All Douglas County offices will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in observance of New Year’s Day and reopen at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2, for normal business.
You might be surprised to learn that fire can be healthy for natural lands. Prescribed fire has many benefits:
Prescribed fire is a powerful and important land management and stewardship tool. Prescribed fire is an effective, cost-efficient way to proactively manage vegetation and help prevent devastating wildfires.
Douglas County’s Prescribed Fire Plan
Wildfires are the No. 1 natural hazard in Douglas County. Douglas County – and its partners in fire mitigation – take an all-hands, all-lands and collaborative approach to mitigating wildfire risk. Douglas County is working to implement a prescribed fire program that meets land management, firefighter and public safety goals and objectives.
Implementation of this science-based fire management program is designed with nationally recognized standards and protocols. It is an investment in long-term benefits for communities, fire managers, and the Douglas County landscape. It helps to enhance and protect the Douglas County economy, values, and way of life.
Read Douglas County’s Prescribed Fire Planning and Implementation Guide.
Prescribed Fire Process
Public safety is the No. 1 priority during a prescribed fire event. To ensure public safety, each prescribed fire event has a detailed plan developed long before project activities are initiated. The plan includes:
When the conditions are met, highly trained fire management personnel apply fire to the treatment areas, closely monitor the fire progress to ensure the fire stays exactly where it was intended, and adjust ignition patterns as necessary to ensure the project objectives are met. Crews remain on-site long after the flames subside to ensure containment lines are secure.
Communication will begin long before a prescribed fire takes place. Make sure you are signed up for public safety alerts through CodeRED. You can receive an email, phone call or text. Prescribed fire will be conducted as budget and conditions allow – with just one fire planned for 2025 so far.
Also, please sign up for County news emails and follow Douglas County on Facebook, X and Nextdoor.
Fire is a natural part of maintaining the health of our ecosystems – a core priority for Douglas County. Prescribed fire can restore the health of a natural area and prevent future fire danger. At the same time, these prescribed fires provide training opportunities for public safety personnel.
Prescribed fire reduces fuels for future, unplanned fires. It reduces or eliminates accumulated, dead fuel to create an environment where fresh vegetation grows back at a lower density – which reduces fuel sources. The new growth brings with it refreshed nutrients that are more resistant to embers or other threats of fire. Refreshed land also will not burn as hot the following season.
Prescribed fire may be a mitigation tool considered for any public land. Any agency – including Douglas County departments – would present the plan to the Board of Douglas County Commissioners in a public meeting before implementing a prescribed fire plan.
Planning for a safe and effective prescribed fire takes time, expertise, and intention. With that in mind, Douglas County’s first expected prescribed fire was proposed to the Board of County Commissioners in early in 2025.
