The Oregon Legislature Emergency Board dedicated $17 million of emergency funding to advance the recommendations made by the Governor’s Council on Wildfire. Of that amount, $5 million came to the Oregon Department of Forestry for immediate grants to reduce wildfire risk in and around communities across the State.

On short notice, Ashland Fire & Rescue put in a grant application on behalf of the Ashland Forest Resiliency Project and the Fire Adapted Ashland program. The grant was awarded in full by ODF this week, allocating $173,500 for work across federal, City, Parks, and private lands. There was no match requirement, though the work will be leveraged by City AFR utility assessment funds and staff time.

Among many deliverables, the ODF funds will allow for Firewise neighborhoods to pursue previously unfunded work among homes and for distribution of biomass disposal bins to be placed in many neighborhoods above the boulevard to collect needles, leaves, branches, and other flammable vegetation. The grant will be officially award in the first week of March for work to begin, and has to be expended by June 30 of this year.