In preparation for the Planning Commission on September 1st, planning staff is finalizing drafts of the remaining Chapters of Wasco County 2040. This includes Chapter 4 (Goal 4), Forest Lands.
You can see the draft version here: Goal 4 Forest Lands
In addition to revising the existing information into the new Comprehensive Plan (Wasco County 2040) format, staff also spent some time revising the policies and implementation measures to be consistent with forest practices and land use patterns in Wasco County today.
The most significant revisions are related to the third policy on wildfire. In 2018, a team of wildland fire experts did extensive analysis of Wasco County to evaluate our wildland fire risk and propose mitigation strategies. You can read the Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire Final Recommendations here. You will find these recommendations referenced in findings and references section of the new Chapter 4.
The amendments won’t significantly change the development application and permitting process, but instead will provide additional clarity for the process of coordination with local fire protection agencies, ensure for timely implementation of fire safety standards, and support an update to the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which Wasco County recently received a grant to update.
Other changes focused on streamlining the language for readability, while not substantively changing policy or strategies for implementation.
We encourage your comments on the draft. You can submit them here, via mail or email, up until the day of the hearing.