Four neighborhoods in the Bend area and one in Canyon City in Grant County joined the national Firewise program last year and were among 182 communities across the state that conducted a variety of projects from cutting brush to thinning overcrowded stands of trees, to clearing brush away from evacuation routes and promoting education and outreach.
Bend neighborhoods, Boonesborough POA, Mountain High, Touchmark at Mt. Bachelor Village and Wyndemere were acknowledged as new Firewise members. This places Oregon in second place nationally for number of Firewise communities. The Oregon Department of Forestry manages the program in Oregon. Other neighborhoods recognized in the state include:
- Ashland – Glenn Vista Estates and Mill Pond Homeowners Association
- Canyon City – Canyon Creek Lane
- Central Point – Jackson Oaks Neighborhood Association
- Culver – Forest Park Estates – Grandview
- Glendale – Old Booth Lane – Harrel Lane
- Grants Pass – Birdseye Cr., Board Shanty, Hugo/Hidden Pine Drive and Woodson Drive
- Jacksonville – Timber Ridge Homeowners Association
- Mill City – Dogwood Road
- Oakridge – Greater Oakridge-Westfir
- Portland – Linnton
- Shady Cove – Deerfield Park 1 and 2
- Sisters – Indian Ford Meadows East and Trout Creek Village
- Springfield – Wallace Creek
- West Linn – Skyline Ridge Neighborhood
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s National Fire Plan Coordinator, Jenna Trentadue, who manages the Firewise program in Oregon said, “Staff in our local ODF offices partner with fire departments to work with communities across the state to organize projects or activities that reduce wildfire risk. Through this process, those communities become designated as Firewise.”
To achieve the designation, communities must have at least eight participating dwelling units and conduct at least one event or activity related to reducing fire risk. Firewise is a nationwide program of the National Fire Protection Association.
