Over the last year, Wasco County Planning Department staff has worked with the Community Planning Assistance for Wildfires (CPAW) team to evaluate Wasco County’s wildfire risks and determine possible land use planning strategies that can be used to reduce risk.
The team identified risk levels throughout the County and proposed that Wasco County 2040 incorporate wildfire mitigation goals into policies and implementation. Specifically, they recommended we direct planners and community members to specific criteria and guidelines in our Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which is slated to be updated in 2019. They also identified that wildfire should be acknowledged as shaping the natural environment and that future development decision making recognize the impact of wildfire on community safety and resiliency.
In addition to the recommendations, the final document includes analysis that identifies the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) boundaries, challenges to wildfire mitigation and response, and other factors that influence wildfire like water and response availability.
The data and analysis will be used in our plans moving forward.
More information about the CPAW process, including meeting agendas and the final recommendation can be read on the Wasco County website.