Articles | Volume 22, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2527-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2527-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Apr 2018
Research article |
| 25 Apr 2018
| 25 Apr 2018
Assessing the hydrologic response to wildfires in mountainous regions
Aaron Havel
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
AWR Engineering, LLC, Anchorage, AK 99519, USA
Ali Tasdighi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Mazdak Arabi
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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47 citations as recorded by crossref.
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- Survey of Wildfire Effects on the Peak Flow Characteristics F. Pirani & P. Coulibaly https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-025-04207-5
- Modelling Forest Fire and Post-Fire Management in a Catchment Prone to Erosion: Impacts on Sediment Yield A. De Girolamo et al. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3974442
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- Projecting impacts of wildfire and climate change on streamflow, sediment, and organic carbon yields in a forested watershed D. Loiselle et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125403
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- Modeling wildfire effects on streamflow in the Cascade Mountains, Oregon, USA K. Wampler et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129585
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- Effects of forest fires on headwater streamflow and the habitat suitability for benthic macroinvertebrates C. Papadaki et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2022.2081508
- Evaluating the effects of forest fire on water balance using fire susceptibility maps K. Venkatesh et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105856
- A Review of the Key Impacts of Deforestation and Wildfires on Water Resources with Regard to the Production of Drinking Water O. Banton et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology12100271
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- Rainfall as a driver of post-wildfire flooding and debris flows: A review and synthesis N. Collar et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104990
- A Laboratory Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Water Infiltration in Burned Soils J. Rawal & L. Hu https://doi.org/10.3390/fire9050199
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- Intraseasonal Dynamics of River Discharge and Burned Forest Areas in Siberia E. Ponomarev et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061146
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- Predicting post-fire hydrological and erosive catchment response during rainfall events. A comparison of OpenLISEM and MOHID Land models M. Basso et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131258
- A Streamlined Model-Based Strategy for Screening Wildfire Impact Scenarios Related to Peak Flood Flows: Hazard Prevention in Data-Limited Regions J. Romero-Cuellar et al. https://doi.org/10.1061/JHYEFF.HEENG-6318
- Effects of Urban Development Patterns on Municipal Water Shortage H. Heidari et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2021.694817
- Forest fire risk indicator (FFRI) based on geoprocessing and multicriteria analysis J. de Sousa et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05473-x
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- Holistic hydrological approach to the fire event on August 2021 in Evia, Greece A. Theochari & E. Baltas https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-022-00304-8
- Hydrological impacts of a wildfire in a Boreal region: The Västmanland fire 2014 (Sweden) R. Pimentel & B. Arheimer https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143519
- Impacts of Wildfires on Geotechnical Properties of Soils J. Kellogg & F. Vahedifard https://doi.org/10.1061/IJGNAI.GMENG-10789
47 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A lesson in preparedness: assessing the effectiveness of low-cost post-wildfire flood protection measures for the catastrophic flood in Kineta, Greece G. Papaioannou et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1487-2026
- A Laboratory Study of the Effects of Wildfire Severity on Grain Size Distribution and Erosion in Burned Soils D. Sapkota et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire8020046
- A Probabilistic Approach for Characterization of Sub-Annual Socioeconomic Drought Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Relationships in a Changing Environment H. Heidari et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12061522
- Advances on water quality modeling in burned areas: A review M. Basso et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000025
- Hydrologic responses to wildfires in western Oregon, USA H. Kang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131612
- Simulating watershed hydrological response following a wildfire in southeast China with consideration of land cover changes L. Cai & M. Wang https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.108755
- Combining Methods to Estimate Post-Fire Soil Erosion Using Remote Sensing Data I. Argentiero et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12081105
- Exploring the inclusion of soil management practices in erosion models towards the improvement of post-fire predictions A. Lopes et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109452
- Survey of Wildfire Effects on the Peak Flow Characteristics F. Pirani & P. Coulibaly https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-025-04207-5
- Modelling Forest Fire and Post-Fire Management in a Catchment Prone to Erosion: Impacts on Sediment Yield A. De Girolamo et al. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3974442
- A watershed fragility index for assessing the vulnerability of river ecosystems K. Lira et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113908
- Impacts of Climate Change and Water Management on Hydrologic Fluxes in an Irrigated Basin M. Almahawis et al. https://doi.org/10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-7026
- Projecting impacts of wildfire and climate change on streamflow, sediment, and organic carbon yields in a forested watershed D. Loiselle et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125403
