UGB debate: Is Bend growing west into more fire danger?

The planned expansion of the urban growth boundary in Bend has been discussed for a long time. Now, with the recent Shevlin Fire on the heels of last year’s much-larger Two Bulls blaze, the debate over the fire danger on the west side of town has lit up again.

Two massive fires on Bend’s west side — the destructive Awbrey Hall Fire 25 years ago and the threatening Two Bulls Fire last year — and smoke plumes over Shevlin Park last week reminded many of the fire danger lurking on the more heavily wooded Westside.

“It’s becoming an annual reminder that we shouldn’t build further out to the west into the high-fire risk, Ponderosa pine area,” said Paul Dewey of Central Oregon LandWatch.

But that, in part, is exactly what the city of Bend is planning. The most recent UGB maps show possibilities of how Bend could grow — including to the west.

Scenario 1 has areas for residential uses between Skyliners Road and Shevlin Park Road. Scenario 2 would be slightly smaller, while and Scenario 3 would expand more into the Shevlin Park area.

Damian Syrnyk, senior planner with the city, said the fire danger is just something that comes with the territory.

“We just have to accept, as a community, that we will have high fire danger no matter where we expand to,” Syrnyk said.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the overall fire risk is very similar all over Bend, which is why it is monitoring regions like the Cascades, instead of cities.

“The predominant reason for that is fuel types are different in these areas,” said Deschutes National Forest Public Affairs Specialist Kassidy Kern. “The Cascades, or what we consider the crest, is very different from the Ochoco or the Maury (Mountains), which is very different from the (Newberry National Volcanic) Monument.”

While the fuel types might be the same all over town, there is one variable: both, the Two Bulls and Shevlin fires were human caused.

“Are you more likely to see a human caused fire closer to town? Yeah you are,” Kern said.

The Shevlin Fire was a recent reminder that we live in a fire-adapted ecosystem.

“All of this, all around the forest, whether it’s east side or west side of Bend, it’s Crescent, Oregon or it’s up to Warm Springs, we are on a high fire danger level,” Kern said.