Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan
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Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan FOR THE COUNTIES OF B LAINE, CUSTER, GARFIELD, GREELEY, LOGAN, LOUP, THOMAS, VALLEY, WHEELER, AND PART OF LINCOLN Photo courtesy of Julie Bain, USFS JUNE, 2019 Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan ii Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan June, 2019 Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan FACILITATED BY THE Nebraska Forest Service IN COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION WITH B LAINE, CUSTER, GARFIELD, GREELEY, LINCOLN, LOUP, THOMAS, VALLEY, AND WHEELER COUNTIES LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DISTRICTS REGIONS 2 6 AND 51 AND CUSTER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CENTRAL SANDHILLS CWPP STEERING COMMITTEE LOCAL MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCIES AREA LANDOWNERS Prepared by Sandy Benson, Forest Fuels Management Specialist Nebraska Forest Service Phone 402-684-2290 • [email protected] http://nfs.unl.edu Special thanks to: Joseph Stansberry Kyle Martens Ben Bohall Julie Bain Alma Beland Mark Rempe Photo courtesy of Julie Bain, USFS It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate based upon age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, religion or political affiliation. Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan June, 2019 iii Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan (This page intentionally blank) iv Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan June, 2019 Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan Approved By: Blaine County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Custer County Board of Supervisors Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Garfield County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Greeley County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Lincoln County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Logan County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Loup County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan June, 2019 v Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan Thomas County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Valley County Board of Supervisors Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Wheeler County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Nebraska Forest Service Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ vi Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan June, 2019 Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan Table of Contents Overview Map ............................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii Signature Pages ............................................................................................................................................. v Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... vii List of Acronyms .......................................................................................................................................... viii Introduction and Legislative Background ..................................................................................................... 1 Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Priority Landscapes ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Process ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Wildfire Hazard: History and Impacts ......................................................................................................... 10 Emergency Operations ................................................................................................................................ 13 Community Specific Considerations Blaine County ................................................................................................................................. 16 Custer County ................................................................................................................................ 18 Garfield County .............................................................................................................................. 20 Greeley County .............................................................................................................................. 22 Lincoln County ............................................................................................................................... 24 Logan County ................................................................................................................................. 26 Loup County ................................................................................................................................... 28 Thomas County .............................................................................................................................. 30 Valley County ................................................................................................................................. 32 Wheeler County ............................................................................................................................. 34 Action Plan .................................................................................................................................................. 36 Wildfire Risk Assessment ............................................................................................................... 36 Wildfire Risk Reduction .................................................................................................................. 37 Recommendations for Increasing Emergency Preparedness ........................................................ 38 Training and Education .................................................................................................................. 40 Fuels Mitigation Strategies ............................................................................................................ 40 Five-Year Action Plan ..................................................................................................................... 42 Maintenance .................................................................................................................................. 42 Monitoring and Evaluation ............................................................................................................ 43 Endnotes ..................................................................................................................................................... 44 List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................................... 46 Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan June, 2019 vii Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan Acronyms Acronym Meaning BLM Bureau of Land Management BUL Biologically Unique Landscape cfs cubic feet per second CWPP; CSCWPP Community Wildfire Protection Plan; Central Sandhills Community Wildfire Protection Plan EMA Emergency Management Area/Agency EMS Emergency Medical Service FAP Forest Action Plan FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FEPP Federal Excess Property Program FFA Future Farmers of America FFP Firefighter Property GIS Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System HAZMAT