Fire Adapted Communities

The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) works with other state agencies to help Oregon communities adapt to living with fire. Land use and transportation policies by cities and counties can reduce fire risks to people, the built environment, and the natural environment. These policies, paired with additional actions such as defensible space, fire resistant home construction, fuel breaks, evacuation planning, and fire-resistant infrastructure, can increase community resilience to wildfire.

Wildfire Adapted Communities Recommendations Report

The 2021 Oregon legislature passed the state's first comprehensive wildfire preparedness and resiliency bill, Senate Bill 762. The bill required multiple agencies to act to provide long-term security for Oregonians by minimizing loss of life and property, protecting the lives of firefighters, protecting and managing Oregon's forests, and creating a more predictable and protected future for communities and landscapes at risk.

The bill directed DLCD to publish the Wildfire Adapted Communities Recommendations Report. DLCD staff provided these recommendations to the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council and legislature in 2022. The report includes six recommended changes to state and local land use planning programs to minimize wildfire risk. DLCD received community input on the report through a Wildfire Adapted Communities Stakeholder Group, community listening sessions, a Latino community focus group, a survey, and consultation with federally recognized Tribes. As of 2025, the legislature has not acted on the recommendations.

Wildfire Adapted Communities Guide

DLCD will develop a wildfire adapted communities guide to support local governments that would like to voluntarily implement land use and transportation strategies to reduce fire risk.