Fire in the E Basin in 1974 caused an increase in water export compared to the unburned NW Basin by 69% in 1974 and by 55% in 1975 (Fig. 8.2). Yield of water remained significantly higher (p = 0.05) in the burned basin compared to the unburned NW basin for six years after the fire. Precipitation on the watersheds averaged 680 mm/year, with runoff from the E Basin averaging 42% of precipitation in the three years after the fire. The runoff in the NW Basin averaged 30% of precipitation, both before and after the 1980 fire.

   Two other studies of wildfires in pine forests (the Little Sioux fire by Wright (1976) and the Etajima Island fire in Japan by Nakane et al. (1983)) showed that runoff from burned watersheds was greater than from the adjacent unburned watersheds.