14.0 Conclusions

14.1 Lincoln County Risk/Hazard Assessment Conclusions

The RCI Project Team developed the recommendations for Lincoln County communities based on site-specific conditions observed during the wildfire risk and hazard assessments and information provided by local fire departments and agencies. General and specific recommendations provide a starting point so that each community described in this report can take a proactive approach to implement projects that will reduce the risks of loss of life, property, and natural resources from a wildfire.

Lincoln County is in an area known for summer thunderstorms and lightning strikes and has an extensive wildfire history from lightning strike and human ignitions. The ongoing risk of wildland fire is imminent and warrants additional attention to fuel reduction treatments and maintenance, and expanded emphasis on defensible space. One of the biggest risk factors for all communities in Lincoln County is the limited fire protection, limited suppression equipment, and limited firefighter training. Many of the volunteer firefighters in the county have not received adequate wildland fire training, and there is the possibility of potential delays in response times because volunteers may not always be available during normal work hours.

Defensible space will mitigate some of the hazards associated with limited fire suppression capabilities and provide a greater level of safety to Lincoln County residents. Recommendations for defensible space were made to Mt. Wilson, Caliente, Pioche/ Caselton, and Panaca in 2002. In the last two years, only limited progress has been made toward implementing defensible space treatments on private land.

The Bureau of Land Management Ely Field Office has mutual aid agreements with all Lincoln County volunteer fire departments to provide fire suppression equipment and personnel, and hand crews are available from the Nevada Division of Forestry Pioche Conservation Camp. However in many cases, under the worst-case scenario, wildfires could burn through communities such as Mt. Wilson and Eagle Valley/Ursine before assistance could arrive.

Eagle Valley/Ursine, Mt. Wilson, and Pioche/Caselton communities have the highest potential for a catastrophic wildfire in Lincoln County. Heavy fuel loading, extreme topography, homes without defensible space, narrow winding roads, lack of local fire protection (in Eagle Valley/Ursine and Mt. Wilson), and lack of water for fire suppression contribute to a high and extreme community hazard ratings with the likelihood of severe damage or loss of property and the possibility of loss of life during a catastrophic event.

Agricultural fields and pastures in many Lincoln County communities provide a buffer zone between residential structures and wildland fuels. Rural ranch residents are more at a risk of economic loss from wildfire due to damage to ranch improvements and haystacks than to loss of homes.

Red brome and cheatgrass are becoming prevalent throughout Lincoln County and can significantly increase fuel hazards and ignition risks in years with above normal precipitation. When these grasses dry in early summer they provide a continuous layer of fine fuel that is easily ignited and can spread fire across the interspaces between shrubs that normally would not carry a fire without extreme wind. Once an area burns it becomes susceptible to annual grass invasion that can effectively replace native plant communities and expand the fire-prone environment. Eradication of these annual grasses necessitates interrupting seed production for multiple years and reseeding with fire resistant species in order to replace the annual grass with a more fire resistant groundcover. (Implementation of most treatment options on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management requires special permitting and environmental analyses.)

There is no way to completely eliminate the threat that wildfire presents to communities in the wildland-urban interface. However, the recommendations in this report are intended to increase public responsibility and encourage concerned community members to be proactive in reducing the risk of wildfire ignitions near their communities. Creating and maintaining defensible space on private property and increasing public awareness of the risks and potential for damage or loss of lives and property associated with living in a fire-prone environment are best accomplished at the local level.

The recommendations presented for each community in this report should be considered a starting point for addressing community wildfire safety. Long-term community safety from wildfire requires a permanent commitment to the enforcement of fire safe ordinances at the local level and dedicated attention to fuels management. Regular monitoring of fuel conditions and periodic updates to this report should include new recommendations for maintenance or implementation of additional treatments as development continues to encroach at the wildland-urban interface.