depth, hopefully beating the invasive plants to the punch, according to Cindy Fritz, BLM natural resource specialist.
“Whoever gets here first kind of wins, so we want to get what’s desirable out here first,” explained Fritz on KTVB TV Tuesday as the drills were pulled on the range that had a light dusting of snow.
At one point in August, the Soda Fire was the largest wildfire in America. It ended up burning about 300,000 acres before it was contained Aug. 23, 2015.
After using the drill seeders, which have a 45-foot-wide reach in one pass, BLM plans to use aerial seeding, too. Rangeland restoration work is scheduled to be finished by mid-January.
“To get back to where it was pre-fire, that’ll take—you know—15 or 20 years to get the growth in here that we want,” said Fritz on KIVI-TV.
Photos and video by Larry Moore, BLM

More information on BLM rangeland: www.blm.gov/or/resources/rangelands/index.php