Public meetings for Oregon's wildfire hazard map

OREGON – There are upcoming public hearings pertaining to the statewide wildfire hazard map and it’s administrative rules.

The map is being developed by multiple agencies and groups, like Oregon State University, Oregon Department of Forestry and more. It aims to help Oregonians stay mindful of wildfire hazardous areas, and help agencies prioritize these areas when it comes to improving wildfire resilience.

But before the map can be completed, the public’s input is highly encouraged. There will be public hearings on different aspects and rules… Such as whether land that is irrigated should be considered a lower hazardous level. ODF’s Derek Gasperini said,

“We still have to follow the law. It still has to be based on weather, climate, topography and vegetation. But we’re specifically looking for input from counties to see if there’s any anomalies in that draft data that just doesn’t make sense to them based on their local understanding of the landscapes.”

Comments can be made at the public zoom meetings on July 31st at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and August 1st at 6 p.m. You can also email your comments until 5 p.m. on August 15th.

Click here for more information.