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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2022
State to redraw wildfi re risk map
Decision comes after
public backlash
By TED SICKINGER
The Oregonian
Facing public backlash, the Ore-
gon Department of Forestry on Thurs-
day announced it will redraw a map out-
lining wildfi re risk for properties across
the state and pause enforcement mea-
sures that would eventually require some
owners to make improvements to protect
their buildings.
The announcement comes only about
a month after state offi cials in June
released the map and began notifying
select property owners about their poten-
tial responsibilities to clean up proper-
ties to reduce risk. That prompted a tidal
wave of complaints from property own-
ers who claimed the map was inaccu-
rate, would require costly investments
and would impact insurance rates and
availability.
The agency and researchers at Ore-
gon State University produced the map
to comply with provisions of Senate Bill
762, which directed the agency to clas-
sify the fi re risk of properties around the
state in one of fi ve categories.
The mapping eff ort identifi ed some
120,000 tax lots across the state at “high”
or “extreme” risk of burning, and some
80,000 properties that would be sub-
ject to new building code requirements
and obligations to clear fl ammable veg-
etation from around existing homes and
structures.
Last month, the agency sent let-
ters to those property owners informing
them of their risk level and the potential
new requirements, along with informa-
tion on how to appeal their designation.
Those appeals were due by Sept. 21. The
agency also scheduled a series of virtual
and in-person informational meetings
around the state to explain the process
and garner feedback, the fi rst of which
took place last week.
The blowback — from property own-
ers, legislators, county commissioners
and various interest groups — was swift
and loud, creating a public relations cri-
sis for the Department of Forestry and its
new leader, Cal Mukumoto.
In a news release Thursday, Muku-
moto acknowledged that the agency
rushed to deliver the map by a looming
deadline, and “there wasn’t enough time
to allow for the type of local outreach
and engagement that people wanted,
needed and deserved.”
The agency had received nearly 2,000
comments from Oregonians, he added,
and now understands the key areas of
concerns related to the risk classifi cation.
“In response to input received since
posting, we have decided to remove the
current iteration of the wildfi re risk map
from the Oregon Explorer and with-
draw the notices sent,” Mukumoto said
in the release. “We will immediately
begin working with Oregon State Uni-
versity on some refi nements to improve
the accuracy of risk classifi cation assign-
ments based on what we’ve heard from
property owners thus far.”
The current appeals process will
end and any appeals already fi led will
become moot, he said, though the agency
will review the information submitted to
aid in improving the map. Once the map
is refi ned, he said the agency would seek
input from communities before fi naliz-
ing it and sending new notices to prop-
erty owners in the extreme and high-risk
classifi cations.
The agency has not yet established a
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‘IN RESPONSE TO INPUT RECEIVED SINCE POSTING, WE HAVE DECIDED TO
REMOVE THE CURRENT ITERATION OF THE WILDFIRE RISK MAP FROM THE
OREGON EXPLORER AND WITHDRAW THE NOTICES SENT. WE WILL IMMEDIATELY
BEGIN WORKING WITH OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY ON SOME REFINEMENTS TO
IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF RISK CLASSIFICATION ASSIGNMENTS BASED ON
WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM PROPERTY OWNERS THUS FAR.’
Cal Mukumoto | Department of Forestry’s new leader
fi rm time frame for release of the new
map.
“We’re still working out the details
and need to work with Oregon State Uni-
versity to fi nd out how long it’s going to
take,” said Derek Gasperini, an agency
spokesperson. “We’re going backwards
a bit here. We’re taking a step back to get
some more input. We’re hoping to have
some more practical details on the time-
line early next week.”
Some 1,200 people tuned into a vir-
tual meeting the agency held last week.
A parade of southern Oregon property
owners criticized what they said was a
bungled rollout, an inaccurate desig-
nation for their personal properties, the
impact on insurance rates and availabil-
ity, and new requirements for fi re resis-
tant building materials and brush clear-
ing around their homes.
State Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland,
the chief sponsor of the legislation
prompting the designations, told partic-
ipants that he understood the stress the
notifi cation had caused, but that some
of that was coming from rumors and
social media claims about the punish-
ing requirements they would impose –
claims he said aren’t true.
“It would also not be true to say we’re
not going to require anything of Orego-
nians or do anything that could possibly
impose news costs on anybody, because
the point we’ve reached is too critical,”
he said. “The home insurance issue is a
real deal. …The problem here isn’t Sen-
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ate Bill 762, it’s the billions of dollars
that insurers are paying out because of
these growing megafi res.”
That’s didn’t go over well with some
of the audience, one of whom accused
him of being a climate change evange-
list and said he was ignoring the costly
and onerous restrictions the law could
impose on his constituents.
Mukumoto said in the news release
Thursday that the agency was commit-
ted to getting the new iteration of the
map right.
“We’re fully committed to continu-
ing to work with the g overnor’s o ffi ce,
legislators, our partner agencies, local
governments, and Oregonians to do just
that.”