Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan
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Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan FOR THE COUNTIES OF BUFFALO, HALL , HAMILTON , HOWARD, MERRICK, NANCE, POLK, SHERMAN, YORK, AND PART OF DAWSON Photo courtesy of Doug Whisenhunt OCTOBER, 2019 Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan ii Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan OCTOBER, 2019 Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan FACILITATED BY THE Nebraska Forest Service IN COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION WITH BUFFALO, DAWSON, HALL , HAMILTON , HOWARD, MERRICK, NANCE, POLK, SHERMAN, AND YORK COUNTIES LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DISTRICTS REGION 2 6, REGION 44, AND YORK/SEWARD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AREAS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS CENTRAL PLATTE 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 Photo courtesy of Doug Whisenhunt 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 Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan OCTOBER, 2019 iii Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan (This page intentionally blank) iv Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan OCTOBER, 2019 Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan Approved By: Buffalo County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Dawson County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Hall County Board of Supervisors Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Hamilton County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Howard County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Merrick County Board of Supervisors Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Nance County Board of Supervisors Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan OCTOBER, 2019 v Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan Polk County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Sherman County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ York County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Nebraska Forest Service Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ vi Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan OCTOBER, 2019 Central Platte 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 ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Wildfire Hazard: History and Impacts ........................................................................................................... 9 Emergency Operations ................................................................................................................................ 13 Community-Specific Considerations Buffalo County ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Dawson County ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Hall County .................................................................................................................................................. 20 Hamilton County ......................................................................................................................................... 22 Howard County ........................................................................................................................................... 24 Merrick County ........................................................................................................................................... 26 Nance County .............................................................................................................................................. 28 Polk County ................................................................................................................................................. 30 Sherman County ......................................................................................................................................... 32 York 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 Maintenance ............................................................................................................................................... 41 Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 41 Five-Year Action Plan .................................................................................................................................. 42 Endnotes ..................................................................................................................................................... 44 List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan OCTOBER, 2019 vii Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan Acronyms Acronym Meaning BLM Bureau of Land Management BUL Biologically Unique Landscape CNPPID Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District CWPP; CPCWPP Community Wildfire Protection Plan; Central Platte Community Wildfire Protection Plan FAP Forest Action Plan FEPP; FFP Federal Excess Property Program; Firefighter Property GIS Geographic Information