Problem Solvers: Fate of Oregon’s controversial wildfire hazard map now in the hands of lawmakers

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- The Problem Solvers were the first to bring you homeowners' concerns about the state's wildfire hazard map last June. La Pine residents tell us they saw a major increase in their homeowners' insurance following the Darlene 3 Fire.

"We're all getting the maps, and so we should all be concerned about the welfare of our property and the future of our property," said Bill Minnox, who organized Tuesday's rally in Salem against the hazard map.

Eight months later, those same residents have taken matters into their own hands, going straight to the Oregon Capitol. 

This month, state legislators and Deschutes County commissioners have heard from rural residents about their frustrations with the Oregon Department of Forestry's wildfire hazard map as a cause for their increase in insurance prices, despite a state law forbidding that impact.

The map has been at the center of controversy since its initial creation in 2020, with many questioning its accuracy. Now legislators are calling for the map to be repealed.

Bend state Senator Anthony Broadman spoke at a session earlier last week, saying, "Let us focus on getting ready for the wildfires that are coming."

But the Oregon Department of Forestry tells the Problem Solvers that much of residents' frustrations comes from the confusion between the words hazard and risk. The department identifies the word hazard as the conditions that could cause wildfire like weather or topography, vs. risk, meaning the likelihood of a wildfire happening and its potential damage.

"This map designates wildfire hazard, not risk. Risk would include many property level specific factors that would indicate that there's a risk to that property," ODF External Communications Manager Derek Gasperini said Tuesday. "This process and the science behind assessing hazard is more an environmental scale hazard. "

By law, the state hazard map is based on only four factors: weather, climate, topography and vegetation. That means how property owners take care of their spaces does not affect the map.

"Senate Bill 80 in 2023 changed the name of the map from a risk map to a hazard map. And we've kind of been struggling to make that distinction ever since," added Gasperini.

As for home insurance prices, the Problem Solvers have learned that insurance companies cannot by law use state-created maps to determine pricing.

Residents can apply for a repeal of their hazard status at the Department of Forestry website. That deadline is March 10th.