SALEM, Or. – On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced a revised action plan and timeline for drafting their wildfire risk map.
ODF had announced over a month ago that it was going to redraw its controversial map after it sparked outrage in the community.
The new timeline does not finalize a risk map until the end of 2023, giving ODF much more time to engage with the community.
The first phase of the new action plan is set to begin next month.
It will focus on public engagement, outreach, and education, with the focus being on the most vulnerable areas.
ODF has set March of 2023 as the target date for a rough draft of the map, but it says it will not be finalized until the end of 2023.
“The entire lengthening of this process is to make sure we do the things that we really didn’t have room for in the timeline that we had previously. We should have ample time to engage communities, talk about wildfire risk,” ODF Public Information Officer Derek Gasperini said.
When the map was first released, public outcry about an increase or loss in insurance due to the risk map was apparent on both social media and at various ODF meetings.
ODF said in a press release Thursday that no Oregon insurance company used the original map to set insurance rates, and none plan to use it for those purposes in the future.
According to ODF, a huge benefit of the new timeline is being able to show the public a draft and having time for both community engagement and revisions.
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