Wildfire Mitigation

The devastation caused by wildfires seems to only increase in scale every year, due in part to population expansion into the wildland-urban interface (WUI), a transitional zone where houses meet or intermix with undeveloped wildland vegetation. Located in a rural setting surrounded by wildlands, the City of Veneta recognizes the inherent risk of wildfire. In the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, adopted by Council in October 2018, wildfire was identified as the primary hazard facing our community.

Recent drought conditions in the area have contributed to tree mortalities, specifically Douglas fir and madrone trees, creating additional flammable fuels and making wildfire mitigation a paramount priority.

The City is working in collaboration with Lane Fire Authority and the Oregon Department of Forestry to prepare our community for the threat of wildfire. The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) created the following map illustrating the areas of Veneta at the highest risk of wildfires.

How to Prepare for Wildfire

While the City reviews options to prepare Veneta as a whole for the risk of wildfire, there are many ways individual property owners and community members can help prepare and protect your homes and neighborhoods from wildfire. To start, we recommend reading the U.S. Fire Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) checklist “Wildfire…Are You Prepared? (PDF)”

Lane County Department of Land Use Planning recommends the following three steps to help protect your home from wildfire (PDF):

• Make your property accessible to firefighters
• Keep your property “lean, clean and green”
• Make your home as fire-resistant as possible

Learn more about Lane County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), currently in the process of being updated and take the Landowner Survey to engage in community outreach.

The following four sections share information and resources for how to prepare and protect your homes and neighborhoods for the risk of wildfire.