Community Wildfire Preparedness

Hood River County ranks as one of the most vulnerable communities to wildfire in the western United States. The Mt. Hood National Forest is a Wildfire Crisis Strategy National Priority Landscape, one of only 21 priority landscapes in the country. At the state level, the Hood River Ranger District is a priority for forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction as identified in Oregon’s 20-Year Landscape Resiliency Strategic Plan.

Public land management agencies are taking action to prepare our community for future wildfire and they need our help.

The Hood River Forest Collaborative partnered with Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District to establish a free mobile chipping program. To learn more and sign-up visit: https://hoodriverswcd.org/news-events/mobile-chipping-service/

Local non-profit partner, Mt. Adams Resource Stewards, maintains a mobile chipper and stewardship crew that assists with the creation of defensible space. 

Neighbors worked together to clear brush around their homes on the westside of Hood River. The neighborhood participated in the free mobile chipping program offered through a partnership with Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District and Mt. Adams Resource Stewards. 

Defensible space and home hardening are the best ways to reduce the risk of structure loss during a wildfire event. Hood River Forest Collaborative member, Oregon State Fire Marshal, offers excellent online resources. You can also learn more about how to have a professional fire fighter assess your property and provide recommendations to reduce the chances of a structure fire when the next wildfire strikes.

Watch the 3-minute video below to learn more about defensible space.