By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com

In helping the public to be better aware of fire dangers, effective Tuesday, March 11, the National Weather Service in Hastings will begin issuing a rangeland fire danger reports that will contain the fire danger indexes for counties in its county warning area.

Steve Kisner, warning coordinator meteorologist for the National Weather Service, the rangeland fire danger index is a method the NWS uses to calculate existing environmental risk factor in its ability to allow a wildfire to spread.

"We look at variables such as temperature, humidity, wind and the state of the atmosphere, such as if it's cloudy, rainy, snow on the ground and those types of things," Kisner said.

In the past, Kisner said the index was done on a statewide basis. But now, the Hastings' NWS will be doing the index for its coverage area in south central Nebraska and north central Kansas. That's a combined coverage area of 30 counties.

Kisner said while they have provided the index in the past, what's different is the emphasis on local forecasting, instead of the forecasting coming from Topeka or Omaha.

"In the past it has been broken up in separate regions and it was hard to differentiate to where you might be," he said.

According to the Nebraska Forest Service at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, fire danger in Nebraska is determined daily by The National Weather Service (NWS).

That rating, according to Nebraska Forest Service, is based upon the forecasted: high temperature, low relative humidity, wind speed, cloud cover and fuel moisture.

According to Nebraska Forest Service, "Fuel moisture is a very important component and can be measured by satellite. Vegetation which is growing is actively pumping water throughout its cells. When vegetation begins to decline it no longer pumps water and begins to dry. One reliable measure of this fuel moisture is greenness and greenness can be sensed by orbiting satellites."

Last year, there were 807 wildfires fires burning 20,355 acres, according to the Nebraska Forest Service. That was down from 120,118 acres in drought impacted 2006 from 1,861 reported wildlife fires.

Last year, there were 114 wildfires caused by lighting burning 12,475 acres. There were 130 wildfires caused by equipment burning 3,211 acres. Wildfires caused by debris burning resulted in 227 fires burning 2,317 acres.

The one thing Kisner said the public will find about the wildfire index is not specific, in that, the risk level will be labeled low, medium, high, or extreme.

But a more detailed fire weather forecast is available that is used by firefighters, he said.

"The fire weather forecast is actually a newer product for us here in south central Nebraska," Kisner said.