Oregon wildfire

On Wednesday, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Montana’s Tim Sheehy introduced the bipartisan SAWMILL Act, which looks to supports mills across the nation

They said the legislation would provide dedicated federal support to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in Oregon and across the West, while also empowering communities to prepare for wildfires.

Homeowners across Oregon are being reminded to create defensible space to help protect their homes and property against wildfire.

Oregon’s Governor says she has more ideas to fund firefighting and prevention efforts in the state.  With just a few days left in the legislative session, Tina Kotek wants lawmakers to prioritize wildfire funding.   “Without an immediate path for an ongoing funding mechanism, I urge the legislature to identify as much one-time funding as they can for wildfire suppression and mitigation, to help ke

Starting Monday, the Oregon Department of Forestry is adding fire precautions to the Central Oregon District.  The goal is to reduce human caused fires in the hot, dry conditions.  ODF said smoking while traveling will have to be inside of a vehicle and open fires will be prohibited.  That includes cam...

Wildfire season is right around the corner, and it’s not too early to prepare for smoky conditions.  Jennifer Horton, with the Oregon DEQ, suggests downloading the “Oregon Air” mobile app.   “Keep an eye on the air quality in your area and on any advisories that are being posted, because then you’ll be able to close your windows and doors at night, if there’s smoke expected to come in and impact y

With wildfire season just around the corner, or in some locations across the PNW already here, some state and federal leaders question whether Oregon has all the necessary resources to respond.  Meteorologist John Saltenberger, with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, said the region could be in for a tough fire season.   “...

Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters were sent out of state Friday, to help other regions battling wildfires.  ODF's Jessica Neujahr said the state has various two-way agreements.   "Both of these types of agreements are great because they basically create a reciprocal cache of resources and create a larger, more comprehensive fire management system."   ODF ...

The Oregon Legislature is looking at how homeowners can maintain their insurance in high fire risk areas.  Kenton Brine, with the Northwest Insurance Council, said disaster losses have skyrocketed for insurance companies.   "Losses related to natural disasters, just natural disasters, were $168 billion in 2023 and $182 billion in 2024."   In C...

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said recently she'd consider using part of the kicker refund on wildfire suppression and mitigation.  The state’s kicker refund will be nearly $2 billion and Kotek said half of that money could be useful for fire season.   "The o...