Sisters area interface residents informed of fire standards

Sisters area residents living in the fire-prone forestland-urban interface received information on fuels reduction measures and a self-certification form from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) last week.

Owners of more than 30,000 individual interface properties in Deschutes County were notified, according to Robert Young, Central District Forester with ODF.

Locally, property owners receiving notices include those in Tollgate, Crossroads, Indian Ford, Black Butte Ranch and other interface areas including individual and isolated properties.

The information is the latest step in implementing the Oregon Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act of 1987. Specific fuels reduction and fire prevention standards are spelled out in a 32-page publication mailed to each owner with color photographs, a question-and-answer section, and administrative rules implementing the act.

Deschutes County and Jackson County in southern Oregon are implementing the act as pilot operations.

"To comply with the act, and to improve the chance that structures will survive a wildfire, you are asked to take fuel-reduction measures on your property," Young said in a cover letter to the publication. "Once the fuel reduction measures are complete, you may fill out, sign, and return the attached self-certification card to the Oregon Department of Forestry."

The legislative act was passed in 1997 as an educational and voluntary measure to reduce the increasing wildfire losses of homes and other structures located in areas where wildfires have historically burned.

Compliance is voluntary on the part of owners, Young explained. However, if compliance is not followed, an owner may be responsible for up to $100,000 of extra fire fighting costs if a fire starts for any reason on the property and spreads within a protection zone around a structure and driveway that does not meet the standards. These extra costs might be for retardant planes, extra fire crews, and fire fighting equipment.

Owners have until December 1, 2006, to certify that fuels reduction work and other fire prevention measures have been completed. The property owners may do their own certification or arrange for an assessor certified by the department for this work.

Among standards spelled out in the publication are construction of a primary fuel break around structures followed with a secondary firebreak of 20 to 70 feet to provide firefighters a safe place to work.

The fuel break work includes thinning thickets of young trees, pruning trees to remove ladder fuels, and thinning concentrations of brush. A fuel break along a driveway is recommended if the driveway is more than 150 feet long.

The guide emphasizes that a lot does not have to take on the appearance of a "moonscape" to comply.

In fact, the publication states that healthy trees can shield a home from airborne threats.

Other standards include providing clearance above chimneys and roofs, preventing fuel accumulation under decks, and either enclosing firewood piles in a structure or keeping them 20 feet from structures. Other optional standards are suggested including building all structures with fire resistant materials.

In a separate letter, Young explained that while owners of all vacant lots in the interface are encouraged to fireproof their property, only vacant lots in "high density extreme" areas must take some action.

This action currently involves only construction of a fuel break around the boundaries of their property and along adjacent roads. More stringent standards for vacant lots are being considered, he added.

The Sisters area has seen a number of interface fires in recent years. The 2002 Cache Mountain Fire burned into Black Butte Ranch, destroying two homes and threatening many others. The 1992 Sage Flat Fire north of Sisters burned five homes.

The B&B Complex Fire of 2003 threatened Black Butte Ranch and Camp Sherman. Camp Sherman was evacuated twice.

For more information contact ODF at 549-6761.