State fire marshal wants Oregonians to do more to protect their homes from wildfires

Climate change is expected to increase both the frequency and intensity of wildfires, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

So now, in addition to more dry eastern Oregon wildfires, we’re likely to experience more wildfires in the wetter western part of the state. “Wildfire is not an ‘if,’ but a ‘when,’ living in Oregon,” said Alison Green, a spokeswoman for the Oregon State Fire Marshal.

Just as troubling for urban Oregonians is the increase in wildfires reaching cities. About 3,000 homes burned in Oregon communities such as Phoenix, Talent, Detroit and Blue River in 2020. Further afield, towns like Lahaina, Hawaii, and Boulder, Colorado, have also been devastated.

“It is a myth that if I live in a suburban area, I’m safe from wildfire,” Green said.

Because of all this, the Oregon State Fire Marshal wants Oregonians to create more defensible space around their homes. That is more area between the house and potential wildfire, where vegetation has been modified to reduce the threat and help firefighters defend the house.

The state fire marshal has set up a number of new programs to help: One involves bringing wood chippers into vulnerable areas so people can chop-up their yard debris for free. Another helps communities clear combustible fuels out of greenway spaces.

Becky Watkins, who lives in Days Creek, Douglas County, recently heard about yet another program: the fire marshal will pay Oregonians $250 to make their yard less vulnerable.

Watkins lives on 23 acres outside Roseburg with peacocks, Douglas fir trees and wild deer. There’s even a local bear that likes to raid her cherry tree. But all that vegetation means her home is at high risk of wildfire. Three have ripped through here over the last 30 years.

Watkins remembers one in 2015 that created a red glow above her trees.

“It was on the hills behind us,” she said. “The fire completely surrounded the property.”

The U.S. Forest Service cut it off by digging a line with a Caterpillar. But Watkins will always remember the feeling.

“It’s usually in the back of your mind because you want to do what you can to alleviate the problem of fire burning down your house. But then, you can’t really dwell on it a lot,” Watkins said.

Related: Oregon fire departments receive a state funding boost as wildfire season looms ahead

Like many rural Oregonians, Watkins has already taken several precautions to protect her home, like installing a metal roof, which isn’t as susceptible to embers.

She’s moved her firewood away from the house, and limbed-up the trees so a grass fire can’t climb into the canopy.

She’s even vigilant about mowing the lawn: “I do it in sections, because I have arthritis in my knee. So it’s kind of hard to do.”

Defensible spaces program

A few weeks ago, Watkins applied for the fire marshal’s $250 defensible spaces program. Deputy State Fire Marshall Rich Holloway visited to have a look around.

“You’re doing a fantastic job,” he told her. He did notice a few issues, like a large gap in the foundation that could allow embers to enter and catch fire under the house.

Another fire marshal, Bryan Dorris, noticed bark mulch next to the house. He said that while fighting the Almeda Fire in 2020, bark mulch proved to be a real problem.

“It didn’t matter how much water we put on it, it kept burning,” Dorris said. “So I would recommend removing the bark mulch and putting in rock.”

Firefighters sometimes have to choose which houses to save in a wildfire, a decision that can depend on who has cleared away brush and who hasn’t.

“There’s times when we have to write off homes because they’re not defendable,” Dorris said.

Watkins is going to replace the bark mulch with rock. She was hoping that the state would help her with its $250 defensible space program. But it turned out Watkins doesn’t live within one of the 50 prioritized communities.

“Those communities were determined, not only by wildfire risk, but by income, age, language spoken at home, all of those items,” said Green, with the fire marshal’s office.

The other lingering question is whether $250 is enough to help clear a yard.

“It depends on the work you’re doing,” said Green. “If you are just hiring someone to come out and take pine needles out of the gutter, probably. To take a really large tree? It really depends on the work that needs to be done.”

Related: How Oregon is mapping wildfire hazards

There are plenty of things people can do to create defensible space without removing all their plants.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal recommends:

• Planting fire-resistant vegetation.
• Removing debris from gutters.
• Pruning overhanging branches.
• Clearing away pine needles.
• Relocating flammable stuff like wood and propane tanks.
• Keeping the yard well-watered.