North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan FOR THE COUNTIES OF BOYD, BROWN, CHERRY, HOLT, KEYA PAHA, AND ROCK Photo courtesy of Seth Peterson 2020 Update North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Map 1: Overview of the North Central Nebraska CWPP Region and fire districts located all or partly within it. ii North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan December, 2020 North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan FACILITATED BY THE Nebraska Forest Service IN COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION WITH BOYD, BROWN, CHERRY, HOLT, KEYA PAHA, AND ROCK COUNTIES LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DISTRICTS REGION 24 AND HOLT COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CENTRAL NIOBRARA WATERSHED FIRE ADVISORY COUNCIL 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 Seth Peterson 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. North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan December, 2020 iii North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Approved By: Boyd County Board of Supervisors Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Brown County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Cherry County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Holt County Board of Supervisors Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Keya Paha County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Rock County Board of Commissioners Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________ Nebraska Forest Service Signature: ______________________________ Title: ____________________________ Name __________________________________ Date: ____________________________11-9-2020 iv North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan December, 2020 North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Table of Contents Overview Map ............................................................................................................................................... ii Collaborators ................................................................................................................................................ iii Signature Page ............................................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... v List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................... vi Introduction and Legislative Background ..................................................................................................... 1 Planning History; Plan Integration ................................................................................................................ 2 Goals and Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Priority Landscapes ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Process; Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Wildfire Hazard: History and Impacts ......................................................................................................... 11 Emergency Operations ................................................................................................................................ 17 Community-Specific Considerations Boyd County ................................................................................................................................................ 21 Brown County ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Cherry County ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Holt County ................................................................................................................................................. 35 Keya Paha County ....................................................................................................................................... 38 Rock County ................................................................................................................................................ 41 Action Plan .................................................................................................................................................. 44 Wildfire Risk Assessment ............................................................................................................................ 44 Wildfire Risk Reduction ............................................................................................................................... 46 Recommendations for Increasing Emergency Preparedness ..................................................................... 47 Training and Education ............................................................................................................................... 51 Fuels Mitigation Strategies ......................................................................................................................... 52 Maintenance ............................................................................................................................................... 53 Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 54 Five-Year Action Plan .................................................................................................................................. 55 Endnotes ..................................................................................................................................................... 58 List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................................... 60 North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan December, 2020 v North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Community Wildfire Protection Plan Acronyms Acronym Meaning AoC Area of Concern BLM Bureau of Land Management BUL Biologically Unique Landscape CWPP; NCCWPP Community Wildfire Protection Plan; North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan EMA; FEMA Emergency Management Agency; Federal Emergency Management Agency FAC Fire Advisory Council FAP Forest Action Plan FD Fire District, Fire Department FEPP; FFP Federal Excess Property Program; Firefighter Property (program) GIS Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System HMP Hazard Mitigation Plan IC Incident Commander ID Identification KBR; KBRC Keya Paha, Brown, Rock, Cherry LEOP Local Emergency Operations Plan MA, MAA, MAD Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid Agreement, Mutual Aid District MNNRD Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District MOU Memorandum of Understanding NE Nebraska NEMA Nebraska Emergency Management Agency NFS Nebraska Forest Service NGPC Nebraska Game and Parks Commission NNLP Nebraska Natural Legacy Project NPS National Park Service NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service NRD Natural Resource District NWR National Wildlife Refuge PL, PFL Priority Landscape, Priority Forest Landscape RA Risk Assessment RH Relative Humidity RR Risk Reduction SEAT Single Engine Air Tanker SRIA Structural Risk & Ignitability Analysis TNC The Nature Conservancy USFWS, FWS US Fish and Wildlife Service UHF; V-TAC Fire radio channels VFD; RFD Volunteer Fire Department; Rural Fire District/Dept. WMA Wildlife Management Area WUI Wildland-Urban Interface vi North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan December, 2020 North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan Introduction The purpose of the North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is to provide a tool for effectively managing fire and hazardous vegetative fuels and to bolster collaboration and communication among the various agencies and organizations who manage fire in North Central Nebraska. Having a CWPP in place allows the Nebraska