Steep, burned hillslope in the 2009 Station Fire.

Well-developed rills in the 2009 Station Fire.  Rills are small channels cut into the hillside by erosion processes.  They have the potential to generate a large amount of sediment, which may contribute to debris-flow formation. The Station Fire burned approximately 160,000 acres from August to October 2009, including steep terrain in the Angeles National Forest. This photo was taken approximately 1 month after the fire was contained.  Note that the hillslope is nearly complete devoid of vegetation, which also increases the likelihood that debris flows may be triggered during periods of heavy rainfall.