Ferrioli bill to create wildfire buffer zones gets hearing

A proposal aimed at helping communities avoid catastrophic losses due to wildfires received a public hearing Wednesday.

Senate Bill 1017, sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli, of John Day, will help establish wildfire buffer zones to put space between forestlands and urban areas. The bill provides incentives in the form of tax credits to property owners to establish wildfire buffer zones.

Each year in Oregon, wildfires have had a devastating impact on forests, destroyed delicate ecosystems, polluted the air, endangered rural communities and cost millions of dollars.

Annually in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Oregon suffered 1,100 to 1,200 total fires burning up to 104,000 acres of privately-owned forests and some public lands. In 2015, the Canyon Creek Complex fire consumed 43 homes and damaged 50 other structures.

Ahead of the public hearing on SB 1017, Ferrioli released the following statement:

“Oregonians have been hard-hit by damaging wildfires, and this bill will help better prepare our communities for future disasters. By passing this bill, we can save money and increase defensible buffers, but most importantly, we can help Oregonians better avoid grief and suffering associated with property loss.”