- A Multi-Model Multi-Scale Approach to Estimate the Impact of the 2007 Large-Scale Forest Fires in Peloponnese, Greece S. Batelis & I. Nalbantis https://doi.org/10.3390/w14203348
- Predicting the potential impact of forest fires on runoff and sediment loads using a distributed hydrological modeling approach R. Nasirzadehdizaji & D. Akyuz https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.109959
- Corrigendum to “A review of spatial statistical approaches to modeling water quality” https://doi.org/10.1177/03091333221127595
- Assessment of Post-Fire Impacts on Vegetation Regeneration and Hydrological Processes in a Mediterranean Peri-Urban Catchment E. Koltsida et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16244745
- Modeling wildfire effects on streamflow in the Cascade Mountains, Oregon, USA K. Wampler et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129585
- Global analysis of forest tipping points leading to changing water cycle dynamics M. Domínguez-Tuda & H. Gutiérrez-Jurado https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydroa.2024.100187
- A review of post-wildfire adaptations of surface-water-quality models: Synthesis, gaps, and opportunities Z. Shephard et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179435
- Landscape Planning Integrated Approaches to Support Post-Wildfire Restoration in Natural Protected Areas: The Vesuvius National Park Case Study E. Cervelli et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11071024
- Climate and Land Cover Trends Affecting Freshwater Inputs to a Fjord in Northwestern Patagonia J. León-Muñoz et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.628454
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- Effects of forest fires on headwater streamflow and the habitat suitability for benthic macroinvertebrates C. Papadaki et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2022.2081508
- Evaluating the effects of forest fire on water balance using fire susceptibility maps K. Venkatesh et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105856
- A Review of the Key Impacts of Deforestation and Wildfires on Water Resources with Regard to the Production of Drinking Water O. Banton et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology12100271
- A review of wildfire impacts on stream temperature and turbidity across scales J. Chen & H. Chang https://doi.org/10.1177/03091333221118363
- Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality M. Basso et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3476
- Analysis of Near-Surface Temperature Lapse Rates in Mountain Ecosystems of Northern Mexico Using Landsat-8 Satellite Images and ECOSTRESS M. Rosas-Chavoya et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14010162
- Rainfall as a driver of post-wildfire flooding and debris flows: A review and synthesis N. Collar et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104990
- A Laboratory Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Water Infiltration in Burned Soils J. Rawal & L. Hu https://doi.org/10.3390/fire9050199
- Hydrological Response of Natural Mediterranean Watersheds to Forest Fires K. Soulis et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8010015
- Intraseasonal Dynamics of River Discharge and Burned Forest Areas in Siberia E. Ponomarev et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061146
- Multi-Objective Calibration of a Distributed Hydrological Model in a Highly Glacierized Watershed in Central Asia H. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11030554
- Evaluating Wildfire-Induced Changes in a Water-Yield Ecosystem Service at the Local Scale Using the InVEST Model Y. Kim et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17091260
- Modelling effects of forest fire and post-fire management in a catchment prone to erosion: Impacts on sediment yield A. De Girolamo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2022.106080
- Exploring the Complex Effects of Wildfire on Stream Water Chemistry: Insights From Concentration‐Discharge Relationships C. Richardson et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034940
- Potential Post-Fire Impacts on a Water Supply Reservoir: An Integrated Watershed-Reservoir Approach M. Basso et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.684703
- Predicting post-fire hydrological and erosive catchment response during rainfall events. A comparison of OpenLISEM and MOHID Land models M. Basso et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131258
- A Streamlined Model-Based Strategy for Screening Wildfire Impact Scenarios Related to Peak Flood Flows: Hazard Prevention in Data-Limited Regions J. Romero-Cuellar et al. https://doi.org/10.1061/JHYEFF.HEENG-6318
- Effects of Urban Development Patterns on Municipal Water Shortage H. Heidari et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2021.694817
- Forest fire risk indicator (FFRI) based on geoprocessing and multicriteria analysis J. de Sousa et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05473-x
- Quantifying projected changes in runoff variability and flow regimes of the Fraser River Basin, British Columbia S. Islam et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-811-2019
- Holistic hydrological approach to the fire event on August 2021 in Evia, Greece A. Theochari & E. Baltas https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-022-00304-8
- Hydrological impacts of a wildfire in a Boreal region: The Västmanland fire 2014 (Sweden) R. Pimentel & B. Arheimer https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143519
- Impacts of Wildfires on Geotechnical Properties of Soils J. Kellogg & F. Vahedifard https://doi.org/10.1061/IJGNAI.GMENG-10789
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 21 Oct 2026
Short summary
This study investigated the hydrologic responses to wildfires in mountainous regions using a watershed model. The results indicate that while at the watershed outlet the changes in hydrologic responses may not be significant, at sub-watersheds with high burn intensity runoff increase up to 75 % was observed after the wildfire. Also, the chance of more severe floods was increased. The results have important implications for post-wildfire water resource planning and precautions for flash floods.
This study investigated the hydrologic responses to wildfires in mountainous regions using a...
