ASHLAND, Ore.– Fire season may be winding down but the City of Ashland is still working to protect people’s property. However, some residents took to social media to voice concerns about the notice they received telling them to clear blackberry bushes from their own property.
However, homeowners who’ve received notices from the city have six months to clear the weeds. If they don’t take care of it, the city will clear it itself and bill homeowners for the cost. If homeowners don’t pay, the city could put a lien on the property.
According to Ashland Fire and Rescue Division Chief Chris Chambers, this abatement program has been around for decades and is done to protect homes from potential flammable plants.
“We’ve selected some properties where we know that blackberries are close to the buildings and under our Weed Abatement Program,” he said. “They got notices and they’ll have six months to be able to do that work. So that’s quite a while.”
Chambers says this also doesn’t have anything to do with the new wildfire ordinance that passed on September 18. That ordinance will take affect on October 18 and will predominantly focus on the new planting of flammable plants listed under the ordinance.
Anything already planted on someones’ property will not be affected but it’s suggested you remove any listed plants to protect your home. If you have any concerns about either, you can find out more on the city’s page for Weed Abatement or the Wildfire Ordinance.
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