Comment on draft wildfire hazard maps through Aug. 18

from the Oregon Department of Forestry

Draft versions of the statewide wildfire hazard and wildland-urban interface maps are available to the public for review and comment through Aug. 18 on Oregon State University’s Wildfire Risk Explorer website.

The wildfire hazard map’s purposes are to:

• Educate Oregon residents and property owners about the level of hazard where they live
• Assist in prioritizing fire adaptation and mitigation resources for the most vulnerable locations
• Identify where defensible space standards and home hardening codes will apply.

“Defensible space around your home and property is just one of the ways Oregonians can be better prepared for wildfire,” said Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “No matter where you live, the simple actions you take to limit where an ember can land and catch fire can make all the difference, saving your home and protecting your community.”

“Home hardening standards are extremely important because they help reduce the risk of ignition to the most vulnerable parts of a home by the embers of a wildfire,” said Andrew Stolfi, director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. “Once the map is finalized, we will then initiate rulemaking to adopt the home hardening standards, which will be followed by a six-month phase-in period for education and outreach. Importantly, the standards will not apply retroactively. They will be required only in new construction, major additions, and such things as replacing a roof or siding if the home is in both a high wildfire hazard zone and the wildland-urban interface.”

A series of open houses about the state’s new community wildfire risk reduction programs were held throughout Oregon from June 3 to July 1. It was an opportunity to learn about wildfire hazard assessments, new defensible space and home hardening programs and standards, insurance concerns, and statewide wildfire policy.

Representatives from OSU, ODF, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Department of Consumer and Business Services Building Codes Division and Division of Financial Regulation, and the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council addressed hours of questions at the events and engaged with over 500 community members.

“The level of engagement at these community meetings was impressive. I attended them all and hundreds of Oregonians had their questions addressed about community wildfire risk reduction programs and how the map supports protecting Oregon’s communities at highest hazard of experiencing wildfire,” said Dave Hunnicutt, chair of the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council.

At those meetings, early maps depicting wildfire hazard were available, but property tax lot level maps were not yet available. However, draft maps are now ready for Oregonians to see the hazard designation of their specific address, and whether they’re in the wildland-urban interface.

“The maps are still drafts,” said Andy McEvoy, wildfire research scientist at Oregon State University. “The maps won’t become final until we receive input from counties on potential local anomalies, administrative rules are adopted by the Board of Forestry, and we evaluate input from the public.”

The draft maps reflect revisions from the last two years based on input received in 2022 from county governments and the public. Updates include:

• Adjustments for hay and pasturelands
• Adjustments for northwest Oregon forest fuels
• Changes based on draft rules to include irrigation of agricultural crops as a mitigating factor in wildfire hazard assessments.

Final maps will reflect rules as adopted by the Board of Forestry.

“Work on the wildfire hazard map hasn’t ceased over the last two years,” said Kyle Williams, deputy director of Fire Operations at ODF. “ODF and our partners at OSU have worked diligently to evaluate and address concerns about the accuracy of the map. These drafts are still based on the core principles of wildfire science but have been pored through to address expressed concerns. With one more round of public input, we will be well situated to finalize a hazard map that will contribute to advancing wildfire protection in Oregon as the Legislature intended.”

Comments can be sent to hazardmap@odf.oregon.gov. For more information, see ODF’s wildfire hazard web page.