Removal of Hazardous Fuels From National Forests Will Help Safeguard Oregon Against Wildfires

Oregon has been allocated more than $5 million in federal funding to prevent increasingly frequent and severe wildfires that threaten homes, businesses, and “our way of life,” Senator Jeff Merkley announced yesterday (Thursday).

The $5,416,405 allocation will reduce wildfire risks and has been divided into eight projects across the state funded by the U.S. Forest Services.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of hazardous fuels will be removed from national forests and grasslands and moved to wood and energy production facilities, says Merkley in a joint statement with Oregon senator Ron Wyden.

Senators Merkley and Wyden Announce $5.4 Million Federal Funding

According to Merkley, chairperson of the Senate Interior Appropriations Sub-committee, the 2024 wildfire season was record-breaking, with Eastern Oregon especially hard-hit.

The eight hazardous fuel removal projects are:

• $3,169,008 – Removing 240,000 tons of sawlogs and non-saw from 9,000 acres of the Malheur National Forest. This is one of the state’s most economically disadvantaged areas hard-hit by mill closures.
• $712,577 – for Forestry First projects within the Central Oregon Wildlife Crisis Landscape. The funds will be used to remove 32,795 tons of biomass.
• $462,768 – the Lomakatsi Restoration Project will produce HumiSoil (a humus-rich soil enhancer) with the removal and utilization of 7,500 green tons of biomass in the Klamath River Basin Wildlife Crisis Landscape. The Lomakatsi Project employs and liaises with Klamath tribal members.
• $375,000 – the project will partner with the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Indian Tribe on tribal lands adjacent to Oregon Forest Service land. Funds for the project will be used to process wood at several sites in the area and will involve 65,000 tons of material on 1,000 acres of land.
• $310,384 – the Malheur Lumber Project in the Ochoco National Forest includes the treatment of thousands of sawlogs and biomass on 1,073 acres. This is a Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project and Joint Chief’s landscape in an area severely impacted by mill closures.
• $248,668 – the Mineral Creek Logging Project will involve the removal of 4,000 tons of non-saw Timber Subject to Agreement material from 402 acres on the Rogue River-Siskiyou and benefit needy community members.
• $88,000 – the Biomass One Project is within a Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project landscape on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and Crater Lake National Park. The project involves the removal of 15,000 green tons of biomass material on 950 acres.
• $50,000 – the High Desert Partnership in the Malheur National Forest will address one of Oregon’s most economically disadvantaged communities. The project includes removing biomass from 300 acres proposed by a community-led initiative including representation from the Burns Paiute Tribe.