Sisters area impacted by fire rules

Sisters area residents will feel the effect of new wildfire risk standards approved by Deschutes County and the State of Oregon on August 24.

The county and state approved detailed fire-risk standards and a map showing locations of three levels of risk of wildfire for homes in the urban-wildland interface of the county. This is the latest step in implementing the Forestland-Urban Interface Act of 1997 passed by the Oregon Legislature.

The growing number of homes in the interface during the past three decades and their impact on wildfire control strategies -- such as with the 2003 B&B Complex Fire and the 2002 Eyerly Fire in the Sisters area -- prompted this legislation.

Deschutes and Jackson counties are the first of Oregon's 36 counties to adopt standards and to establish maps showing properties at risk using three classifications. Some 31,668 tax lots covering 66,306 acres in Deschutes County were classified as "High," "Extreme" or "High Density Extreme."

The Sisters area contains many of the fire-risk areas, according to Tom Andrade, interface coordinator for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).

"A narrow area of the urban-wildland interface along Squaw Creek Canyon north of Sisters was rated 'High Density Extreme' because of the dense vegetative cover and the steep slopes of the canyon," Andrade explained. "Developed areas north and west of Sisters were rated 'Extreme' and lands in the Plainview area east of Sisters were rated 'High'."

About September 15, some 6,000 property owners in the county with lands in the "High" category will receive a 32-page color guide and self-certification response form, Andrade said.

They will be notified of the fire-risk category of their property and be given detailed information on reducing this risk through fuels reduction around structures, along driveways, and along roads bordering their property. Owners of 23,930 properties covering 52,896 acres rated "Extreme" will receive their information about two weeks later and owners of 2,242 lots covering 3,068 acres having "High Density Extreme" properties will receive information in late October.

Andrade emphasized that only lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) are affected by this legislation.

"Property owners will have two years to complete this work on a voluntary basis and then prepare a self-certification response that the work has been done," Andrade said. "An evaluation form with the guide will assist the owner in reviewing his property or he may request the help of an accredited assessor."

The property must be recertified every five years, or when the property is sold, or if a structure is added to the property, he added.

If a property is not certified and a fire starts there from any reason or spreads within the property to an area that does not meet the standards, the owner may be liable for up to $100,000 of extra firefighting costs incurred by ODF, such as retardant planes, extra firefighting crews and hired fire equipment.

"This is entirely a voluntary and educational program," Andrade said. "There is no fine if an owner chooses not to participate. However, in recent months, our office has been receiving many requests on 'What can I do to protect my home and property?' rather than resistance to what we are trying to accomplish."

Owners of vacant lots within the fire risk areas need to consider a self-certification only if their property is in the "High Density Extreme" classification," according to ODF District Forester Robert Young.

"In these cases, owners must construct a fuel break around the boundaries of their property and along adjacent roads to meet the standards," he added.

Deschutes County is considering a draft ordinance to include vacant lots in the country classification system. In addition, the Oregon State Board of Forestry has had testimony from several homeowner groups requesting that all vacant lots be included in the project.

"We at the Oregon Department of Forestry encourage all landowners to reduce surface fuels, remove dead trees, limb live trees, and in general reduce the opportunity for wildfire to spread through the property to other areas," Young said.

Sisters area property owners may want to wait until they receive the guidebook and evaluation form before seeking answers to questions, but information may be obtained at the ODF office in Sisters with a phone call to 549-6761.