Grants Pass Now

Contact: Brian Ballou, fire prevention specialist, (541) 621-4156

SIX PUBLIC MEETINGS ON SB 360 SCHEDULED IN NOVEMBER

The Oregon Department of Forestry is hosting six public meetings in
November to explain and answer questions about the Oregon
Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act (SB 360), which is being
implemented in Josephine County. The Act requires wildfire fuel
reduction around homes located in urban-fringe and dispersed residential
areas.

Here is the schedule of meeting dates and locations:

* Tuesday, Nov. 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wolf Creek Elementary School
* Thursday, Nov. 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Hidden Valley High School
* Friday, Nov. 9, 3:30-5:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m., Lorna Byrne
Middle School, Cave Junction
* Tuesday, Nov. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jerome Prairie Elementary
School
* Thursday, Nov. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m., North Valley High School
* Tuesday, Nov. 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Josephine County Fairgrounds,
Floral Bldg.

Invitations have been mailed to landowners to advise them of the meeting
nearest to where their property is located.

At these meetings, people may attend a presentation about the Act, the
identification of lands which will be affected by the Act, and the
fuel-reduction measures that will be required of landowners. There will
also be information tables at each meeting, at which attendees may get
their questions answered about how to make a fuel break around a home,
how to certify that fuel break work has been completed, and how to get
on-site fuel-reduction advice.

There will also be a table for people who wish to apply for a
fuel-reduction assistance grant. ODF has received more than $1 million
from federal grants to help people meet the fuel-reduction requirements
of the Act. In most cases, a grant reimburses a landowner $400 for
completing a fuel break around a home and along a driveway. These grants
are available in most parts of Josephine County.

Currently, the implementation of the Act in the county is in the
identification and classification of lands stage, a task being
accomplished by a five-member committee. The committee has identified
more than 19,000 lots that will be affected by the Act. Maps of affected
lots will be available for review at the meetings. Committee members
will attend each meeting to listen to comments and answer questions.

Once the committee and ODF are satisfied that the public’s questions
about the Act have been answered, the committee will schedule a public
hearing to gather formal comment about the identification and
classification of lands.

For more information, there is a web page at
http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/SB360/sb360.shtml that outlines the Oregon
Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act and provides a link to
the Josephine County Forestland-Urban Interface Classification
Committee. Information may also be obtained by calling Kyle Holcombe at
the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Grants Pass Unit, (541) 474-3152.