[Following is an excerpt from Oregon State Forester Doug Decker’s Nov. 25 message to Oregon Dept. of Forestry personnel.]
Though the fires are out and the smoke has now cleared, I know you’ll agree with me that the 2013 fire season is still with us, and will be for some time. We were busy last week in the Oregon Legislature talking about fire, and I wanted to pass along some good news about the latest milestone related to this last fire season.
We brought three key financial items before the legislature last Thursday and Friday, all of which were met with strong support, allowing us to continue ahead with bill paying, and with preparing for the 2014 fire season. Last week’s Legislative Emergency Board strongly affirmed our work by approving our request for increased spending authority, including the $2 million from the Special Purpose Appropriation, and agreeing to take up our request for an additional $40 million in General Fund money during the February 2014 legislative session. During three legislative committee meetings on Thursday and Friday, legislators went out of their way to thank all firefighters and the department for its work last summer. Woven through the conversations was a strong interest in minimizing future fire risks through active forest management, and concerns about the long-term impacts of climate change.
On Wednesday, I participated in a panel discussion with the Bureau of Land Management and a private landowner representative in front of the Senate Rural Communities and Economic Development Committee on the topic of post-fire recovery. I was proud to highlight the Southwest Oregon District’s swift response on the fire salvage work underway on state forests burned in the Douglas Complex – though not a lot of acres – still an important demonstration for us as forest stewards of our state forests. There is a lot of interest from this committee – especially on the topic of federal forests management.
Last week’s support from the Oregon Legislature and ongoing support from the Governor’s Office is in harmony with what we’ve heard during the recent fall fire protection association meetings now underway. During these sessions, landowners and cooperators have candidly and sincerely expressed their thanks to the department.