Salem, OR –Two project proposals led by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), along with four other projects in Oregon, have been selected to be funded by the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG). In total, organizations in Oregon have received $28.5 million to fund six projects, all with the end goal of creating more wildfire resilient communities.
ODF’s project proposals focus on assisting communities in reducing wildfire risk through mitigation work, education, defensible space assessments, becoming a Firewise USA site and more. ODF is also a partner on two other state projects that have been selected for funding.
“Wildfire seasons across the west are lasting longer and causing more devastation than ever before,” said Governor Tina Kotek. “Federal resources are critical for protecting Oregonians and Oregon’s natural resources. These funds will support fuels reduction, defensible space, and other invaluable landscape and community resiliency projects.”
The ODF proposals that have been selected for funding are:
- South Lane Wildfire Risk Reduction in the ODF Western Lane and South Cascade District – $2,624,890
This project will promote wildfire resilience in three disadvantaged Lane County communities, which have been identified as having high risk to catastrophic wildfire. The project will implement fuels reduction focused on private lands located in high density wildland urban interface (WUI) areas and support a wildfire prevention and education campaign, providing community members with educational materials promoting defensible space, wildfire awareness, and Firewise USA.
- Cave Junction-Takilma-Illinois Valley Mira Fuels Mitigation Project in the ODF Southwest Oregon District – $2,359,909
This project actively engages private landowners, provides technical assistance, and expands prescribed fire training opportunities, strengthening community resilience while reducing hazardous fuel loads. The project targets overgrown ladder fuels, selectively thinning to a clearance height of 10 to 14 feet. These efforts reduce crown fire potential, helping prevent rapid fire spread through tree canopies. Another key objective of the Mira project is prescribed fire implementation. In collaboration with partners, the project will conduct community-led under burns, hands-on training workshops, and Certified Burn Manager (CBM) courses.These efforts increase landowner participation in prescribed fire while reducing long-term dependence on mechanical fuel treatments. The project also enhances home and community protection through defensible space assessments and treatments, reducing fuels around structures and reinforcing fuel breaks along roadways and property boundaries. These firebreaks improve firefighter ingress/egress and provide critical suppression points during wildfire events. In total the project will support over 800 acres of hazardous fuels treatment, two CBM trainings, 100 defensible space assessments, two community workshops, four demonstration under burns, and establish two new Firewise Communities.
“Building wildfire resilient landscapes and communities is such a critical need throughout Oregon,” said Kate Skinner, interim State Forester and director of ODF. “We’re eager to get our boots on the ground and put this funding to good use protecting Oregonians.”
The CWDG program helps communities, tribes, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native corporations plan for and mitigate wildfire risks as the nation faces an ongoing wildfire crisis. Scoring priority was given to project proposals that are in an area identified as having a high or very high wildfire hazard potential, benefit a low-income community and/or are in a community that has been impacted by a severe disaster within the past 10 years that increased wildfire risk.
For more information on funded proposals in Oregon and nationally, visit www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants/funded-proposals.