The U.S. Forest Service spread long-strand wood mulch over areas damaged by this summer's Corner Canyon fire. The mulch will help protect the bare soil until new vegetation can grow next year.

The project involves putting large bales of shredded wood, similar to bales of hay, through a wood chipper. The wood is then placed in a cargo net and hooked to a helicopter, which dumps the mulch over the 140 acres where the burn was most intense, said Paul Flood, a Forest Service soil scientist and team leader for the project.

Flood said the vegetation in these areas, mostly southern facing, has not come back yet, and with winter setting in soon, the soil needs to be protected. The mulch will help the soil retain water and nutrients, preserving the soil so grass and other vegetation can grow back in the spring.

"We just want to make sure when it gets hot again next spring and summer, they [the plants] don't get stressed," Flood said.

The Forest Service has used the technique in several other fires, and Flood said it has worked well in the past. A similar treatment for a fire in Farmington in 2003 was very effective.

The aerial mulching is the last step in the recovery project. The Forest Service already has installed about 50 trenches along the south ridge line of Cherry Canyon. The trenches, which range from 75 to 125 feet long, are stabilized with native seeds and erosion control blankets.

About 1,500 feet of wire silt fencing has also been installed to act as sediment traps in drainage areas above homes in Cherry Creek and Bear Creek Canyons. The traps will be maintained by the Forest Service until ground cover has returned, reducing the risk of flooding. The surrounding Forest Service lands will also be continuously monitored for invasion by noxious weeds, which could hurt native vegetation and the natural watershed.

kdrake@sltrib.com