Wildfire Wednesday

Last week, we looked at actions that individuals, families, and communities can take to protect homes and neighborhoods from the spread of embers and other wildfire-related dangers.

Now, we are zooming out to look at landscape-wide and statewide ways in which we can reduce wildfire risk to communities—which involves statewide policies and programs, including Oregon’s land use system.

When people think about making homes wildfire resilient, they often think about building them that way from the ground up. That is an option—which currently is only 2–11% more expensive on average—but what about the rest of us who live in already-built homes?

Fortunately, there are many ways to make those structures—and other buildings—wildfire resilient as well, including through state grants, incentives, and education about simple and cost-effective steps that can be taken on any home

This Oregon Wine Month and Wildfire Awareness Month, 1000 Friends of Oregon is proud to feature Winter’s Hill Estate, a Yamhill County vineyard where three generations of the Winter and Gladhart family have built a legacy rooted in care for the land and a deep sense of responsibility for its future.

They are also navigating an era of increased wildfire frequency and intensity with thoughtful and innovative approaches—including using sheep and goats to reduce vegetation density (pictured). In many ways, this family-owned business is creating hope for the future of Oregon wine.

Wildfire is a natural part of our ecosystem—although human-caused climate change, sprawl, and excessive fire suppression have increased its impacts. We can’t afford to ignore these realities—as, frankly, many did when they responded to the fear-mongering campaign that successfully demanded that the legislature repeal Oregon’s wildfire hazard map.

The good news is that there are actions we can and should take to live safely with wildfire. A better, safer, and more sustainable future is possible, but it calls for joining hands and working together.

In Oregon, our land use conservation and development system has helped us avoid some of the most devastating impacts of wildfires (so far)—especially our urban growth boundaries, which have prevented us from developing into the WUI at the rate that other western states have. But Oregon risks losing that advantage as developers, private property interests, and corporations increasingly push for expanding UGBs outward. This is occurring in tandem with mounting pressure to allow more commercial uses, tourist destinations, second homes, and subdivisions across our natural landscapes and working lands—especially in the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

As the threat of wildfires continues to multiply, 1000 Friends will persistently advocate for sound land use policies that reduce wildfire risk to protect our working lands, natural areas, towns, and cities.

Wildfire-Ready Oregon is a new tool to help all Oregonians prepare their homes, families, and communities for wildfire – useful whether you’re new to wildfire season or you’ve lived in wildfire country for decades.

In recent years, Oregonians have experienced increased risks to health and livelihood, damage to natural resources, and destruction of homes and treasured parts of Oregon from longer and more severe wildfire seasons. But it doesn’t have to be this way!

A comprehensive library of resources by our partner, Sightline Institute, that encompasses ways to live with wildfire and reduce risk to individuals, communities, and the region.

"Some of the most important things we can do are to allow beneficial fires to burn and to build fire-resistant homes in areas that are already developed. Our articles also discuss the importance of land use planning."

12 of Oregon's 36 counties—Baker, Coos, Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson, Klamath, Morrow, Umatilla, Wallowa, and Wheeler—are all experiencing severe drought.

"Extreme dryness will likely shorten the growing season, decrease water supplies, and increase wildfire risk," according to a State of Oregon press release quoted in the article.

“Oregon is facing severe drought conditions, with nine counties already under emergency declarations. Compounding these conditions is our record-setting low snowpack, all of which lend to serious risk for a challenging wildfire season."

—Governor Tina Kotek, as quoted in this press release.

Excerpt: "Nine of the 10 most expensive wildfires in U.S. history have occurred since 2017. Costs are climbing for several reasons: A century of fire suppression has led to more flammable vegetation on the landscape, ready to burn; climate change is boosting the hot, dry weather that helps fuel wildfires; and developers and property owners are building yet more homes in fire-prone areas."

“That fire scar has been grown over and embraced by time. It’s like this visible truth that people were taking care of the land.”

—Joe Scott, an elder from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, as quoted in this article.

"I continue to go to conference after conference where you’re seeing the environmental community sitting side by side with the business community. I think there’s a realization of the symbiosis between these two."

—Matt Donegan, chair of the Oregon Environmental Commission, as quoted in this article.

"All northwesterners, no matter where they live, bear the consequences of continuing to build houses in fire-prone areas. They pay more taxes to cover the escalating costs of firefighting. They pay higher insurance rates to cover insurers’ catastrophic costs from fires. They pay increased energy bills to cover utilities’ costs for fireproofing their infrastructure to power new developments in risky areas. And they pay with their health when they breathe smoke from fires, sometimes hundreds of miles away."

This "mega-encore" episode of the award-winning science podcast, Ologies, features Dr. Gavin Jones and Dr. Amy Christianson.

This annual report from Oregon's Wildfire Programs Advisory Council (WPAC) details policy changes and implementation that are advancing wildfire safety and preparedness in Oregon, including guidance, investments, and direction on defensible space, landscape treatment, community risk reduction, home hardening, smoke mitigation, utility shut-off plans, staffing and equipment enhancements, using the Oregon Conservation Corps, and more.

Excerpt: "Fire is so important for the health of many ecosystems that it is sometimes referred to as a keystone process. Like a keystone species, a keystone process has a disproportionate influence on an ecosystem and removing such a process dramatically changes an ecosystem’s ability to remain healthy and diverse."

"Not all wildfire is a force of destruction. Many of our favorite Northwest plants and animals have evolved to depend on it."

Excerpt: "One day, (David Medford) Rubalcaba hopes they will manage the entire 1.4 million-acre area that comprises Karuk... lands, almost all of it administered by the Forest Service today. But in the near future, they at least want to clear away enough brush and forest litter so it will be safe enough to perform ceremonial burning for the Karuk’s World Renewal Ceremony at Offield Mountain. Ceremonial burning has been absent for over a century."