2012 Fires Left Long-Term Environmental Impacts on the Niobrara River Valley

According to the North Central Nebraska Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), “The Fairfield Creek wildfire of 2012 and the Big Rock wildfire of 2006 [near Valentine] successfully set back many acres of forest to forbs, grasses and shrubs.” These areas are full of dry, dead trees both standing and downed, as well as dry grass and shrubs, putting them at high risk of extreme fire behavior once again when another fire passes through.

Now 10 years later, where the ground was barren and most trees skeletal, Mother Nature has filled in many of the areas with grasses and Sumac. This keeps the ground from eroding and provides cover for other plants and trees to take root. But with all the dead trees downed or standing, the fire danger is high with all the dead wood within the 2012 fire area.