As Oregon works to make communities more resilient to wildfire, a new tool launched June 30 as part of the state’s wildfire omnibus bill, Senate Bill 762. In the legislation, Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Forestry were tasked with developing a wildfire risk map. Following months of work, the map was released, detailing the wildland-urban interface and wildfire risk classification from low to extreme.
The challenge of wildfire in Oregon has grown over the years, from the Chetco Bar fire in 2017, the historic wildfires of 2020, to last year’s Bootleg fire in Klamath and Lake counties. These fires had a significant impact to the landscape and communities within and around the burn scar.
These fires taught us many things, one of which is the importance and value of defensible space. On June 30, Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Forestry launched a new tool to help communities and property owners know their risk associated with wildfire.
The new wildfire risk map shows the risk levels from low to extreme, as well as the wildland-urban interface. The creation of the map was written into Senate Bill 762, passed and signed into law in 2021. OSU created a detailed account of what went into creating the map. In addition, the map is available for viewing on the Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer.
In Senate Bill 762, the Office of State Fire Marshal was tasked with creating a defensible code. That process is underway and will be complete December 2022. The new OSU/ODF wildfire risk map plays into the implementation of the defensible space code. Properties within both “high” and “extreme” risk and in the wildland-urban interface may be subject to the new defensible space code.
To prepare communities and property owners for these changes, the OSFM created a tool kit, including commonly asked questions, who to contact regarding certain questions, how the code will be enforced, and who it will impact. The tool kit can be found on the OSFM’s website.
As the OSFM and stakeholders work through the defensible space code adoption process, it is important to note that while a vast majority of homes or properties may not be within the areas where the defensible space code will apply, there are things homeowners can do now to create defensible space to be better protected from wildfire. At the end of the day, that is the mission of the Office of State Fire Marshal: to protect people, property, and the environment from fire and hazardous materials.