After fires there is concern about ash, fire debris, flooding, “emergency” sediment. These effects are catastrophic, but relatively short lived

Post-fire watershed response domains (Moody et al. 2013) - see figure

After Lost Creek fire, snowpack snow water equivalent increased with fire, as did net rainfall and net precipitation

For Lost Creek, there was very little effect of fire on peak flows; however, there was earlier melt runoff.

In Lost Creek area, impact of fire on stream temperature is minimal, mainly because stream temperature is groundwater controlled. However, there were large effects on water quality (sediment concentration and phosphorus concentration increases were persistent throughout 10 years; Nitrogen concentrations drop below baseline after 6 years post-burn)

Post fire, increased sediment, which increased bioavailable phosphorus. The macroinvertebrate community then increased in abundance, which led to increased growth of trout

Similar mechanisms and processes govern responses, but different processes dominate responses across biogeoclimatic regions. Caution in broad generalizations on scope of fire effects to water resources