Kentucky Division of Forestry outlines Community Wildfire Protection Plan and free strike-team services for Ohio County

Representatives from the Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF) told the Ohio County Fiscal Court that the county has been identified as at higher wildfire risk following timber damage from 2021 tornadoes, and they urged the court to consider adopting a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

Kessley Baker, wildfire mitigation specialist for KDF, said a CWPP includes a risk assessment and mitigation recommendations and can make local fire departments and communities more competitive for KDF and federal grants such as Firewise USA and Volunteer Fire Assistance. Nolan Webb, who works with KDF’s tornado strike team, described free services available under the strike-team grant (masticators for woody-debris removal, fuels mitigation, urban forestry assistance and a forester to write plans) and emphasized the need for a locally reviewed CWPP before some ground operations can proceed.

Webb said the tornado strike team’s grant is focused on damage from the 2021 storms and that the team operates within a specified buffer area; services are optional for landowners and do not replace local volunteer fire department responses. KDF staff asked the court to review the draft plan and provide local input and fire-run data to strengthen the local risk case.

Judge executive David Johnston assigned county staff and commissioners (David Stevens, Jason Gary and Justin Cooper) to work with local contact Charlie Shields to review and ground-truth the CWPP. KDF representatives said formal adoption requires signatures but adoption carries no legal mandates; it creates recommended mitigation priorities and helps secure grant funding. Court members agreed to review the document and provide edits or additions.