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Fire Program

Photo: Emily Jane Davis (Cropped from original)
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Wildfire readiness

Indigenous peoples have used fire to influence landscapes for millennia. But following Euro-American settlement all fires were quickly suppressed and the use of beneficial fire ceased to occur. Without fire to maintain a healthy balance, forests have become overly dense and even unhealthy. Coupled with a changing climate and as present day population continues to increase, and homes and communities expand to new areas intermixed with wildlands (called the "Wildland Urban Interface, or WUI"), we are faced with a complex challenge of how best to live with fire.

Wildfire is not just an issue for land management agencies to tackle; it's an issue for all of us. You and your community can live better with fire by preparing in advance - before, during, and after a wildfire.

  • A local fire department conducts a home assessment for participants during a workshop.

    Photo: Kayla Bordelon

  • Kayla Bordelon, fire specialist for the Willamette Valley, demonstrates fire behavior and how structures ignite.

    Photo: Carrie Berger

  • The Fire Program team works together to strategize how to foster fire-adapted communities.

    Photo: Carrie Berger

  • Katie Wollstein, rangeland fire specialist, talks with community members about managing rangeland fuels to reduce wildfire risk.

    Photo: OSU Extension

  • The Fire Program team works closely with partners like the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal on defensible space education and training.

    Photo: Ariel Cowan

  • Chris Adlam, regional fire specialist in SW Oregon, uses fire as a way to reduce fuels on the landscape through his work with the Rogue Valley Prescribed Burn Association.

    Photo: Chris Adlam

  • The Fire Program team meets people where they are at to provide outreach and education in both English and Spanish.

    Photo: OSU Extension

  • The Fire Program team recognizes the need to serve communities that face disproportionate wildfire risk, have had less access to mitigation and recovery resources, and possess diverse assets and capacities for adaptation.

    Photo: Kayla Bordelon

Fire Adapted Communities

In this episode, Lauren Grand is joined by Carrie Berger (Fire Program manager) & Emily Jane Davis (Fire Program director) to discuss how communities can be better prepared for wildfires.

Episode 20: Fire Adapted Communities

In this episode, Lauren Grand is joined by Carrie Berger & Emily Jane Davis to discuss how communities can be better prepared for wildfires.

Lauren Grand, Carrie Berger, Emily Jane Davis | May 2022 | Podcast episode

Photo: Carrie Berger

Want to learn more?

The Fire Program team and partners developed a webinar series following Oregon's 2020 Labor Day Fires called Fire Aware Fire Prepared. Watch the following webinars to better prepare your family, home, and community to live better with wildfire.

Watch the recorded webinars!

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